John R.W. Stott (1921-2011) stood as a towering figure in 20th century evangelicalism. His 1965 work, Basic Christianity, was designated by Christianity Today in 2006 as one of the top fifty books (ranked #16 of #50) that have shaped evangelicals. Yet in their book, A Short History of Global Evangelicalism, authors John Wolffe and March Hutchinson mention Stott only five times. Two of the mentions are quotes from Stott, one references a pastoral colleague of Stott’s, one mentions the Langham Trust that he founded, and one briefly mentions his and J.I. Packer’s impact on evangelical scholarship.
The thesis of this paper is that John Stott should be viewed as a key leader, if not the key leader, in the 20th century expanse of global evangelicalism. The paper will begin with a brief survey of Stott’s life and ministry. The thesis will be argued through looking at his impact on 20th century global evangelicalism through four key lenses: his scholarship/publishing, his central role in launching the Lausanne Movement in 1974, his prominence as the main Bible Expositor at the Urbana Students Missions Conference from 1964-1979, and his founding of the Langham Partnership, which to this day has provided scholarships for students in some 135 nations. These four ministries of Stott’s and their ongoing impact call for a re-examination and new appreciation of his role in the 20th century expanse of global evangelicalism.