Pioneering missionary, pastor and administrator Don McGregor went to be with the Lord on May 15, 2024. He was 95 years old. Together with his wife, Sally, who died in 2007, Don helped expand Foursquare’s work in the Philippines in the late 1950s.
“Don McGregor is the embodiment of the Foursquare Missions ethos and vision,” says Foursquare President Randy Remington. “I can’t think of anyone who could articulate our missiology and live it out as relationally as he did. His impact on the nations, his investment in the lives of missionary workers, and his love for the local church are without equal.”
The church in the Philippines flourished so dramatically that after author Jim Montgomery reviewed statistics of different groups in the nation, he further studied Foursquare churches because of their rapid growth. Montgomery’s 1972 book, New Testament Fire in the Philippines, is still available as a free download. Don also wrote about his insights for today’s missionary workers in 2020.
“Don McGregor taught us how to live ‘incarnationally’ for Christ,” says Ted Vail, D.I.S., senior vice president of global operations for The Foursquare Church. “He embodied an ethos of disciple-making and leadership that permeates thousands of leaders throughout the nations. Adaptable to any conversation, context or cuisine, Don brought the energetic and authentic love of Christ, and you knew it. His table was always full, his smile effervescent, and his language always full of Jesus.”
Prior to going to the Philippines in 1958, the McGregors helped plant a pioneering work in Pittsburgh, Kan. Their time in the Far East included Don serving as field director from 1970-1972, when he also co-pastored Quezon City Foursquare Church and headed up the institute that became a Bible college.
Although they returned to the U.S. with the intention of later going to South Korea as missionaries, the Foursquare board of directors asked Don to become executive director of LIFE Bible College (now Life Pacific University). During his tenure, the school expanded, increased enrollment and earned accreditation.
“Don’s commitment to discipleship and leadership development, which he insisted starts with a believer’s family, not only shaped my thinking as a young leader some 50 years ago but is also the foundational basis of Foursquare’s current global emphasis on discipleship and leadership training,” adds Gary Matsdorf, who serves as Foursquare’s global education coordinator. “His amazing and integrous legacy will continue in our Foursquare family for years to come.”
Don’s other service in key positions included director of church growth for the National Church Office from 1976-1980; field representative to Asia and the Pacific from 1983-1993; and director of FMI from 1993-1995. Even after retiring in 1998, he and Sally traveled to more than 60 nations to teach and mentor Foursquare leaders around the world.
“For Joyce and I, Don and Sally were mentors, spiritual parents and the single most significant shapers of our lives as young missionaries,” says George B., global associate director of South Asia. “Don was a consistent, strong and fatherly leader who shaped a generation of missionary workers and leaders. He will be deeply missed.”
Don is survived by his three children—Mike, Robin and Julie—seven grandchildren, and more than a dozen great-grandchildren.
A service honoring Don McGregor’s life will be held on Thursday, May 23, at 11:30 a.m., at:
Crawford Family Funeral Center
610 NW 178th St.
Edmond, OK 73012
A graveside service will be held in Don’s hometown on Friday, May 24, at 11:30 a.m., at:
Rose Hill Cemetery
South Haven, KS 67140