In Memoriam: Former Crown College president, Reverend Dr. Bill Lanpher, passed away in January 2026. He had been interviewed for this article in November 2025.
“Dr. Lanpher’s dedicated service and visionary leadership have left a lasting imprint on Crown College,” said current College President Dr. Andrew C. Denton. “His impact continues to be evident in the mission, culture, and legacy of the institution.”
The Impact of Visionary Leadership: President Lanpher’s Decade at Crown (1987-1997)
By Hope Edwards, Class of 2026
Reverend Dr. Bill W. Lanpher, the 12th president of Crown College, was appointed in 1987. Under his leadership, Crown underwent a name change, launched a degree completion program, and entered the digital era of computerized systems. The vast impact of his heart for students brought some of the most notable changes in Crown’s history. He was grateful for the connections built during his presidency and the opportunities he has had to impact others throughout his life.
Dr. Lanpher was born in Missouri in 1933, near the end of the Great Depression. His family then moved to Pontiac, Michigan, where his involvement in the church led to a commitment to follow Christ in the 11th grade. Attending the Missionary Training Institute (MTI), later known as Nyack College, and then Alliance University, in New York, led to his graduation in 1954 with a degree in Bible and theology and a focus on missions. A year later, he married Janice, a sweet and godly woman.
He earned his master’s degree in education from Michigan State University in 1958. With this degree, Dr. Lanpher had planned to go to Vietnam to teach at Dalat International School. However, while preparing to leave, the couple had a pregnancy complication and suffered the loss of their baby. With the necessary medical care needed for Janice, their doctors could not approve of their traveling to Vietnam, changing their plans.
In 1985, Dr. Lanpher came to St. Paul Bible College, later renamed Crown College, and served as the Dean of Students. Janice also began working at Crown as the Financial Aid Director, a position she held for 12 years. Having known many of the members of the Board of Trustees at that time, it was only two years before he was invited to fill the vacancy of president. He accepted the role and became President Lanpher in 1987, with Janice by his side as First Lady.
The years between 1987 and 1997 held many advancements for Crown. The most noticeable one was the name change from St. Paul Bible College to Crown College. Because of the confusion with the campus not being in St. Paul, one of the first questions people asked Dr. Lanpher when he became president was, “When are you going to change the name?” However, that decision belonged to the Board of Trustees.
One factor that encouraged the name change was a graduate student being denied the opportunity to teach in a major city because their degree came from a Bible college. Some of the trustees were motivated to pursue a name change. The public relations team conducted a survey of current students, alumni, friends of the college, and others. Nearly 1,400 various name ideas were submitted, but none of them were satisfactory. So, President Lanpher took it on himself to find a name.
From the logo of The Christian & Missionary Alliance (C&MA), there are four doctrines symbolized: Jesus Christ as Savior, represented by a cross; Jesus Christ as Sanctifier, represented by a laver; Jesus Christ as Healer, represented by a pitcher; and Jesus Christ as Coming King, represented by a crown. The last one stuck out to President Lanpher, which inspired the name “Crown.” He conducted research, consulted with accrediting agencies, settled on the name, and presented the idea to the Board of Trustees. The Board approved it, and in 1992, the name became Crown College. Though almost everybody was happy with the name, some students were not – they had come to SPBI and wanted to graduate from SPBI. Glad to accommodate this desire, Crown offered 1992 graduating students the option of either name on their diplomas.
Also in 1992, President Lanpher led the establishment of the Adult and Graduate Studies program, which enabled individuals who had not completed their degrees to do so at Crown. Dr. Lanpher had said he was honored to be involved in such a significant activity, which had people of all ages working to complete degrees they had started. For some, it had been 20 or 30 years since they had attended school.
He recalled an endearing story during one commencement, where a grey-haired gentleman was in line to receive his diploma. As the man came across the stage, a young voice cried out from the audience, “Get ‘em, Grandpa! Go get ‘em, Grandpa!” As stated by Dr. Lanpher, this illustrated the pleasure that families had in seeing one another complete their degrees through Crown. Dr. Lanpher was proud to contribute to that opportunity. His guidance on those changes also initiated work on Crown’s graduate program, later leading to the establishment of a master’s degree program. Currently, Crown offers several graduate-level degrees and will soon include a Doctor of Ministry degree.
Another significant factor for improvement was bringing new technology to Crown. Computers were brought to the desks of employees, and they experienced a new system, changing the way Crown operated. Dr. Lanpher said he was excited to see the College become computer-operated, stepping into the new age of technology.
Throughout his administration, countless faculty, students, and staff had impacted President Lanpher’s life. He sought to reach the students on a deeper level, impacting their spiritual development. “When you are related to hundreds … thousands … of students over the years, there is a draw between your own spiritual life and what you want to see accomplished in the lives of those students,” Dr. Lanpher had stated. “So, you don’t want to give up to the flesh along the way – you want to keep going so those people can find the Lord and a spirit-filled life that you are committed to.”
Following an impactful 10-year presidency, Dr. Lanpher was invited to assist in leadership at Trinity College of Florida. He moved and joined their administration as the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) in 1998, expecting to stay only a couple of years. However, in 2002, he became the seventh president of Trinity College, serving until 2005. He feels honored to have also served at Trinity, since it was the school that evangelist Billy Graham graduated from in 1940 (then called Florida Bible Institute). During Dr. Lanpher’s presidency at Trinity, enrollment doubled, and several new degree programs were added. Janice served again by his side as First Lady and worked in the financial aid office. While working at Trinity, he and his wife moved into Shell Point Retirement Community in 2000, where he lived until his passing in January 2026.
Dr. Lanpher expressed many times that God had guided his life. “Even making the decision to come to Crown, to leave Crown … all these involve what the Holy Spirit has directed one man to do.” Many have been blessed through Dr. Lanpher’s work with Crown, Trinity, and beyond. Through social media connections, he had been able to see God working in the lives of hundreds of students. “I certainly am thankful for all the students with whom I have had a part in their lives,” he said. “Since I left Crown in 1997, I see some of those people are now grandparents, and that seems impossible! But that’s what being 91 is all about. A lot of history goes by before you.”
One meaningful way Dr. Lanpher had said he felt supported by his community was through the passing of his faithful wife, just before their 70th anniversary. He said it had been amazing to see the number of people who wrote to him about how sweet and wonderful she was, and he was so thankful. Dr. Lanpher’s son, James, has been a strong support in recent years, as well as his four grandchildren and six great-grandchildren.
As a man who lived his life for Christ, Dr. Lanpher encouraged students to follow the Lord and intentionally seek His fullness in their lives. He exemplified this by his commitment to God and his dedication in reaching others for the sake of the Gospel. At Crown, God has used Dr. Lanpher to accomplish many historic acts and still uses his legacy to encourage students – from the past, in the present, and those to come.
