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Alton E. Loveless With the Lord

Columbus, OH—Dr. Alton Loveless, world traveler and ministry leader, is now home with his Lord and his wife. Dr. Loveless modeled servant-style leadership in every role he occupied with a sharp mind, business savvy, and relational graciousness. Through loving interaction, he became a father/grandfather figure to many throughout the years.

Alton, a native of Conway, Arkansas, began preaching in 1955 at age 17 and was ordained as a Free Will Baptist minister the very next year. He attended Hendrix College and earned a Bachelor of Arts in Theology from Hillsdale Free Will Baptist College (now Randall University) and later a Masters of Christian Leadership and a Ph.D. in business administration from Columbia Pacific University.

Loveless pastored four Free Will Baptist churches in Arkansas and Missouri from 1955 to 1970. From 1970-1974 he served as a field representative, a Christian education consultant, and the national marketing director for Scripture Press Publications. Dr. Loveless returned to denominational leadership when Ohio named him executive secretary in 1974. For 19 years (1974-1993), he assisted Ohio pastors and oversaw the state bookstore.

During his tenure in Ohio, Dr. Loveless served 12 years on the Sunday School Board (Randall House), ten years on the Historical Commission as chairman, and a term on the Foreign Missions Board (IM, Inc.). He was president of the Free Will Baptist Bookstore Association for 18 years.

Following the retirement of Dr. Roger Reeds, Alton stepped into the role of President & CEO of the National Sunday School and Church Training Department of the National Association of Free Will Baptists (later known as Randall House Publications). He provided nine years of much-needed business acumen and a ministry mindset that carried Randall House forward, building on the legacy of the leaders who came before him.

Dr. Loveless was known for conducting numerous training seminars for churches and conferences. As the second of three CEOs in the nearly 70-year history of Randall House, his tenure was pivotal, setting the stage for the transition to D6 and generational discipleship.

Dr. Loveless published more than 1,300 articles and conducted over 950 seminars in 38 foreign countries and 48 states. Current Randall House CEO, Dr. Hunter, notes, “Randall House’s legacy comes from several great men who paved the way: Roger Reeds, Winford Davis, William Mishler, Harrold Harrison, Malcolm Fry, Jonathan Thigpen, Jim Lauthern, and—without question—Alton Loveless. I learned much from Dr. Loveless, and he was my biggest champion when I succeeded him in March 2002. We maintained a great friendship through the years and kept our annual breakfast meeting at Bob Evans each year during the Ohio state meeting.”

After retiring, Dr. Loveless started his own publishing company to aid and assist authors in self-publishing ventures, and he released over 230 books. In addition, he mentored and influenced scores of people during his lifetime.

Alton and Delois Loveless shared nearly 60 incredible years of marriage and ministry. They were proud of their two sons, Randy and Steven, and their families.

Randall House is accepting donations in memory of Dr. Alton Loveless to continue his legacy of training churches.

—Ron Hunter Jr., Ph.D., CEO, D6 Family Ministry