Billy’s Greatest Ministry
I first met Billy Hornsby (then known by me as “Uncle Billy) over 27 years ago when I was only 5 years old. He had planted and pastored a small church here in West Monroe, Louisiana know as “Victory Fellowship” (the same place that I would eventually be ordained and serve in known as “Life Church”). I can remember, even as a little boy, being so saddened when I heard he and his family were moving to West Germany to become missionaries. How could a man have such an impact even on a little boy of 5 years of age?
Through the years my dad supported him and kept some sort of contact with him. I can remember when I was “reaquainted” with “Uncle Billy” in the year 2000. I had began preaching then and felt that call of God on my life to be in the ministry “full-time”. This made my dad very nervous so he called Billy, who was now living in Baker, Louisiana and on staff at Bethany World Prayer Center, to give me some direction. “Bro. Billy” invited me to come and stay with he and Charlene for 4-5 days. He “tested my character” by making me dig a drainage ditch near his house (which I didn’t like-hence the undeveloped character). A few days into my trip he invited me on what would be one of the greatest transformational trips of my life-my first foreign mission trip to Brazil. On this trip Billy spoke before hundreds or maybe even thousands of people. He allowed me to get up before he spoke each service to share. Why would someone so well known spend time with me, invest in me, and believe in me when he could have invited anyone else?
I sent Bro. Billy the following email just last year. It reads:
Bro. Billy,
I just wanted to take a second to thank you for what you have mean to me all of these years. I will never forget the time you have invested in me and everything else you mean to me. I cherish the times I was able to stay with you in your home(s) and the times I was able to go with you on trips. I miss being able to be around you like I use to very, very much. Thank you for loving me in spite of my shortcomings and many failures. Here are a few things I am thankful for “Bro. or Uncle Billy” for:
1. For founding the church that I would eventually first serve at.
2. For taking me on my first mission trips. (I know you could have taken anybody)
3. For allowing me the opportunities to speak or share in front of the people when I was with you on these trips.
4. For giving me “an offering” in the airport on our way back from Venezuela. (You may not remember that but I never will). You asked, “Did they give you an offering?” and I said, “No sir.” You then gave me a wad of cash!
5. For surprising me on my wedding day by flying in. I will never forget walking out of the side of the church to get ready to walk down the isle and seeing you walk up. It meant the world to me.
6. Thank you for allowing me to come in your home in Baker and in South Carolina.
7. Thank you for you and Mrs. Charlene being a WONDERFUL example of what family is. I wish Jodi could have been with me on several of my stays in your home.
8. Thank you for allowing me to come hunting in South Carolina.
9. I cherish our hunting memories at our hunting club!
10. Thank you for you and Pastor Joel ordaining me.
11. Thank you for being patient with me during my “cage stage” years.
12. Thank you for taking the time to take my calls or answer my emails.
13. Thank you for always being so “positive” in your outlook in life.
These are just several of the MANY things I am thankful for concerning you.
Love you Brother Billy!Although
Bro. Billy left a huge personal impact on my life and family I know his impact has spread to literally thousands of people, families, pastors, and churches. He was the forerunner in the Association of Related Churches (ARC) that some of the fasting growing churches in America are associated with. Here is a full-press release that was posted on Church of the Highlands website by Pastor Chris Hodges:
Billy Hornsby, founder and President of the Association of Related Churches (ARC) and teaching pastor at Church of the Highlands in Birmingham, Alabama, went to be with the Lord on March 23, 2011, surrounded by family and friends. Billy, 61, had been battling cancer for over two years. He was known for his contagious love and passion for God, family, life, and leaders around the world.
Church of the Highlands will host a memorial service celebrating Pastor Billy’s life at the Grants Mill Campus on Monday, March 28 at 6:30 p.m. CDT. The family is requesting that in lieu of flowers, donations be made to the Association of Related Churches (ARC), a non-profit ministry which trains, resources and supports church planters.
Billy was born on April 18, 1949 in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. He married his childhood sweetheart Charlene in 1967. Their ministry together began in 1975 in West Monroe, Louisiana where they started their first church, Victory Fellowship. In 1984 they moved to Germany to serve as missionaries where they planted and supported churches all across Europe. Billy and Charlene moved back to the USA in 1989 and started two new churches in Kentucky. In 1991 they moved back to their hometown in Louisiana to serve as Associate Pastor at Bethany World Prayer Center. Under Pastor Larry Stockstill’s leadership, Billy launched hundreds of small groups at Bethany and trained thousands of other churches in cell church ministry.
In 2001 Billy and Charlene moved to Charleston, South Carolina to serve at Seacoast Church with Pastor Greg Surratt. During his time there, Billy and Greg began to dream about planting life-giving churches all across the country. In 2001, Billy and Greg, along with Dino Rizzo, Rick Bezet, Scott Hornsby, and Chris Hodges, founded the Association of Related Churches. ARC is now one of the largest church planting organizations in the country and trains thousands of church planters every year and gives millions of dollars annually to church planters. In 2008, Billy and Charlene moved to Birmingham, Alabama where the ARC is currently headquartered.
