Howard B. Grose (1851–1939)

Howard B. Grose died on May 19, 1939, at the age of 88, closing a long life marked by steady, Christ-centered service. Known as a pastor, educator, and denominational leader among American Baptists, he carried a consistent burden: that Christian work should be done with sincerity, discipline, and wholehearted devotion to the Lord rather than for applause.

Grose’s influence was not built on spectacle but on perseverance—an everyday kind of heroism seen in the patient labor of teaching, organizing, and encouraging believers. In classrooms and administrative offices, he treated learning as a stewardship. His leadership as a university president reflected a conviction that the mind should be trained without surrendering the soul, and that institutions serve best when they form character as well as competence.

“Give of Your Best to the Master”

Grose is remembered widely for his hymn “Give of Your Best to the Master,” a direct call to offer Christ not leftovers but firstfruits—mind, time, and strength. The hymn’s plainspoken challenge echoes biblical worship that is active and costly: “Therefore I urge you, brothers, on account of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God, which is your spiritual service of worship” (Romans 12:1).

By urging believers to bring their strongest gifts, Grose addressed more than personal piety. He pressed for integrity in service: excellence in teaching, carefulness in publishing, courage in missions, and generosity in giving. The hymn became a tool of discipleship in churches and homes, stirring many to consider whether Christ truly held the first place.

Publishing, Missions, and Lasting Legacy

Through American Baptist publications and home mission efforts, Grose helped shape Christian reading and outreach in a growing nation. In the world of Christian publishing—often centered in major city offices and distribution networks—he understood that faithful words could travel farther than any one preacher and continue speaking when the author is gone.

His life illustrated the call, “Whatever you do, work at it with your whole being, for the Lord and not for men” (Colossians 3:23). Grose’s legacy endures in that simple lesson: when truth is taught and lived without compromise, it keeps stirring devotion for generations.