Bill Standridge

William and Maria Teresa Standridge – Ministering, while publishing, editing, and translating Christian materials in Rome: Their Italian web site is… http://www.istitutobiblicobereano.org/

Bill was born in Flint MI, and was raised in the home of an independent Baptist pastor. He accepted Jesus Christ as his Lord and Savior at a very early age, and was baptized at the age of 12.

After graduating in 1947 from Wheaton College, with a degree in psychology, Bill went to Italy as a missionary in 1949, without the assistance of a mission board, but returned to the U.S. to join the Independent Faith Mission, with which he served in Italy for over 50 years. He later earned an M.A. in Missions from Grace Theological Seminary, in 1986.

Bill has spent over 55 years as a missionary in Italy, founding the “Berea” Independent Gospel Church of Rome, which has an average attendance of about 100, and is now supporting missionaries and helping plant new churches.

He has been active in editing a monthly Gospel newspaper – together with his Italian wife Maria Teresa -  which they founded in 1958, called, “La Voce del Vangelo” (The Voice of the Gospel). They also direct an active Bible Correspondence School, which they founded, known as the Berean Bible Institute. They have also written Gospel evangelistic advertising in national magazines, and numerous books and booklets, published both in Italian and in English. Bill is also active in conference and retreat ministries.

Maria Teresa was born in Italy, in the city of Rovereto, province of Trent. Her father was an Italian Army officer, and her parents were Christians. She was saved during World War II, basically through reading the Bible on her own. After graduating from the University of Genoa, she studied in Emmaus Bible School in Switzerland and learned English while teaching French in England.

Before her marriage to Bill, in October, 1956, she was active in ministries among children and university students, as well as translation of Christian literature into Italian and editing two periodicals.

Maria Teresa is well known among Christians in Italy as editor of the monthly paper, La VOCE del VANGELO, author of books, booklets and correspondence courses, as well as being a conference and retreat speaker for women, especially for wives of pastors and missionaries.

The Standridges have four grown children: three sons, David, who is the Director of Aurora Missions, Dan, who is a church-planter in Milan, Italy, and Steve, who is also a missionary with Aurora Mission. Their daughter, Deborah, lives with her husband and family in Zurich, Switzerland. The Standridges have eleven grandchildren.