Dr. Ed Nelson
1923-2022Dr. Ed Nelson served tirelessly in full-time Christian service for over 70 years. He left a legacy of uncompromising statesmanship, Great Commission pioneering, and transformational mentorship. As a young man, he was financially independent, owning a successful ranch. However, God convicted him to give all of his wealth to missions, and begin to walk by faith. Sensitivity to God’s voice, and a walk of faith marked his entire ministry.
A Legacy of Preaching and Church Planting
When he was challenged in college about evangelism, he took 2,000 tracts and passed them out on a trip. He preached in every venue possible. In college, he genuinely lived what he later taught: “Even as a student, give of your strength to evangelism.” Dr. Nelson recounts that he was warned that if he went to Bob Jones University, he would never be able to get a good church to pastor. "I never did," he said. "I just started some!" While in college, he started a church in Idaho Springs, Colorado, which is still in existence today.
After college, he married Guyla, and together they went out immediately into itinerant evangelism. He held meetings and ministered in churches across the West. Soon, he felt he needed church experience, so he started Hoffman Heights Baptist Church in Aurora, Colorado. “When I got back into evangelistic work, I found that I really enjoyed pastoring and that I was missing something. All I could think about was how I could get back into the pastorate," he said. In 1956, the Nelsons returned to itinerant evangelism.
"During his evangelistic ministry, Dr. Nelson started at least a dozen local churches in Colorado, Wyoming, and Montana. In 1960 Dr. Nelson became the pastor of South Sheridan Baptist Church in Denver. Under Dr. Nelson's leadership, the church [grew] from a handful of members with an annual budget of $10,000 to a large, multi-faceted ministry with 1500 members and an annual budget of more than $1.6 million....What [was] his secret? “We just started winning souls,” Dr. Nelson says. “We [tried] to reach every segment of society. We [had] ministries to the deaf, mentally retarded, single parents, senior citizens, and young people. We [had] a bus ministry, a printing ministry, and a radio ministry. We [were] also praying about how we [could] reach various groups of displaced people in our city such as Vietnamese, Cambodians, and Koreans."
"MILE HIGH MINISTER," BJU REVIEW, FALL 1987
At the age of 72, he was burdened to start a church in Tucson, Arizona. He tirelessly labored to plant Bethel Baptist church, which in turn spawned several other churches in Tucson.
"His forward-thinking vision resulted in a solid, autonomous mother church and several church plants that have also become indigenous, autonomous churches in their own right. Someone asked me after I followed Dr. Nelson as the pastor of Bethel Baptist, 'What was it like following Ed Nelson as the next pastor?' I simply answered, 'It was much like following the Apostle Paul.'" Dr. David Stertzbach
A Legacy of Uncompromising Statesmanship
“Dr. Nelson is an example of a leader at a time of crisis. As a true statesman, he was willing to take a stand, even if it did not benefit him politically. He was willing to pay whatever price necessary to protect the cause of Christ, the people in his church, and the Baptist churches around him. Throughout the battle for Fundamentalism, he maintained a Christ-like spirit while standing his ground for truth. As a result, the Independent Fundamental Baptist movement flourished. Dr. Nelson, as a true courageous statesman, was one of the fathers of the Independent Baptists.” Wayne Van Gelderen, Jr.
Dr. Nelson’s ability to be a world-changing leader was rooted in the principles he lived and preached. He was quoted to say “Be willing to to take a stand for others even if it means great loss for yourself” and “be a leader for the sake of others, not for your own advancement. Die to selfish ambition. Never compromise on truth.”
When Dr. Nelson and his wife Guyla came to South Sheridan Baptist Church in Colorado, the church was a member of the Conservative Baptist Association. In 1950, the Conservative Baptists opened the Denver Seminary (called the Conservative Baptist Seminary at the time). Early on, it became clear that they could not agree with the new evangelical leanings of the Seminary. A group of pastors became concerned and began to speak out about their concerns.
Dr. Nelson recounted the story this way: "Some of us decided there was only one way. We needed to say what Abraham said to Lot - You choose your way, and we'll go our way. We decided there had to be a split. And fortunately, Wayne Van Gelderen, Sr., had accepted the call to First Baptist, Durango, and shortly thereafter they voted him out because of his stand on the Word. Some of the people came over to him and said, 'We left the church also - let's just start a new independent church. And they started Calvary Baptist Church. So he was involved and the people of Calvary Baptist Church. He and I, and I hope to say this humbly, lived the fight. And there was a fight - it was a terrible fight."
There was a great divide between the "soft core" and the "hard core" in the Association. Finally it came to a vote in 1962, only two years after the Nelsons had come to South Sheridan. Of the 92 churches in the Colorado Conservative Baptist Association, 62 churches (including South Sheridan) voted to pull out of the Association and become Independent Baptists. As Dr. Nelson states, "It was a great day!"
Another battle arose in the fall of 1962. The Billy Graham team was going to hold a crusade in Denver in 1965, and they desired to hold a banquet to plan the event with all the churches in the area. Dr. Nelson had decided that they would not be involved in an ecumenical crusade. At the time, South Sheridan was small. They had gained some families, but they were struggling. Because of back surgery, Pastor Nelson was going to have to be out of the pulpit for nine weeks. Around four weeks after the surgery, a deacon visited him to let him know that the song leader was telling the congregation that they should be able to vote on whether they wanted to go to the Graham banquet and that it should not be up to the pastor to decide. Without telling his doctors, Pastor Nelson went to the church the following Wednesday, sat on a chair on the platform, and spoke for an hour, explaining why they would not participate in the crusade.
Dr. Nelson told the church, “I don't believe I should be a dictator, I told the church. ‘I believe the church should vote. The fact is, you already voted. When you asked me to become the pastor, I told you l would not participate in ecumenical evangelism. It's already been voted. If vou are here tonight and don't agree, I suggest you find another church. Ten families walked out that night. The crusade came and went. After that night, South Sheridan Baptist Church grew faster than any other church in Denver, even the ones in the crusade. We really began to take off and see people come. I really believe it was because we took a stand. Stay with Fundamentalism. Stay with being a Baptist and a Fundamental Baptist. 'It's not by might or by power, but by my spirit!’”
Dr. Nelson stated, "People come to me all the time saying, You know, Brother Nelson, we want to thank you for standing even though you've gotten old. Well, I don't know what else to do but stand. ‘Stand therefore, and having done all to stand’ is in Ephesians 6. We need to stand!" As Dr. Nelson often exclaimed “You know what? We are in the minority, but I don’t care if we are in the minority because if we have the Holy Spirit, We have the power of God!”