Induction into the Hall of Prophets is reserved for ministers whose service to Jesus Christ and the Church of God has been meritorious. A very important feature of the Hall of Prophets is the establishment of a scholarship in honor of the nominee which will be a perpetual source of funding for students preparing for ministry at PTS. For more information or to recom-mend an individual for the Hall of Prophets, please contact Ken Davis at 423-478-7731.
Hall Of Prophets, H. Wayne and Betty K. Fritts from Pentecostal Theological Seminary on Vimeo.
Married on October 19, 1957, Wayne and Betty Fritts experienced a call to ministry under the spiritual oversight of Dr. R. Leonard Carroll. During this time Wayne began to preach and evangelize, seeing significant spiritual results in terms of conversions and Spirit Baptisms.
In January 1966, Paul H. Walker asked them to plant a church in Lenoir City, Tennessee. This church plant, which began with nine children and two adults, grew to 120 within two years. During this entire six year pastorate Wayne served as a bi-vocational pastor, not taking any remuneration the first two years, being the largest tither throughout the time of his pastorate.
In 1971, the Lord spoke to Pastor Fritts in a dream telling him that he would be appointed as the pastor of the Tyner Church of God in Chattanooga, Tennessee. The following Sunday afternoon, Reverend D. A. Biggs telephoned and appointed them to serve the Tyner Church of God. Over the years Pastor Fritts felt that the Lord had a work for them to do one day in Athens, Tennessee. Eighteen months after being appointed to Tyner they were called to serve the Woodward Avenue Church of God in Athens, Tennessee, where they would minister for the better part of the next thirty years. The congregation grew from ninety to over five hundred attendees, became racially integrated, and established a thriving Hispanic ministry during the time of his pastorate. Their long ministry in Athens was divided by a two-year pastorate at the College Park Church of God in Huntsville, Alabama, where the Lord also blessed their ministry.
Pastor Fritts became known for his mature Pentecostal spirituality, his place in the broader Athens community, his compassion, his integrity, and his love for people regardless of their station in life. There are countless examples of his acts of mercy and love to those inside and outside his congregation that have never been made public, but of which the Lord and the recipients know.
In 1984, Pastor Fritts graduated from the Seminary (Church of God School of Theology) with the MACM degree and was honored as the PTS Alumnus of the Year for 2000.
He was named Pastor Emeritus by the Woodward Church of God in 2003, a position in which he continues to serve.
Wayne and Betty have two sons, four grandchildren, and three great-grandchildren.
