When he takes over next summer as president, Scotsman Tom Houston will become the first non-American to head the large evangelical relief and development agency World Vision International.
Houston, 55, is executive director of the British and Foreign Bible Society. He will join World Vision January 1 as president-elect, and after a six-month orientation period, he will become president. Current president Ted Engstrom, 67, will return to his former position as head of World Vision United States.
For the past four years, Houston has served as board chairman of World Vision of Europe. He has been a board member of World Vision International since 1981. Through his work with the Federal Board of Mission Europe, he was instrumental in bringing five Billy Graham crusades to Great Britain.
Houston joined the British and Foreign Bible Society in 1971 as communications director. He took over as executive director in 1977. Prior to his work with the Bible society, he pastored the Nairobi, Kenya, Baptist Church. During his 12-year pastorate, the church’s membership grew from 40 to 1,000.
