James L. Slay collection

James Linwood Slay was born in Prichard, Alabama July 31, 1912. His father was an Assemblies of God minister. It was in his father’s tent meeting in Memphis, Tennessee in 1932, that he was converted. Shortly thereafter, Slay began his ministry in the church his father pastored. The elder Reverend Slay wanted his two sons, Linwood and Daniel to travel with him in evangelistic work. Slay enrolled at the Central Bible Institute in Springfield, Missouri and then became an evangelist in the Assemblies of God for several years. In January 1938, he became an ordained minister in the Church of God. He was received into the Crichton Church of God (Mobile, Alabama) and then evangelized throughout the eastern United States for several years.

Slay conducted a revival in the now Mount Paran Church of God, Atlanta, Georgia in February 1940, where he met Ruby Reynolds. On October 5, 1940, they were married on stage at the Church of God General Assembly by General Overseer J.H. Walker. Slay was appointed as state overseer of California in 1941. North Cleveland Church of God asked him to be their pastor in 1943. The Slays spent five years in that position during which time they had two sons, Rusty and Jerry. He was then called upon to pastor the second largest church in the denomination located in Kannapolis, North Carolina. Slay also conducted a daily radio broadcast during that time. He received an appointment in 1950, to Illinois state overseer by the executive committee. Two years later the world missions board requested that he go to South Africa as a representative to the churches of the newly amalgamated Full Gospel Church. In May 1953, the Slays moved to Greenville, South Carolina as pastors of the Tremont Avenue Church of God. From there they moved to pastor the East Chattanooga church in Tennessee in 1956. It was there Slay earned both his Bachelor’s and Master’s Degree from the University of Chattanooga. He was appointed as state overseer to Virginia for two years and then asked to return to Cleveland to work in the world missions department. For eight years he was the first Church of God minister to preach in Syria, New Zealand, Chad, Swaziland, Mozambique, Southern Rhodesia and South West Africa. Slay taught as Assistant Professor of Psychology at Lee College from 1970 until his retirement in 1978 at age 65. He then returned to his home church at Crichton. Slay passed away May 13, 1988, at the age of 75.

Slay chaired the committee that wrote the Church of God Declaration of Faith. He was later asked by the executive committee to write This We Believe. He also authored Rescue the Perishing and co-authored Glossalalia Phenomenom. Slay was a contributor to the Evangelical Sunday School Commentary