In seven decades, the average person may accomplish many feats and master quite a few talents. But Bill Chilton, a member of First Baptist Church, Alabaster, in Shelby Baptist Association, probably has accomplished and mastered more than the average 70 year old.
Chilton plays nine musical instruments. He speaks five languages. He has published four books and many articles.
And he will soon release his fifth compact disc of violin music.
Chilton has accomplished all this while serving God for more than 50 years in pastoral and evangelistic ministry.
Chilton served nine churches as pastor and worked as both an international and home missionary. He then began a ministry of encouragement, playing music and delivering clean humor to audiences.
The journey began for Chilton and his wife, Jeanne, whom he met at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Fort Worth, Texas, while she was beginning to answer her call to the missions field. Chilton said with a laugh, “I was called to be a pastor; she was called to be a missionary. So we compromised and went into the missions field.”
After seminary, Chilton served a brief pastorate at Lincoln Baptist Church in Coosa River Baptist Association, before flying, sight unseen, to a missions post in France in 1964. It was the beginning of an exciting experience in Europe for the young pastor who had minored in French and economics at Howard College (now Samford University) in Birmingham. He served as pastor of a church 60 miles west of Paris in an old hotel building. “We baptized in a bar and worshiped in the dance hall,” he recalled.
In 1965, at age 25, Chilton was elected president of the European Baptist Convention (English Language), which is now the International Baptist Convention — an association of English-language Baptist churches around the world.
He served a one-year term before returning to the United States.
Chilton’s final pastorate ended 18 years ago at First Baptist Church, Kettering, Ohio.
But he didn’t rest long.
The Chiltons returned to Alabama and began Encouragement Ministries. Chilton said his original idea was to have a simple humor and speaking ministry to utilize his primary spiritual gift of encouragement.
But the violin, an instrument he began playing at age 12, was soon incorporated. He had continued his studies during high school and college, performing with the Alabama Symphony Orchestra while a student at Howard.
Seminary and busy pastorates, however, had pushed his violin to the back of the closet.
Today Chilton describes what he does as “good, clean humor and some violin” that especially appeals to senior adults.
Whether his audience is 100 people in a five-star hotel’s grand ballroom or 12 in a small church basement, Chilton delights in making hearts merry. He said each engagement is an opportunity to “love on people.” The Chiltons always arrive early and greet audience members; then, according to Chilton, “I just hit it.”
He closes his eyes and loses himself in a mixture of classical and Christian music on the violin. It warms his heart to hear the “sweet voices of seniors” singing along with songs like “Amazing Grace” and “Jesus Loves Me,” he said.
And seven years ago, he was invited to return to France and participate in a nationwide evangelistic crusade in which more than 200 laymen and ministers participated. Although Chilton was the lone violinist, he quickly found his niche, performing nine violin concerts over two weeks’ time in the streets of Paris.
Along with his evangelistic ministry, Chilton finds time to use his violin and language talents to teach others in his home.
The father of three and grandfather of seven also fills his time writing, something he has always enjoyed but has a new appreciation for since completing a creative Christian writing course at Samford. Chilton said he plans to write at least five additional books after he completes his autobiography, which is now in progress.
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