Denton Lotz

Denton Lotz,retired as General Secretary of the Baptist World Alliance at the end of 2007...

"Lotz, who was elected General Secretary in 1988 after the tragic passing of General Secretary Gerhard Claas who died in a motor vehicle accident in California, was lauded for his outstanding work in leading the organization that has grown to more than 200 member bodies with more than 36 million baptized members and a community of 110 million.

"The ‘Denton Lotz Human Rights Award’ was launched, endowed with $100,000, to recognize individuals who have played a significant role in human rights and religious freedom in different parts of the world. The award will be given at the Annual Gathering held in July of each year.

"There was a video tribute from former United States President Jimmy Carter, as well as a live tribute from Anne Graham-Lotz, daughter of Evangelist Billy Graham and sister-in-law of Denton, who also read a written tribute on behalf of her father. A ‘This is your life’ presentation was made of Denton’s life and ministry, which included his time in the military; his years as a student at the University of North Carolina, Harvard Divinity School, and the University of Hamburg in Germany; his time as a missionary in Central and Eastern Europe; and his early days at the BWA when he was Youth Department Director and then Director of Evangelism and Education...

"Knud Wumplemann, a Dane who served as BWA president from 1990 to 1995, recalled the visits made to South Africa and the role the BWA played in the historic election in that country that elected Nelson Mandela to the presidency. Billy Kim, who was BWA president between 2000 and 2005, spoke of the leadership of Denton Lotz of the 1990 Seoul, South Korea World Congress and the tremendous impact it had on that country, including the baptism of 10,000 people during the meetings."

• Director, Billy Graham Evangelistic Association
• President, International Religious Liberty Association

His wife is Janice.