William "Bill" Reuben Bouknight III

Retired Global Methodist pastor William R. Bouknight, born on June 20, 1941, died on November 4, 2026. During his active ministry of 41 years, he served the following United Methodist churches and charges: Fair Lawn-St. Luke (Columbia), St. Luke (Hartsville), Trenholm Road (Columbia), and First United Methodist (Myrtle Beach). His final appointment was as Senior Minister of Christ United Methodist Church in Memphis, Tennessee, where he served for 13 years.

Rev. Bouknight was educated at Duke University, Duke Divinity School, the University of Edinburgh (Scotland), and Yale Divinity School. He served on the Board of Trustees of Wofford College for twelve years, and in 1988 Wofford conferred upon him the honorary Doctor of Divinity degree.

Rev. Bouknight was “an evangelical with a social conscience.” He received the Harry Denman Evangelism Award and the Philip Award for distinguished service in evangelism. In 2002 he was named as the Distinguished Evangelist of the United Methodist Church. He was elected twice as a delegate to United Methodism’s General Conference. He was active in the Confessing Movement within the United Methodist Church, seeking to reaffirm biblical authority and orthodox theology in the denomination. In 2023 he moved his Charge Conference membership to Mt. Horeb Global Methodist Church in Lexington, SC where he preached on a regular basis.

Rev. Bouknight served as a Chaplain in the Army National Guard for 27 years, retiring in 1994 with the rank of Brigadier General.

Rev. Bouknight is survived by his wife Gloria Pardee Bouknight and his son, Warren Bradley Bouknight, both of Columbia. He was preceded in death by his son Aaron Todd Bouknight and his sister, Dr. Martha Bouknight, and by his brother, Joseph C. Bouknight. He is survived by a sister, Mrs. Marie Bouknight Allen of Williamsburg, VA.

A memorial service will be at Mt. Horeb Church in Lexington, SC on Monday, November 9, 2026 at 11:00 am. The family will receive friends from 10:00 am to 10:45 am prior to the service at the church.

The family requests that memorials be made to Mt. Horeb Church, 1205 Old Cherokee Road, Lexington, SC 29072, earmarked for planting new churches, or to another charity of one’s choice.

Memories may be shared at www.DunbarFunerals.com