The Rev. Dr. George Ewing Morris, 86, a noted evangelism teacher affiliated with World Methodist Evangelism for decades, died Nov. 21, 2021, in Canton, Ga. His death marked the passing of a significant era of Methodist evangelism, coming just a few weeks after the death of his longtime colleague, the Rev. H. Eddie Fox, with whom he collaborated on a myriad of projects.
George Morris
The Rev. Dr. George E. Morris (1935-2021) (Courtesy Photo)
According to his obituary published by Darby Funeral Home, Dr. Morris – known as "Sonny" among family – was born in a coal mining camp in Appalachia, VA. He earned a bachelor of arts degree at Asbury College in Wilmore, Ky., and his master and doctorate degrees in divinity at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tenn. He was ordained an elder in the Methodist Church in 1964 prior to the 1968 merger that created The United Methodist Church. Dr. Morris served on the General Board of Evangelism (now Discipleship Ministries) in Nashville and on the executive committee of the World Methodist Council based in Lake Junaluska, N.C. His pastoral service included multi-church circuits in rural areas as well as churches in small towns, suburbs and inner-city locations.
Dr. Morris was the Arthur J. Moore Professor of Evangelism at United Methodist-related Candler School of Theology, Emory University in Atlanta, Ga. During his tenure he helped found the World Methodist Evangelism Institute, a cooperative ministry of the World Methodist Council and Emory University. Together with Dr. Fox he co-authored several books which were published in more than 40 languages.
Dr. Morris is survived by his wife of 65 years, the former Barbara Jean Murphy, and their four children: Tonya Morris Arnesen (David), David Wesley (Kathy), George Ewing, Jr. (Amy) and Seren Morris; four grand-children and four great grand-children; a sister (Patricia Grayson) and a large extended family.
A celebration of his life will be planned in early 2022. Details will be posted at https://www.darbyfuneralhome.com.