Gaylord Ford Porter
1893-1976
Ford Porter was born in Ottawa County, Michigan, on February
5, 1893. The influence of the family altar and the godly
lives of his parents contributed to Ford's decision to re-
ceive Christ to be his Saviour at the age of 11. A year
later, he spoke to a group of junior boys and girls, at which
time his pastor remarked that Ford could then quote more ver-
ses of Scripture than any other person in town.
As a young man, Ford served as a Sunday School
teacher, and later assisted Dr. Ernest Reveal at the Evans-
ville, Indiana, rescue mission. On July 6, 1919, he answered
God's call to preach, after which he studied at the Moody Bi-
ble Institute in Chicago under Dr. Kenneth Weist and Dr.
James M. Gray. In the years that followed, Ford Porter served
several churches in Indiana, and was used of the Lord in var-
ious ministries.
In 1947 he launched the Berean Gospel Ministry, now
Lifegate, Incorporated, which has become worldwide through
the printing and distribution of Gospel tracts. The Berean
ministry included Bible conferences, evangelistic campaigns,
radio broadcasts, children's Bible crusades, Camp Berean, Va-
cation Bible Institute, Gospel films, and the Indiana Baptist
College.
The most far-reaching ministry of Ford Porter was the
Gospel tract, God's Simple Plan of Salvation, which he wrote
in 1933. This tract has been printed in more than 90 lan-
guages and Braille. The worldwide distribution of over
310,000,000 copies has resulted in the salvation of thousands
of people.
Ford Porter went to be with the Lord on November 20,
1976, at the age of 83 years.

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Christian Biographies