Faithful to the End: The Legacy of Warren Willis.
"If I were to trade lives with anyone, it would be to follow the path that Warren Willis has lived!" - Josh McDowell
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Memorial Service
See the livestream below and feel free to follow along through the program.
Warren Willis Legacy Fund
Warren spent the last 20 years of his life committed to the idea that this generation needs Jesus. Until his last days, he was working to advance the mission of building up student evangelists sharing the life of Christ with other students across the country.
To honor that legacy, consider giving to carry out the vision Warren started.
The Jesus Man
In September 2023, Warren completed work on a book documenting the stories of his missionary journeys over the years. There will be a limited print run of this book coming in Spring 2024. Stay tuned for information to pre-order a copy.
“ I have known Warren as a friend and fellow Campus Crusade for Christ staff member for 57 years. While I was home writing books and going from place to place as a traveling speaker, this man was out in the far corners of the earth becoming a book. We have been waiting for this book for years.
If I were to trade lives with anyone, it would be to follow the path that Warren Willis has lived!“
- Josh McDowell, from the forward to “The Jesus Man”
A Life On Mission
Acts 1:8, “But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria and to the ends of the earth.”
Beginnings in Ministry
Warren was born in San Jose, California and grew up in Southern California. After graduating from college and seminary and serving as a school teacher, Warren was convicted of his fear of evangelism and joined Campus Crusade for Christ in order to learn to be the effective witness Christ was calling him to be.
The Berkeley Years (1966-1975)
And further, he remembered that he talked to over 200 people at UC Berkeley before he ever saw someone come to put their faith in Jesus. He was energized by participating in the "Berkeley Blitz" when Bill Bright brought 500 staff to witness to every student on campus. Warren became the Director of the Campus Crusade for Christ program at UC Berkeley. It was at Berkeley that he truly learned how to witness and to teach others to share the gospel.
Warren would not claim that he had the gift of evangelism, but he firmly believed that it’s what we are called to do as believers, and he experienced the Holy Spirit’s empowerment to preach the gospel. He believed that discipleship without evangelism is “missing the point”, and he realized that there’s freedom in knowing that God is the One responsible for the outcome!
Micronesia (1975-1983)
At the end of his time at Berkeley, Warren, his wife Diane, and their two sons, moved on to become missionaries in the Islands of Micronesia, with their home base in Guam. During this time, Warren leveraged the impact of short term missions to reach all the islands that he realized one man could never reach in a single lifetime. He worked tirelessly to recruit and equip young men and women to join him for a few months at a time to share Christ in the south pacific. Through these efforts, teams brought the gospel to over 2,000 islands across Micronesia in addition to sending teams into the Philippines with 250 people spending the whole summer showing the Jesus film to millions of people. He prayed that the Lord would bring more laborers to help reach more people for Christ, and throughout the rest of his life, he saw God’s answer to that prayer.
Canada (1983-1991)
After Warren had been in Guam for 8 years, he moved to Canada to serve as the National University Director for Campus Crusade for Christ Canada. During this time, he continued to mobilize groups of many different kinds of people- entrepreneurs, engineers, and adventurers- who were committed to following Christ even when it seemed to require doing the impossible. As part of his hands on training, he led teams from Canada into the Amazon jungle where over the course of several summers they showed the Jesus Film along the entire Amazon river. Through these faith-filled people, Warren saw God do amazing things bringing the gospel around the world.
Mongolia (1991-2000)
Following his assignment in Canada, Warren’s next assignment being on mission for God took him to Mongolia. At the time that Warren arrived, there were only known to be a handful of Christians in the entire nation, following 40 years of communist rule. Mongolia was a dark place crying out for someone to share the gospel. And Warren Willis took up that mantle. He began by organizing teams of people to go all over Mongolia sharing the Jesus Film. Between January of 1992 and June of 1998, the Jesus Film was shown 4000 times in all 350 Mongolian villages with a population over 250. By the end of Warren’s first year in Mongolia, it is estimated that there were nearly 800 Christians in 12 congregations scattered throughout Mongolia. By the end of his ten years in Mongolia, Warren and his team were operating 10 different arms of ministry, led by 25 full time staff. Today, Mongolia Campus Crusade for Christ has over 150 staff carrying on the work that Warren started.
Decision Point (2002 - 2023)
Warren came back to the United States in 2000 where God gave him the vision for Decision Point (originally called California School Project). While launching this new ministry, Warren was also faithfully caring for his wife Diane as she battled cancer to which she finally succumbed in 2006.
After learning that students could legally share the gospel at their schools and attending a gospel rally for himself at a high school campus, Warren was convinced to train students to become the missionaries themselves. This was different from most student ministry organizations who have adults leading the movement. Warren believed this would be the most effective way to bring the gospel to the public schools and reach the next generation.
Warren's Legacy Continues
Knowing that to serve God and to witness to everyone he came in contact with was his life’s calling, Warren continued to share the gospel to the end. He has been an example to all who know him of a faithful believer who is obedient to Christ’s words in Acts 1:8, “You shall be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria and to the ends of the earth.”
"Decision Point would not be here if it weren't for Warren's courage, faith, and determination," says Mark Hopson, Decision Point President and CEO. "It is a privilege to help carry on the work that he began. Warren's legacy of whole-hearted love for Christ, sacrificial service for the Lord, and steadfast commitment to advancing the gospel, will be with our mission always."