Rev. Dr. W. Wilson Benton Jr. (1941–2025): Celebrating a Life of Service to the Lord

With our brothers and sisters in the Prebyterian Church in America, Covenant Seminary mourns the passing of Rev. Dr. W. Wilson Benton, Jr., who went to be with the Lord on January 26, 2025, following a long battle with Alzheimer’s disease. Our hearts go out to Dr. Benton’s beloved wife, Pam, his children and grandchildren, and their extended family and friends as they grieve his loss, but we rejoice as well that Dr. Benton is now in the presence of the glorious Savior he loved so much and served so well.

We praise God for Dr. Benton’s many years of pastoral ministry, twenty of which were at Kirk of the Hills Presbyterian Church in St. Louis, not far from the Seminary. We are grateful for his love and support of Covenant over the decades, from sharing his wisdom and expertise as a preacher and pastor with our students as an adjunct homiletics professor and Doctor of Ministry instructor, to serving as a faithful friend and mentor for countless Covenant faculty, staff, and alumni. His involvement with and support for the Seminary’s Center for Ministry Leadership in the early 2000s helped refine and sharpen the institution’s focus on preparing strong pastors and other leaders for Christ’s church. Dr. Benton’s influence on Covenant and on our denomination have been profound.

Of his own experience of Dr. Benton, Covenant Seminary President Dr. Thomas C. Gibbs, said, “As a student, I was in awe of Dr. Benton’s command of Scripture and his gift for delivering sermons that stirred our minds and moved our hearts. Over the years, though, what I came to most appreciate about Wilson and Pam was their warm hospitality and commitment to faithfully shepherding those the Lord put in their path. Wilson was a giant in the PCA, and he will be missed by all of us.”

Dr. Benton’s obituary notes that a Celebration of Life service will be held at 1 p.m. on Friday, January 31, 2025, at Christ Presbyterian Church, 2323 Old Hickory Blvd., in Nashville, Tennessee. For those unable to attend, a livestream will be provided the day of the service at the church’s website: www.christpres.org.

Gifts in Dr. Benton’s honor may be made to Reformed University Fellowship, PO Box 890004, Charlotte, NC 28289-0004, or DonorServices@RUF.org.