Billy also served as European Coordinator for EQUIP, a non-profit organization founded by John C. Maxwell which specializes in the development of international Christian leaders. Under Billy’s leadership, hundreds of thousands of new leaders have been trained in Europe over the past ten years.
Pastor Billy was also an author and well-known speaker. His books include “The Cell-Driven Church,” “Success for the Second in Command,” “101 Rules for Relationships,” and “The Attractional Church.”
Billy is survived by his wife of 43 years, Charlene; daughter Tammy Hodges and son-in-law Chris; daughter Trudy Bezet and son-in-law David; daughter Shary Long and son-in-law Phil; eight grandchildren: Natalie Gravois, Sarah, Michael, David, Jonathan, and Joseph Hodges, Wesley and Abby Long; brothers Frank Hornsby, Leon Hornsby, Scott Hornsby, and sister Suzanne Hobgood. Billy is preceded in death by two grandchildren, Will Long and Joy Long.
You read all of the above and you wonder, “What more could a man “be” and “do”? Although Billy was apart of wonderful churches, was a wonderful mentor to so many pastors and men, and touched the lives of literally thousands of people, these were not Billy’s “greatest ministries”. Does this shock and surprise you?
I’ve been in the ministry long enough to see that so many mininsters try to “win the world” at the expense of their own families. Our greatest ministry as ministers or pastors will always be “the ministry to our families” first—the Word of God clearly explains that.
Billy’s greatest ministry-his family. First to his marriage to Charlene.
Marriage was first created and instituted by God—even before his mention of the church in scripture. Our marriages are to be a Godly view and example of Christ’s wonderful love and example of his relationship to the church. This greatest example I’ve ever witnessed of a Godly marriage was Billy and Charlene Hornsby. Having the opportunity to be in almost every home they’ve lived in I watched—and I watched closely. I watched how Billy was kind, loving, gentle, and caring to Ms. Charlene. I watched how Charlene loved, served, submitted to,and cared for Billy. THIS was what I envyed and longed for in my own marriage one day! I looked at their marriage and I see what the Holy Spirit was illustrating in Ephesians 5:22-33, 21 And further, submit to one another out of reverence for Christ. 22 For wives, this means submit to your husbands as to the Lord. 23 For a husband is the head of his wife as Christ is the head of the church. He is the Savior of his body, the church. 24 As the church submits to Christ, so you wives should submit to your husbands in everything.
25 For husbands, this means love your wives, just as Christ loved the church. He gave up his life for her 26 to make her holy and clean, washed by the cleansing of God’s word.[a] 27 He did this to present her to himself as a glorious church without a spot or wrinkle or any other blemish. Instead, she will be holy and without fault. 28 In the same way, husbands ought to love their wives as they love their own bodies. For a man who loves his wife actually shows love for himself. 29 No one hates his own body but feeds and cares for it, just as Christ cares for the church. 30 And we are members of his body.
31 As the Scriptures say, “A man leaves his father and mother and is joined to his wife, and the two are united into one.”[b] 32 This is a great mystery, but it is an illustration of the way Christ and the church are one. 33 So again I say, each man must love his wife as he loves himself, and the wife must respect her husband.
Qualifications on eldership in the church even speaks of the necessity of a leaders family being managed well.
“He must be faithful to his wife…He must manage his own family well, having children who respect and obey him. For if a man cannot mangage his own household, how can he take care of God’s church.” (I. Timothy 3:4-5)
Billy’s greatest ministry-secondly, his children.
“Didn’t I make you one with your wife? In body and spirit you are his. And what does he want? Godly children from your union. So guard your heart; remain loyal to the wife of your youth. For I hate divorce says the Lord, the God of Israel. “To divorce your wife is to overwhelm her with cruelty, says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies. “So guard your heart; do not be unfaithful to your wife.” ” (Malachi 2:15-16)The Lord tells us what he wants from our marriages—Godly offspring! Godly Children!
Billy and Charlene have three wonderful and Godly daughters! They all serve the Lord! They all have honored and respected him! They loveed being around him!
Billy’s greatest ministry-Godly generations to come.
“Let each generation tell its children of your mighty acts; let them proclaim your power.” (Pslam 145:4a)
From Billy and Charlene’s union of come three Godly daughters! But it hasn’t stopped there…the generations of Godliest is continuing. The passing of their faith is continuing. Our of Billy and Charlene’s union have come three Godly daughters, who married three Godly men (all of who are in the ministry), and now they have produced Godly offspring from THEIR UNION! Start doing the math! Can you see 3, 4, 5, and 6 generations of Godliness beginning with Billy and Charlene’s union? The generational faithfulness? The amount of finances given to missions? The servants of God that will rise up JUST from this family?
Now, what is incredible is that Billy did both—had a Godly family AND impacted thousands of people. This day in age, that is AMAZING!
Thank you for your incredible example Bro. Billy and thank you for the incredible example your family continues to be and live!
I love you!
Beck
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