Tribute: Melody Green
Remembering Loren Cunningham: Our Friend and Spiritual Mentor
A great hero of the faith is with Jesus but his vision for souls lives on. Loren Cunningham meant more to both Keith and me than I can express in words—as a leader and a friend. We met Loren in Kona, Hawaii in 1979. The humble founder of Youth With a Mission gave us a tour of a massive dirt field. He pointed and said, “A large fountain with flags of the world will go there, student villages there, and classrooms there!” The fountain would include rocks YWAM missionaries would bring from every nation.
Loren agreed to be a father-figure, and mentor that day, when Keith asked. Soon after that Keith also wanted our Last Days Ministries to be part of YWAM. Many leaders would have jumped at the opportunity since Keith was well known by then. Not Loren. He was different. Having heard from the Lord, and showing great godly character, he said, “You don’t know us well enough, haven’t seen our flaws. But I’ll always be available to you.” We were grateful for his wisdom and that he would be part of our lives.
As we got to know Loren we saw that he wasn’t interested in any kind of fame for himself, and turned down opportunities to be on magazine covers and receive a lot of press. His vision was for God to be known — not him. Maybe that’s what made Loren most attractive to us.
Loren agreed to come on Keith’s 1982 fall concert tour to help cast vision for souls in all nations, as only he could do. I remember the two of them praying together intensely at the end of June, crying out to God for the release of 100,000 short-term missionaries from America—a vision that had gripped us too. But it didn’t happen quite that way when Keith’s earthly sojourn ended a month later.
Instead of the fall tour, Last Days Ministries launched the Keith Green Memorial Concerts, so Keith could deliver his final message in his own words, through a concert that had been recorded a few months earlier. Loren joined us at many Memorial Concerts around the country and riveted the crowds that came to honor Keith. He shared his heart for the nations and gave practical solutions. Keith’s concert and Loren’s message combined for a powerful one-two punch of God's challenge to believers.
In 2010 the YWAM Kona base hosted the 28th anniversary of Keith’s home going. At the event, Loren said as a result of the Memorial Concerts it was likely that about 200,000 people had gone into short-term missions with YWAM and other ministries. Not many people know that Loren had helped me select six other missions to staff info-booths at each concert so people would have choices. It was God’s Kingdom that Loren wanted to build, not his own.
Loren was a rare man. I’m grateful to have known him. He had genuine integrity, a mile-high vision, a sense of humor and a deep humility. He apologized if he made a mistake, be it to a few people or to thousands. He raised up men and women worldwide to be leaders and decision makers.
I saw Loren release some of the most trusted and mature leaders to serve in other missions and ministries—he knew they didn’t belong to him, but to God. He was not controlling. And if a leader faltered he didn’t reject them but drew them by his side for a season to help restore them.
Loren Cunningham cannot be replaced, but I draw comfort from the fact that the values God gave him are now embedded into hundreds of thousands of people who will go forward and do the same for a new generation. Loren’s legacy lives on. We who knew him and remain here are richer because of his life—and eternity is much richer too!