“Let Me Sit So That You Can Be Tall.” — A Tribute to Floyd McClung

“Let me sit so that you can be tall.” That day taking a photo together, Floyd pulled up a chair next to where I stood so that we could stand shoulder to shoulder. That is Floyd, his wife Sally’s “gentle giant.” Though he towers in height, influence, fame, and accomplishment, he sits so that we can appear shoulder to shoulder. Floyd created a spacious culture of empowerment in All Nations so that a petite and obscure Asian gal like me can have a place and a voice. I have now met hundreds of leaders but I have not met another like Floyd who so empowers both men and women, as well as leaders of diverse background and ethnicity. Our African brothers and sisters especially have the deepest place in his heart. He loved sitting with them, exchanging stories, and hearing their hearts. He loved them and loved to see them lead.

Like many of you, I’m reflecting on Floyd’s influence on my life. I first met him when he and Sally were pastoring a large church in Kansas City. My four-year-old son was a painfully shy kid lost in a large crowd in a large building on Sundays. But he loved “Uncle Floyd” and would seek him out. And no matter which important people Floyd was talking to, he would stop, stoop down, swoop the boy up, and throw him in the air. That’s how Floyd won my heart. He was the leader willing to put aside important people and a pressing agenda for a little boy. And for so many of us, he was willing to set aside time in the limelight and bigger tasks to go for a walk with us on the beach, hear our hearts over a meal, and take time to speak into our lives. He was not just our leader. He was “Papa Floyd” to so many of us in All Nations.

Just as in many of your lives, Floyd called out my God-destiny. I was a young mom with a baby and a clingy toddler, and had just moved from Asia to the U.S.. But every week at our small group gathering, Floyd would make a beeline for me, “Mary, do you know that you have a strong leadership gifting.” I would laugh and dismiss his words. But, the next week, he would corner me and call out my gifting again. More than anyone else I know, Floyd has that laser-sharp ability to speak forth people’s gifting, strength, and God-given calling. He has done it for so many of us in All Nations and for thousands around the world.

It is, therefore, not surprising that there has been an outpouring of love from around the world. In the first 24 hours, just on Sally’s FB page alone, there were over 131,551 people reached, plus another 4,300 on her blog link. There were 29,543 engagements, about 1,000 comments, and the post was shared over 1,400 times. It’s a glimpse of the magnitude of Floyd’s influence through his life, books, articles, and talks (see Founders menu at https://allnations.international for a growing archive of his writings, teachings and bio).

Floyd has finished his race. But his race continues through us. The day that Floyd fell ill in February 2016, he spoke to a group of All Nations students. In what turned out to be a prophetic word, he asked them, “If I can’t continue, will you finish the race?” As we celebrate Floyd’s life, we say, “Yes, Floyd. We will finish the race to reach the least, the last, and the lost.” We will continue to go where the Gospel has not, to unleash disciple-making movements among the neglected peoples of the earth. We love and miss you, Floyd. But we will finish the race. And, we will empower others as you have empowered us.

We will be creating special All Nations Newsletter editions of our memories and testimonies to pay tribute to Floyd. Please share your photos, a short video, story, or comments via email to jjorash@allnations.international so that we can grieve and celebrate his life together. You may also share this at our Web site here:  https://allnations.international/mcclungmessage. To stay connected and receive leadership updates from All Nations International, please sign-up here. To give to the Floyd McClung Memorial Fund to honor the family, please link here.

Dr. Mary Ho is the International Executive Leader of All Nations International. She was appointed by Founder Floyd in Fall of 2015 and commissioned formally by Founder Sally McClung in Nov. of 2017 after Floyd became ill.