The Rev. Bill Bryan knew how to build relationships and involve congregations wherever he served during a 49-year career in ministry.
For example, the associate pastor wanted to grow the Sunday school program at First Southern Baptist Church in Del City, Okla., so he challenged the congregation to a one-Sunday attendance goal of 5,000.
"He got 5,200," said the Rev. Gearl Spicer, a Norcross minister who was the church's college pastor. "He made it fun to believe, that it wasn't dull and negative, but vivacious and powerful. As best as I can recollect, he never served in a church that didn't grow."
The Rev. Bailey Smith of Duluth hired the Rev. Bryan at First Southern as well as introduced him to other churches.
"He took our Sunday school attendance from 1,400 to 3,100 and that was on average," he said. "He was brilliant at promotion and organization. His great skill was getting people to attend church, and coming up with programs to excite."
The Rev. Bill C. Bryan of Alpharetta died Sunday of complications from lung cancer at Embracing Hospice in Cumming. He was 72. A funeral will be held at 10 a.m. Friday at Roswell Street Baptist Church in Marietta. Roswell Funeral Home Green Lawn Cemetery is handling arrangements.
The Rev. Bryan served congregations across the country in what colleagues said was a prolific career of service to God. Among others, he was an associate pastor at First Baptist Church of Aledo, Texas; Peachtree Corners Baptist Church; Roswell Street Baptist Church; and most recently First Baptist Church Atlanta.
At First Baptist, the Arkansas native known as "Brother Bill" headed up a Ministers in Residence program. For 12 years, he mentored young ministers like the Rev. Michael Carney, pastor of Calvary New Orleans in Louisiana.
"He is truly like a father in faith to me," the Rev. Carney said. "He taught me how to really care about people. It's reflected in what I do today."
The Rev. Spicer, now pastor of One Heart Church in Norcross, was the administrative director at First Baptist Atlanta during part of the Rev. Bryan's tenure there.
"He had a magnetic personality with a desire for excellence," he said. "He never accepted less than excellence in his approach to the ministry."
The Rev. Bryan retired last June, but it didn't stick. He worked a few days a week at Mount Harmony Baptist Church in Mableton.
His wife, Chris Price Bryan, died 16 years ago.
"He was a church-grower who loved to harvest churches," said his daughter, Brenda Hollis of Cumming. "He could grow Sunday school attendance and he wrote Sunday school programs that we call Billy Books. He left a really good legacy."
Additional survivors include three grandchildren.
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