TEACHER, AUTHOR, SUTL CREATOR

THE EARLY YEARS

He answered to "Elmer," "Doc," but most called him "Pastor." Pastor was born in Colchester, VT in 1927 and raised in Pawtucket, RI. He entered the Coast Guard at age 18 and served for 13 months until the war ended. He received a G.I. Bill, and attended Gordon College in Wenham, MA, after which he attended Gordon Conwell Seminary, graduating with a Masters of Divinity degree.

He met his wife-to-be, Nancy Paine, during his first year in seminary and her senior year at Gordon College. They were married in Foxboro, MA September 13, 1952, and enjoyed 68 years together. Nancy was the love of his life and though they were very different in temperament, they were the perfect match for each other.

HIS LEGACY

He was a spiritual father to thousands of people. The most common comment about him is, "Pastor Murdoch laid spiritual foundations in my life that I've been building on for years." He loved to teach and preach. He was one of the most inspirational hymn leaders ever. He was bold and fearless, yet gentle and nonjudgmental. He stood firm on truth. He loved the truth and was always willing to suffer whatever came as long as the truth was upheld. His two primary mentors were Paris Reidhead and A.W. Tozer.

"Pastor" was the ultimate...PASTOR. He loved people. He loved being their shepherd. He loved learning about their lives, their work, their children. He was truly the most inquisitive man that ever lived. And that's he was so wise. He was a deep thinker and theologian. He loved history – church history, civil war history and World War 2 history.

His legacy lives on through each of us.

A Letter from Pastor

SUTL Beginning

Many years ago I preached a sermon entitled, “Steps Leading To Salvation.” Though I didn’t know it, it became the seed for the evangelistic booklet, Step Up To Life. Beginning with the first edition in 1971, it has been printed in 62 languages.

Chuck Colson’s concern was ours. He stated that for every 100 people making decisions for Christ, only two may return for follow-up a few days later.

George Barna says that the majority of people (51% minimum) making decisions, leave the church in 6-8 weeks.

Step Up To Life speaks to this problem by not only informing the mind, but discovering where the heart is, so a reality-based commitment can be made. Our instructional material explains this more fully.

I have pastored small to very large churches. By God’s grace, our last church grew from 40 people to over 3,000 with a Christian school of over 600 students, a missionary budget over $500,000 and help given to over 170 nations. All of our churches were built on the truths found here as a foundation.

I want to thank you for your interest in this material. All proceeds will go back towards the expansion of SUTL (non-profit) ministry.

One great way to help us – is to recommend this material to a friend.

Thank you in advance for your help. God bless you as you help others to Step Up To Life.

Sincerely,

Elmer Murdoch, Founder