Meyer Family Honors Baylor Grad, Longtime Pastor With Endowed Chair In Christian Scriptures

by Lori Fogleman (254) 710-6275

The Paul and Jane Meyer Family Foundation has honored Dr. William M. "Bill" Hinson - a 1953 Baylor University graduate and longtime pastor who now serves as vice chairman and CEO of the Haggai Institute - with a permanently endowed chair at Baylor's George W. Truett Theological Seminary.
The Meyers established The William M. Hinson Chair in Christian Scriptures with a $1.5 million gift that will provide compensation for a professor to teach the Christian scriptures "from now until the Lord comes again."
"This chair honoring Bill Hinson would not have been possible without the generosity and Christian stewardship of the Paul and Jane Meyer Family Foundation," said Dr. Paul W. Powell, dean of Truett Seminary. "The Meyer family practices what we preach, and they are examples for all of us."
Powell has appointed Dr. David E. Garland, who also serves as Truett's associate dean for academic affairs, as the first chairholder. "Dr. Garland is recognized as one of the outstanding New Testament scholars in America today and the best person to fulfill what this wonderful gift was intended to accomplish," Powell said.
On July 13 in Pasadena, Calif., Paul J. Meyer presented Hinson with a framed certificate during a meeting of the Haggai Institute, which also coincided with a celebration of Hinson's 75th birthday.
"At the occasion...I had the honor of sharing the influence Bill Hinson has had on my life," Meyer said, as he presented two endowment funds set up in Hinson's name.
"Suffice to say, he was overwhelmed. And, much to my joy, five minutes before I spoke, Bill's whole family came out - about 15 people - wearing Baylor football jerseys," Meyer said. "They were sharing Bill's loves of his life: his Lord and Savior, his ministry and the various churches he served, his family, Baylor University and the Haggai Institute."
A high school All-American in his native Florida, Hinson came to Baylor on a football scholarship. His passion for preaching came when, as a sophomore, he was selected by his fellow Baylor students to speak at a campus-wide revival. He went on to earn his bachelor's degree in religion and psychology from Baylor in 1953, a master of divinity degree from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary and his doctor of ministry degree from New Orleans Baptist Seminary.
Hinson has served as pastor of several large Baptist churches, including Wayside Baptist Church in Miami and First Baptist Church, Fort Lauderdale. He also has served as special assistant to the president at Baylor and as executive assistant to Meyer, the founder of Success Motivation Institute Inc.
In 1995, Hinson was named president of the Haggai Institute - one of the largest and most effective Christian training organizations in the world - and currently serves as vice chairman and CEO. Founded in 1969, the Haggai Institute equips Asian, African and Latin American Christian leaders -- who will train others -- to reach their own people for Christ. The international headquarters is in Singapore.
Hinson and his wife, Bettye, have two adult children and six grandchildren.
Paul J. Meyer is considered by many to be the founder of the self-improvement industry as it exists today. A celebrated trailblazer and leader of the multibillion-dollar self-improvement industry, Meyer founded Success Motivation Institute Inc. in 1960 and dedicated it to "motivating people to their full potential." His flagship company has grown into an international group of companies marketing his materials in more than 60 countries and in 23 languages with others in progress. Combined sales exceed $2 billion worldwide, which surpasses the sales of any other self-improvement author.
Also a best-selling author, Meyer's books include Fortune, Family & Faith, Chicken Soup For The Golden Soul, The 5 Pillars of Leadership, I Inherited a Fortune!, and Unlocking Your Legacy. Meyer also is the subject of John Edmund Haggai's book, Paul J. Meyer and the Art of Giving, which illustrates Meyer's principles for stewardship. Haggai is the founder of the Haggai Institute.
Meyer and his wife, Jane, live in Waco, Texas. The Meyer family includes three sons, two daughters, and 16 grandchildren.