Paul Rader

Who is Paul Rader?

Paul A. Rader was General of the Salvation Army from 1994 to 1999, and was the President of Asbury University in Wilmore, Kentucky from 2000 to 2006.

Born in New York City in 1934, Rader spent his undergraduate years at Asbury University, then studied at the Asbury Theological Seminary and the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, graduating with BA, BD and MTh degrees.

At Asbury, he met and married his wife, Kay, who upon graduating with a BA degree, qualified as a teacher. Together, they entered the Salvation Army School for Officers Training in New York in September 1960 were commissioned a year later.

Lieutenant Rader and his wife temporarily assisted at Newark, New Jersey Central Corps, while learning the Korean language with the intention to serve as missionaries there. They arrived in Seoul, Korea, in January 1962 to serve on the staff of the Officer Training College. After five years, Captain Rader was appointed vice-principal.

They returned to America for two years in 1971 where Rader, now a captain and then a major, was assigned to Southern California Divisional Headquarters and his wife to Pasadena Corps, in California.