Last Sunday, December 7, Adriaan Stringer passed away in his home-town Hasselt (Belgium).

Adriaan Stringer (1930-2014) played a major role in the international Alliance movement. He was one of the “Founding-Fathers” of the Alliance World Fellowship, put his stamp on the European Region and shaped CAMA-Zending, the Alliance sending agency in the Netherlands.

Adriaan had the characteristics of prophets and pioneers, which were badly needed in times when major decisions had to be taken. Two things impressed all who met him: 1. he did not seek popularity and 2. his main motive was: what furthers God’s Kingdom? It made him an effective instrument in God’s hand and the traces of his ministry are visible in many places. From 1957 till 1962 he set up the protestant school-system in New-Guinea, now known as the Indonesian province Papua. He worked there with his wife Betsy and later moved to Congo (DRC) where he also organized the school-system in the years 1964-1968. It is hard to grasp how he was able to have such a lasting impact within a time-span of just four years.

After their return to the Netherlands Adriaan served as Board President and Director of CAMA-Zending. Alongside he was always teaching, first at a theological institute in Belgium, later in the Netherlands, where he became the director of the school. God used him to plant a vision for missions in many students. Many of them went out with the Alliance. Internationally he was involved in structuring the global denominational family. He chaired the commission that wrote the first Constitution of the Alliance World Fellowship in 1975.

(The group picture was taken at the inaugural meeting of the AWF in Nyack, USA. Adriaan is in the center with white shirt and tie.)

Adriaan was a reader, always eager to learn. Then he would share his findings by writing, teaching and preaching. As a pioneer, he regularly disturbed people because of his pragmatism and straightforwardness. As a modern prophet his purpose was to further God’s Kingdom, not to please the saints. Reaching the unreached, that was his passion!

I am personally grateful for the privilege to have walked alongside this man since 1973. He was my teacher, director, mentor and colleague. We prayed, discussed and enjoyed a similar sense of humor. But most importantly, I will remember him for the times that he talked about the greatness of God. When speaking about his Creator and Savior, Adriaan Stringer became tender and passionate. His delight was to focus on Christ. I am certain that many have experienced this when meeting with Adriaan: he triggered a desire to do the same: focus on Christ!

May the Lord comfort and strengthen his wife Betsy, his children and grandchildren.

Arie M. Verduijn

President Alliance World Fellowship

– The funeral will take place in Hasselt (B), on December 16