In Memoriam: Rev. Fred Bultman

1924 – 2005

Rev. Fred Bultman, 81, a leading CRC church planter, died on July 13 at Spectrum Health in Grand Rapids, Mich., after undergoing vascular surgery.

Bultman was born in Fremont, Mich., where he attended elementary and high schools. He graduated from Calvin College in 1950 and from Calvin Theological Seminary in 1953. He married Linda Deur in 1948.

Pastor Bultman served the following churches: Jamestown (Mich.) CRC, 1953; Christ Community CRC, East Islip, N.Y., l957; Community CRC, Syracuse, N.Y., 1966; Harvest Community CRC, Lake Odessa, Mich., 1976; First CRC, Fulton, Ill., 1981. The Bultmans retired in 1986. Following their retirement, Bultman served First CRC of Fremont, Mich., as its minister of calling for many years.

This highly respected pastor consistently sought to reach out with the gospel beyond the boundaries of established congregations. From the early 1960s on, he assisted Christian Reformed Home Missions in formulating strategies for church planting. The SWIM Program (“Summer Workshops in Ministry”--now the “Encounters” program) found in him an early advocate.

A gifted teacher, Bultman was deeply concerned that what people learned must transform their lives and equip them for service. His own humble walk with the Lord, his personal warmth, his love for his family, and his deep compassion for the suffering assured him a ready entrance into many people’s lives.

Bultman is survived by his wife, Linda, and their children: Kathy Bultman, Rev. Fred M. Bultman, Rosemary and Dean Ellens, Carolee Stebbins, Bonnie and Dale Oliver, Joanne Bultman, and Rachel and Michael Vander Wall; and eight grandchildren.