Rebekah Naylor, known by some as the “Mother Teresa of Bangalore,” was presented the 2024 Missions Legacy Award at the Kentucky Baptist Convention’s REACH Evangelism and Missions Conference Monday night (March 11).
She is a “celebrated, sought-after surgeon who is disciplined, strict and forthright, but also warm, affectionate and not shy about expressing her faith in Jesus Christ,” said Eric Allen, missions mobilization team leader. “Rebekah Naylor has served over 35 years as a missionary surgeon. We celebrate the faithfulness of God through her life and honor her today with the Missions Legacy Award.”
RELATED: Check out more stories on Rebekah Naylor and her missions impact here.
In 1973, Naylor was appointed to the Foreign Mission Board (now International Mission Board). She was deployed to Bangalore, India, as a general surgeon, evangelist and church planter, serving at Bangalore Baptist Hospital from 1974–2002.
While Naylor’s initial appointment was as a clinical surgeon, she eventually took on the roles of chief of medical staff, administrator and medical superintendent. Under her supervision, the hospital expanded patient care services and doubled its capacity from 80 to 160 beds.
During her tenure at the hospital, she started a choir, taught Bible studies, led chapels, supervised building projects and created a strategy to reach India through the hospital’s ministry. Also during that time, Naylor worked as a strategy coordinator with the International Mission Board and helped Indian pastors to plant 900 churches.
Naylor also supervised the Bangalore construction of the Rebekah Ann Naylor School of Nursing in 1996. She later became the school’s professor of anatomy and physiology and saw the first class graduate in August 1999.
‘Clear direction’
While Naylor had numerous successes and accomplishments, there were struggles and challenges, including conflict with the Indian government. She was burned in effigy over labor union disputes and denied her license to practice medicine and, at times, delayed or denied her residential visas for months and years at a time.
There were frequent power and water outages, rodent and snake issues and relational challenges.
“There were days when she might have considered quitting, but didn’t, because God had called her and given clear direction as to what she was to do,” according to Baptist Press reports. “Naylor trusted Him completely with her life and future and He was always faithful to give direction and provide.”
Upon her return to the U.S., Naylor joined the faculty of the surgery department at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical School in Dallas. In 2009, Naylor became IMB’s global healthcare strategies consultant, mobilizing and training healthcare personnel to meet needs around the world. In September of 2023, she retired from that role.
She also helped found Mercy Clinic, a free medical clinic for the uninsured, low-income population of Fort Worth, and has taught at Southwestern Seminary as an adjunct professor of missions.
Synonymous with medical missions
“At the International Mission Board, Rebekah Naylor’s name is synonymous with medical missions,” said IMB President Paul Chitwood. “Not only is Dr. Naylor the leading voice in IMB’s current healthcare strategy, her advocacy is one of the primary reasons that the IMB has more medical professionals serving overseas today than at any time in our history.”
As she accepted the award, Naylor thanked Baptists for giving through the Cooperative Program to make her work possible.
“I am very grateful that God gave me the privilege to engage in multiplying disciples and multiplying leaders and multiplying churches for that’s what we are all about.”
Naylor said the task is not yet finished, pointing out that 173,000 people die every day going into eternity lost and in North America alone there are 281 million lost people — more than 3 out of 4.
“There are billions of people in our world who have not heard about Jesus,” she said. “My prayer for me and you is that we will passionately seek to engage the lost in our neighborhoods, in our communities and across the world.”
EDITOR’S NOTE — This story was written by Chip Hutcheson and originally published by Kentucky Today. The Baptist Paper contributed to this story.
