Louton family

The Louton family is a family of American origin that established prominence in the field of religious leadership in South Africa and later academia and finance in the United States.
Members
Albert G. Louton (1902-1985) was a Pentecostal missionary and minister active in South Africa from the early 1950s until his death. Originally from Arkansas, he worked in the drycleaning industry in Michigan before entering full-time ministry. In 1951, he began missionary work in the Northern Transvaal, where he became known for church planting, large-scale tent evangelism, and involvement with local communities. He served at times as field superintendent for the International Pentecostal Assemblies and was affiliated with the Finished Work Pentecostal movement. By the mid-1960s, he had helped establish over 50 churches staffed by local Black South African pastors, and became recognized across southern Africa for his revival campaigns and pastoral outreach. His work contributed to the growth of the Pentecostal movement among rural communities in the region. Louton continued active ministry until his death in a car accident in 1985.
Edgar M. Louton (born 1933), a son of Albert, is a member of the Louton family known for his work as a missionary in southern Africa. After his ordination by the Michigan District of the Assemblies of God in 1956, he became active in church planting and evangelism in South Africa and Lesotho, establishing early congregations in Pietersburg and Basutoland. He held various leadership positions within the Assemblies of God in South Africa during the 1960s, including as youth director and District Superintendent of the Northern Transvaal. Louton’s ministry was periodically controversial due to his political views, especially following the publication of a 1980 position paper that criticized Christian support for South Africa’s apartheid regime. He later taught cross-cultural communication and anthropology at the Africa School of Missions in Mpumalanga from 1988 until his retirement in 2008.
David A. Louton (born 1960) is an American financial academic and investment analyst. He earned a PhD in finance from Michigan State University and has been a faculty member at Bryant University since 1991. His research has focused on portfolio diversification, asset allocation, and the application of machine learning in finance. Louton's academic work includes articles in peer-reviewed journals such as the Journal of Financial Planning, the Financial Review, and the Journal of Financial Data Science, and he has received multiple best paper awards from professional associations. In addition to his research, he served as Associate Dean of the College of Business at Bryant and helped manage the university’s Archway Investment Fund. Louton has also contributed financial commentary to media outlets including Forbes, The Hill, The Wall Street Journal, and Reuters.
Eugene Grams (1930-2016), a son-in-law of Albert Louton, was an American missionary and evangelist whose work in South Africa spanned over five decades. After moving to the country in 1952, he established churches across the Northern Transvaal, Lesotho, and Johannesburg regions, eventually becoming a leading figure in the Assemblies of God mission field. Grams played a central role in the 1960 Meloding Revival, a large-scale Pentecostal gathering that drew thousands and catalyzed local church growth. He is believed to have helped plant over 35 churches and was closely associated with South African evangelists such as Nicholas Bhengu and Philip Molefe. In the 1980s, Grams co-founded the Cape College of Theology in Cape Town and served as its first president, helping to train a generation of local pastors and missionaries. He was known for his frequent return visits to the United States, where he maintained fundraising and preaching ties, especially in the Midwest. His career reflected a blend of evangelism, education, and institutional development within the Pentecostal movement in southern Africa.
Rollin G. Grams (b. 1958), a noted theologian and author, is also a member of the family.

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