ALHAMBRA, Calif. — David Wong, president of the Baptist World Alliance (BWA) from 1975 to 1980, died in Alhambra, Calif., Sept. 16. He was 97 years old. Wong was born in Wuzhou, China, and later lived in Guangzhou on the Chinese mainland, before moving to Hong Kong in 1949. He was the first layman and the first Asian to be elected president of the BWA.
He was elected BWA president at the 13th Baptist World Congress in Stockholm, Sweden, in 1975, during which a comprehensive renewal of the structure of the BWA took place, an exercise in which he was a key player, having been a member of the committee on structural changes and constitutional revision that was appointed at the 1970 congress. This restructuring led to the creation of the general council, which convenes annually.
The BWA division of evangelism and education was also created, and greater recognition was given to regional bodies. During Wong’s leadership, the BWA gave greater focus to newer and younger member bodies, granting them equal standing within the BWA with older conventions and unions.
Wong travelled widely in fulfillment of his duties as BWA president, visiting approximately 70 countries during his tenure.
BWA President David Coffey lauded Wong for not only being the first layman and Asian to be elected BWA president, but also for being “the first BWA leader to visit Papua New Guinea.” He stated that Wong “distinguished himself as a good man who served the BWA with faithfulness and loyalty. We express our gratitude to God for David Wong’s service and send our loving sympathy to his wife, Lillian, and family.”
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