Aiden Wilson Tozer American Christian pastor Date of Birth: 21.04.1897 Country: USA

1. American Christian Pastor, Author, Editor, and Spiritual Mentor
2. Pastoral Ministry
3. Authorship
4. Personal Life
5. Death and Legacy

American Christian Pastor, Author, Editor, and Spiritual Mentor

A. W. Tozer was born in a small farming community in La Jose, Western Pennsylvania. He experienced a conversion to Christianity as a teenager in Akron, Ohio. On his way home from working at a tire company, he heard a street preacher exclaim, "If you don't know how to be saved...just call upon God." Tozer responded, saying, "Lord, be merciful to me a sinner." Upon reaching home, he went to the attic and heeded the preacher's advice.

Pastoral Ministry

In 1919, five years after his conversion and lacking formal Christian theological training, Tozer accepted a call to pastor his first church. Thus began a 44-year ministry with the Christian and Missionary Alliance (C&MA), a Protestant evangelical denomination, 33 of which he served as pastor in several different congregations (his first being a small church in Nutter Fort, West Virginia). He later served for three decades (1928-1959) as pastor of the Southside Alliance Church in Chicago; his final years were spent as a pastor at Avenue Road Church in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Observing contemporary Christian life, Tozer felt that the church was on a perilous path of compromise with "worldly" concerns. Raised in poverty, Tozer was an autodidact, educating himself in the subjects that eluded him in high school and university.

Authorship

Tozer began writing in 1931 for the Christian and Missionary Alliance denominational magazine, Alliance Weekly (now Alliance Life), which became the platform on which his writing career unfolded. He later wrote monthly columns entitled "That They May Have Truth" (1936-37) and "A Word in Season" (1944-46). In May 1950, he became editor of the Alliance Weekly and held that position until his death in 1963.

At the urging of C&MA Publication Secretary David V. Fant, Tozer authored biographies of A. B. Simpson (1943) and Robert A. Jaffray (1947). The publication of his third book, "The Pursuit of God" (1948), established Tozer's reputation as a significant voice among evangelicals. In addition to the twelve books he published during his lifetime, over 40 other books have been compiled from his magazine articles, editorials, and sermon transcripts. During his lifetime, Tozer's works were published by Christian Publications, Inc., a denominational press operated by the C&MA. The publishing house declared bankruptcy in 2006 and was purchased by WingSpread Publishers of Camp Hill, Pennsylvania. In November 2013, Moody Publishers purchased Wingspread from its parent company, Zur Ltd., a deal that included over 60 of Tozer's books and booklets. Several of Tozer's works are now available in the public domain and have been released by various publishers.

Personal Life

Tozer had seven children, six sons and one daughter. Living a simple and nonmaterialistic life, he and his wife, Ada Cecilia Pfautz, never owned an automobile, preferring to travel by bus and train. Even as a prominent Christian writer, Tozer gave away most of his royalties to those in need.

However, Tozer's work took a toll on his family. His biographer, James L. Snyder, observes, "The magnitude of Tozer's ministry hindered wholesome family life. Speaking engagements meant that he was away from home more than he was there. When he was at home, he often read or wrote in his study."

Death and Legacy

Tozer died on May 13, 1963, in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, after suffering a heart attack. He was buried in Chicago, and his remains were later moved by his family to Ellet Cemetery in Akron, Ohio. A simple marker reads: A. W. Tozer — A Man of God. The Alliance Weekly published a memorial issue with numerous tributes and excerpts. That same issue also featured "God's Greatest Gift to Man," a transcript of his last sermon. Months before his death, Tozer submitted a manuscript to the Christian Book of Mystical Verse, which was released in 1964 as his final book. His official publisher, Christian Publications, released numerous titles based on his magazine articles and sermon transcripts after his death. They continue to be reprinted by Moody Publishers. Several other publishers have released his works into the public domain.

In 2000, "The Pursuit of God" was listed as one of Christianity Today's 100 "Books of the Century." In 2006, "Knowing the Holy" was listed in "50 Books That Have Shaped Evangelicals." Christian music artist Lauren Barlow of BarlowGirl later published a collection of stories told by 59 artists, authors, and leaders about A. W. Tozer's personal inspiration.