Donald Ellis Wildmon, Founder of American Family Association, Dies

Rev. Dr. Donald Ellis Wildmon, one of the legendary leaders of American conservatism and founder of American Family Association (AFA, www.AFA.net), died on Thursday, December 28, 2023, in Tupelo, Mississippi. 

AFA has been fearlessly following Wildmon's vision of strong Christian leadership since 1977 and has remained on the front lines of America's culture war. Today, AFA is led by President Tim Wildmon, Don's son, and continues to be one of the largest and most effective pro-family organizations in the country.

Don Wildmon was born in Dumas, Mississippi, on January 18, 1938, to Bernice and Ellis Wildmon. Wildmon graduated from Ripley High School in 1956 and from Millsaps College in 1960. He served in the U.S. Army's Special Services from 1961 to 1963. Wildmon was ordained as a minister of the United Methodist Church in 1964. He received his Master of Divinity from Emory University's Candler School of Theology in 1965. Wildmon also held honorary doctorates from Asbury College and Wesley Biblical Seminary. He served the United Methodist Church as pastor until 1977 and was appointed to churches in Mathiston, Iuka, Tupelo, and Southaven, Mississippi, and in Cartersville, Georgia. He left the pastoral ministry when he founded the National Federation for Decency, which later became American Family Association.

This grassroots organization began in 1977 when, as a pastor and a father of four young children, Wildmon became alarmed with the unbiblical content that was increasingly taking over television. He turned it off and encouraged his church in Southaven, Mississippi, to turn television off for a week. Wildmon's challenge to his family and his church hit the local media, and that effort soon drew national attention. The soft-spoken minister from a small-town church in Mississippi launched a far-reaching ministry that inspired millions to join their voices together on issues of ultimate consequence to our nation's future - life, marriage and family, religious freedom, public policy, justice, and more. 

With Wildmon's national influence and his ability to generate grassroots activism, he led numerous successful campaigns to help guide major corporate sponsors away from indecent and obscene programming, leading them to change their advertising policies. Under his visionary leadership, AFA developed a broad range of resources, strategies, and media outlets aimed at promoting Christian values in all areas of public life. Wildmon began the American Family Radio network in 1991, and soon grew to nearly 200 radio stations. AFR was built in a shorter period of time than any other radio network.

Wildmon appeared on numerous national television shows, such as The Phil Donohue Show and NBC's Meet the Press, and was featured in the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, USA Today, Time, Newsweek, People and TV Guide. Together with Paul Weyrich, chairman of the Free Congress Foundation, Wildmon started the Arlington Group in 2002. The group was a coalition of leaders of prominent Christian conservative organizations in the United States established for the purpose of developing and executing national and grassroots strategies to protect the traditional institution of marriage, increasing respect for innocent human life, limiting judicial activism, and acting on other moral issues of concern. It became one of Washington's most powerful conservative groups, and the first effective combination of the major religious right organizations to stem the tide of the cultural decline of our nation. In 2004, Advertising Age magazine recognized Wildmon and fellow conservative Karl Rove among "10 Who Made a Mark on Marketing."

Throughout his 33 years as head of the American Family Association, Wildmon received national awards for his commitment to traditional values. He was selected as one of the Conservative Hall of Fame Lifetime Contribution Finalists at the Weyrich Awards Dinner 2009. At the Values Voter Summit in 2010, he received the James C. Dobson Values and Leadership Award, which recognized his work to promote family values and awareness of our country's Judeo-Christian heritage. Wildmon was a recipient of the Daniel Webster Award from Florida Family Policy Council in 2010 for his life of service and ministry to Christian families. He was honored by Vision America in 2013 with the Daniel Award for his decades-long battle for morality that inspired millions. From that time on, the Daniel Award was called the Don Wildmon Award, honoring pastors for bravery in the public square. 

Wildmon was honored by Friend Ships in 2014, a ministry which uses ships to transport donated supplies and medicine to needy countries, with the Friend Ships Humanitarian Award for his lifetime of achievements and in honor of the "dreams, visions and accomplishments of this man of God who has stayed the course" in building an impactful ministry.

In October 2016, Wildmon was informed by Jerry Johnson, president and CEO of National Religious Broadcasters, that he had been named the recipient of the 2017 NRB Hall of Fame Award, presented on March 2, 2017, at the NRB International Christian Media Convention.

Locally, Wildmon was an active member and avid supporter of the church he helped found in 1977, Lee Acres United Methodist Church, now Cornerstone UMC. In 2003, he received the Dickson Award, which honored pastors who greatly influenced the life or lives of their sponsor. In 2004, Wildmon received the "In God We Trust" award at Sandtown UMC "in recognition of his service to God and Country - an example of faith and commitment to family values as embodies our national motto in public service." He was the recipient of the John Wesley Christian Statesman Award in 2008 from Riverside Independent Methodist Church in Flowood, Mississippi, and was recognized as a "Pro-lifer of the Year" by Right to Life of Jackson, Mississippi.

Wildmon authored 22 books and his great passion for travel abroad led him to guide over 30 tours to the Holy Land and Western Europe. 

For over 40 years, AFA has operated within the mission to inform, equip, and activate individuals to strengthen the moral foundations of American culture and give aid to the church here and abroad in its task of fulfilling the Great Commission.  Founded in 1977, AFA has long been on the front lines of America's culture war. Today, AFA is one of the largest and most effective pro-family organizations in the country, with nearly a million online supporters and approximately 110,000 subscribers to The Stand (formerly known as the AFA Journal), the ministry's monthly magazine.  Find AFA Action Alerts here. In addition, AFA owns and operates nearly 180 radio stations across the country under the American Family Radio banner.

View the media page for AFA here. For more information on American Family Association, visit www.afa.net or follow AFA on  Facebook or Twitter @AmericanFamAssc.        

 

 

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