Robert Keith Parks

R. Keith Parks was a beloved husband, father, grandfather, and great-grandfather, noted for his wisdom, integrity and sense of humor. He was an influential Southern Baptist missions leader who was the same in public and private and treated everyone with respect and dignity. Other than family, his greatest influence was as a catalytic global missions leader in helping bring the Gospel of Jesus Christ to many unreached people living beyond the gospel.

Robert Keith Parks was born October 23, 1927, in Memphis, Texas, to Robert Crews and Allie Myrtle (Cowger) Parks. After a childhood in Texas and Arkansas, he graduated from Denton High School in Denton, Texas.

While a student at North Texas State College, R. Keith Parks served as President of the Texas Baptist Student Union and spent a summer as a missionary in Colombia. In 1948, he and his debate partner, David Cotton, won the National Debate Championship—the same year he earned his Bachelor of Arts degree.

As he pursued both his Bachelor of Divinity and Doctor of Theology degrees at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, Keith also served as pastor of Red Springs Baptist Church.

In 1952, he married Helen Jean Bond of Abilene, Texas. Just two years later, shortly after the birth of their first son, Keith and Helen Jean were appointed as missionaries to Indonesia by the Foreign Mission Board of the Southern Baptist Convention.

During their 14 years in Indonesia, Keith served as a pastor, seminary professor, and eventually President of the Baptist Theological Seminary of Indonesia and as leader of the mission where he led an increased emphasis on church planting.

The Parks family returned to the United States in 1968 when Keith was invited to join the staff of the Foreign Mission Board (now the International Mission Board). He served first as Area Director for Southeast Asia, then as Director of the Mission Support Division, and ultimately as President from 1980 to 1992.

During his tenure as President, the International Mission Board grew to over 5,000 missionaries as he emphasized the core vision of “evangelism that results in churches.” Under his leadership, the Board emphasized global cooperation and strategic prayer in fulfilling the Great Commission by focusing efforts on reaching “World A”—an estimated 1.3 billion people with no access to the Gospel.

In 1994, Keith and Helen Jean helped launch the global missions program for the newly formed Cooperative Baptist Fellowship. There, they continued to champion innovative strategies for reaching unreached people groups around the world.

Keith authored Crosscurrents, World in View, God’s Secret Plan and numerous articles on missions and theology. He was also the recipient of multiple honorary degrees and distinguished service awards. His greatest legacy, however, was his faith in Christ and his tireless passion for helping bring the Gospel to those who had never heard it.

An Indian movement leader who visited him in his final days thanked him for helping unleash major innovation in missions. He then thanked him on behalf of the literally millions around the world who are now in God’s Kingdom because of how God used Keith’s visionary leadership.

Keith would want any accolades of his life and legacy to go to where it rightly belongs – Jesus. He always saw himself as an ordinary West Texas farm boy who lived his life with Jesus. He treated everybody with dignity as an equal, literally from janitors to heads of state. Even in his toughest moments in the hospital, he knew the medical staff personally and thanked them for their help.

His legacy of investing in and serving people around the world continues through his children, their spouses, his grandchildren and their spouses, and the many others whose lives he has touched throughout the years.

He was preceded in death by his beloved wife of 69 years, Helen Jean, and his daughter, Eloise Ann Parks. He is survived by three sons and their spouses: Randall and Nancy Parks, Kent and Erika Parks, and Stan and Kay Parks; his seven grandchildren and their spouses: Jennifer and Kevin Gregson, Jeffrey and Hannah Parks, Katy and Keith Leech, Lindsay Parks, Noël Parks, Kaleb and Whitney Parks, and Seth and Emily Parks; as well as his seven great-grandchildren: Sterling and Leighton Parks, Lewis and Madison Gregson, Joy Leech, Davy Parks and Corrie Parks, his brother Dr. Jim Tom Parks and wife Barbara, and a much-loved extended family.

We rejoice for him, knowing he is now more vibrantly alive than ever —in the presence of his beloved Savior, Jesus Christ—together with cherished family members and friends and many others whose lives he touched. What a glorious reunion and celebration he is now experiencing as they worship our God together!

We take comfort in believing that he has already been welcomed with these words: “Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!” (Matthew 25:21, 23).

If you would like to honor Keith by giving so people can hear of the Jesus he loved, you can go here: https://beyond.org/donate/keithparks