Harold Commons (far left) in the Philippines with the native people.

A Family Legacy in Regular Baptist Missions

A century ago, two eager young men on fire for God met in seminary and formed a close friendship that would impact the formation of the GARBC in the northeastern USA, across the nation, and around the world.

After seminary graduation, those two students, Harold T. Commons and David O. Fuller, both pastored their first Baptist churches in the Atlantic City, New Jersey, area, together engaging in the “Battle for the Bible” in the Baptist convention that was turning away from Biblical foundations of the historic Christian faith.

They fought side by side trying to steer the convention from following the popular new theologies of liberalism. When rebuked and defeated by convention leadership, they joined other independent Baptists in a new fellowship of doctrinally sound churches that would become part of the GARBC.

William T. Commons (DMiss) served 50 years at ABWE with his wife, Sharon, including 15 years as a missionary in Hong Kong and 35 years in headquarters recruiting, training, and administering new international ambassadors for Christ. He and Sharon have been married for 60 years and have three children, eight grandchildren, and one great-grandchild. They live near Philadelphia.