After 38 years of faithful service, Steve Bailey recently retired from Encompass World Partners, leaving behind a remarkable legacy of churches planted and lives touched across the globe. 

Born in North Carolina and raised in the Washington, DC area in a non-Christian home, Steve’s path to faith began in an unexpected way. At age 11 or 12, his best friend Jeff’s mother, Myra, invited him to a Christian Boy Scout-style group at her church, where he heard the Gospel for the first time. “She took an interest in me and became like a spiritual mother to me,” he says. 

His college years led him to Bryan College in Tennessee, a Christian institution, where he met Wilma, who was born in the Central African Republic to an Encompass missionary couple, Harold and Margaret Mason. Steve and Wilma married in 1979 shortly after graduating.

Steve started teaching at a Bible institute, “which made me realize how much Bible I didn’t know,” he says with a sense of humor. This led him to go to seminary at Grace College, where he and Wilma met Dave and Sue Guiles through serving in the same youth ministry. As Steve and Wilma began to sense God’s call to overseas ministry, they discovered that Dave and Sue were praying for the same thing. As they pursued that direction, God seemed to be leading both couples to Argentina. Despite never having been there, both families moved to Buenos Aires In 1988.

For their first 10–12 years with Encompass, Steve and Wilma dedicated themselves to church planting in the predominantly Roman Catholic nation. Recognizing that being Argentine was often synonymous with being Roman Catholic, and that many lacked a true understanding of the Bible, Steve and Dave committed to an hour of daily prayer. They developed a unique approach using the “Seven Signs” from the Gospel of John to help people connect directly with God, bypassing the need for a priest. “It’s a religion there, not a relationship,” Steve noted.

Steve, a lifelong sports enthusiast, found unique avenues for outreach. He developed a strong relationship with an ex-military gentleman named Marcelo through paddleball and daily volleyball games. They read the Bible together before playing, which eventually led to Marcelo placing his faith in Jesus!

After a decade of fruitful church planting, Steve became the regional director for Latin America when Dave Guiles returned to the States. For another 10–12 years, he oversaw the expansion of the work into other Latin American countries, including Uruguay, Chile, Paraguay, and Brazil. A key focus of this phase was empowering national believers to become missionary-senders themselves. Steve witnessed the beautiful beginning of a Latin American mission movement, with believers being sent to other Latin American countries as well as Chad, Africa.

In 2011, Steve and Wilma returned to the US, where they spent their final 10–12 years with Encompass leading Encompass’s Member Care efforts. “The key to member care is shepherding people,” Steve says. As one of his mentors once told him, “When people are going through a crisis, they take a mental picture of who was with them during that time—be in that picture.” This principle guided Steve as he provided prayer, encouragement, and practical assistance to missionaries facing immense challenges—even evacuations due to tsunamis, earthquakes, and government uprisings.

Throughout all three phases of ministry, Wilma was an active and vital partner. She taught Sunday school, led small groups, and discipled women. Even after their return to the US, she continued to serve part-time and then as a volunteer, selflessly caring for ladies around the world.

As Steve and Wilma transition into retirement from Encompass, they are continuing to serve part-time at their local church while prayerfully considering what’s next. We celebrate all the amazing things God has done through the Baileys over their decades with Encompass. We are fortunate to have served alongside such incredible people!