Notable Missionary Deaths in 2024

by Marv Newell

The year 2024 saw the passing of several North American and Global influential Christian missionaries and ministry leaders. These men and women of faith dedicated their lives to spreading the gospel and serving others around the world. They left behind a legacy of evangelism, church planting, student ministry, missiological education, and humanitarian service. Included is a young couple who were brutally martyred during their service in Haiti.

The words and examples of K.P. Yohannan, David and Natalie Lloyd, Daniel Bourdanné, Rudolf Mak, and Peter Rowan have sparked many Christians to global action. Their collective impact will be felt for generations as their influence carry on. While 2024 marked the end of their earthly lives, their spiritual fruits will continue spreading across the world.

K.P. Yohannan (March 8, 1950–May 8, 2024)

K.P. Yohannan founder and director of Gospel for Asia (GFA) was a missionary statesman with an undying call to share the love of Christ with this world and to inspire others to follow in his footsteps. He passed away in Dallas, Texas, due to sudden cardiac arrest while receiving treatment after being struck by a car while on his morning walk the previous day.

In 1979, Yohannan and his wife founded Gospel for Asia (now GFA World), based in Texas and later, India. It would grow to become one of the largest and most influential mission groups in the world. A recent ministry report says the organization has trained over 100,000 people to preach the gospel and plant and pastor churches in India, Bangladesh, Nepal, Sri Lanka, and other South Asian countries for nearly 50 years. Yohannan authored over 250 books published in Asia and 12 in the West, including “Revolution in World Missions,” a critique of Western missions where Yohannan explained his controversial theory that national and local evangelists are more effective than missionaries from Western countries.

David and Natalie Lloyd (May 23, 2024)

Davy and Natalie Lloyd, American missionaries to Haiti, were attacked and killed by gangs in Haiti’s capital, Port-au-Prince, the evening of May 23. Natalie Lloyd’s father is Missouri state Rep. Ben Baker. Haitian mission director Jude Montis, 45, was also killed. All three worked for Missions in Haiti, Inc., which has been operated by Davy Lloyd’s parents for more than two decades.

Davy (age 23) had a love for Haiti, said his father, David Lloyd. “His first language was Creole. He used to tell us when he was little that someday he was going to be a missionary in Haiti.” He and Natalie (age 21) were ambushed by a thieving gang as they left church in Port-au-Prince.

Daniel Bourdanné (1960–Sept. 6, 2024)

Daniel Bourdanné, a scientist from the central African nation of Chad who inspired young evangelicals around the world as the general secretary of International Fellowship of Evangelical Students (IFES) and a longtime champion of Christian book publishing in Africa, died on September 6 at age 64 as a result of cancer. 

After years of ministry to students, Bourdanné became general secretary of IFES in 2007, serving in this role until 2019. An avid reader (and sometimes writer), from 2018 until his death, Bourdanné worked with Africa Speaks to promote Christian book publishing across the continent. He spent much of his life in Francophone nations including Togo, Cameroon, and Côte d’Ivoire before moving to Oxford, England, when he became IFES general secretary.

Rudolf Mak (July 10, 1956–Oct 1, 2024)

Dr. Rudolf Mak was born in Hong Kong in 1956. In 1974 he moved to California to pursue his university education at UCLA where he completed his BS, MS and Ph.D. degrees in Civil and Mechanical engineering. That same year he came to know the Lord. He married his wife Angela in 1982, and then went on to graduate from Fuller Seminary with a degree in Missiology in 1989. In 1996 they joined OMF International, where Rudolf eventually became Field Director of Hong Kong.

Rudolf worked with many different organizations, equipping others for service to Chinese people such as OMF, ChinaSource, Frontier Ventures, Lausanne Mission Conferences, but maybe most notably with the Perspectives course, passing his Perspectives responsibilities to indigenous committees which are now caring for the entire Perspectives work in the most significant key areas. His passion for serving God via the Chinese people resulted in him dedicating over four decades of his life to that calling on both sides of the Pacific.

Peter Rowan (1967–Dec 9, 2024)

OMF (UK) Co-National Director Peter Rowan went to be with the Lord peacefully on Monday December 9, surrounded by his family after a brave battle with cancer. Peter was a dedicated and visionary leader, whose contributions to OMF worldwide and the global church were immeasurable.

Peter and his wife Christine joined OMF Internatioanl in July 1997. They initially served in Thailand and then moved to Penang, Malaysia in 1999 to study Malay. In 2000 they moved to Miri, Sarawak where Peter taught at the Malaysia Evangelical College. In 2003 they moved to Kuala Lumpur where Peter became a member of the faculty of the Malaysia Bible Seminary. Peter and Christine started in their role as co-National Directors of OMF (UK) in January 2010. Throughout his tenure as Co-National Director, Peter was a driving force behind many important initiatives, and his tireless efforts helped shape OMF (UK) into what it is today. Peter’s commitment to mission, his deep missiological insights and his heart for East Asia’s peoples will remain a lasting legacy.