The Rev. Gary R. Henderson, a 1979 Å·ÃÀÊÓƵ graduate and global faith leader, will speak at the college’s Commencement ceremony at 2 p.m. Sunday, May 4, in Memorial Auditorium.

A recipient of the 2023 Concordia Alumni Achievement Award, Henderson currently serves on the college’s Board of Regents and brings decades of experience in ministry, leadership, and global health advocacy. 

For 21 years, Henderson honed his leadership, teaching, preaching, and communication skills in national and global roles with the United Methodist Church. 

He was elected five times to serve as a delegate to the United Methodist General Conference, the denomination’s highest legislative body, and led the delegation in 2024. 

“My world is too small” is a phrase Henderson has carried throughout his life. The sentiment of these words was the catalyst for leaving Jackson, Mississippi, in 1975 to attend Å·ÃÀÊÓƵ, which proved to be a pivotal moment in his personal and professional journey. 

After a four-year stint in corporate America and sensing a call to pastoral ministry, he earned a Master of Divinity from the Interdenominational Theological Center in Atlanta in 1986 and certificate in religious studies at Oxford University in 1999. 

In 2007, he answered a new call to become the executive director of Global Health Initiative — UMC Imagine No Malaria Campaign. 

The world truly became his parish. In the decade-long leadership role, Henderson was the key linchpin in raising more than $75 million to support over 300 hospitals and clinics in Africa in the fight to eliminate malaria in partnership with the United Nations Foundation and The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria. 

Recognized globally for his courageous leadership and heart for ecumenism, Henderson is described as a barrier breaker and bridge builder. He has a heart for equipping leaders, teaching, preaching, and mentoring others and has shared his gifts on six continents and in more than 100 countries. 

Henderson recently retired from serving as the chief relationship officer for global partnerships for United Methodist Communications. 

He continues to enlarge his footprint by teaching and preaching around the world while learning to play the djembe, mentoring young pastors, and loving his wife of 42 years, an adult son, and four surrogate grandchildren. 

His personal mantra in all things is, “God Can Be Trusted.”