Finis Alonzo Crutchfield Jr. ( – ) was a noted American clergyman and a bishop in the United Methodist Church. He began his pastoral career after graduating from Duke University Divinity School in 1940. His first assignment was First United Methodist Church in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. He remained there until he was sent to Norman, Oklahoma, in 1950. Ten years later he became senior pastor at Boston Avenue Methodist Church in Tulsa. He was credited with bringing Oral Roberts into the Methodist Church (although Roberts later left) and served as a negotiator in the 1968 merger of the Methodist Church with the Evangelical United Brethren Church.
In 1972, he was elected as a bishop and sent to New Orleans. In 1976, he was sent to Texas as bishop of the Texas Conference, headquartered in Houston. He retired in 1984, and died of AIDS in 1987.
Early life
Crutchfield was born in Henrietta, Texas, on August 22, 1916. His father, Finis Crutchfield Sr., was a Methodist minister, as was his paternal grandfather. The father was sent by the church to many different towns while his son was growing up. These included Denton, Wichita Falls, Denison and Dallas. His older sister, Artha, was the wife of Alsie Carlson, who was also a Methodist minister and later a bishop.
Career as pastor
Crutchfield attended Southern Methodist University, where he was elected president of the student council in 1934. It was there where he demonstrated a gifted speaking ability. He then enrolled in Duke University where he earned a degree from the Duke Divinity School in 1940; his thesis was entitled "Christian principles in the teachings of Epictetus". Shortly after graduation, he married Benja Lee Bell. The Methodist Church then assigned him to First United Methodist Church in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. During that assignment, Benja Lee bore their only child, a son named Charles. Finis stayed in that position until he was assigned to the McFarlin Memorial United Methodist Church in Norman, Oklahoma, in 1950. He was only 34 years old, relatively young for such a high position in such an important church. He proved that he could fill the sanctuary with his exceptional oratory ability, persuade people to make monetary gifts to the church and inspire many younger people to join the ministry. He was elected to the General Conference in 1956. He was the delegation's leader for the next four conferences because he was the top vote-getter. In 1960, he was sent to the Boston Avenue Methodist Church in Tulsa. The Boston Avenue church was often regarded as a stepping stone on the path to becoming a bishop in the Methodist Church. The church is one of (if not the) largest and wealthiest of its denomination in Oklahoma. Five of its senior pastors have been elevated to that high position. Crutchfield was focused on growing the church's membership, so he started televising his Sunday services. He even dared controversy by inviting the well-known televangelist, Oral Roberts to become a member of the Methodist church.
Oral Roberts, best known as a Pentecostal evangelist, shocked many when he formally joined Boston Avenue Methodist Church on March 17, 1968. Initially, the act appeared to be a hasty occurrence, but it was later revealed to have resulted from discussions over a period of time between Roberts and Crutchfield. Crutchfield then arranged a meeting between Roberts and Angie W. Smith, then the Methodist bishop over the Oklahoma Conference and who was Crutchfield's superior. Crutchfield reassured Roberts by saying, "I have fine men in my church who are from your university. ... They are the most effective Christians in my church." Roberts said, "do you know they all speak in tongues ... (and) in healing?" Crutchfield replied that he was very aware of that, adding, "They're not carrying this around as a badge of superiority. They're interested in helping people and building the kingdom."
Both Smith and Roberts saw advantages from such a move. For Roberts, it represented moving into the mainstream of American Protestantism. For Smith, Roberts' dynamism and creativity was like a magnet for attracting new members. Although there were theological differences between Methodist and Pentecostal doctrines and practices, those could be overlooked by compromise. Bishop Smith agreed that Roberts could continue his evangelistic mission unfettered by rules of the Methodist Church. After several discussions, Smith reportedly told Roberts, "We need you, but we need the Holy Spirit more than we need you, and we've got to have the Holy Spirit in the Methodist Church."