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The Right Reverend Bill Flagg, who died on October 1 aged 79, began life as a farmer's boy in Somerset and, despite leaving school at the age of 14, became a missionary statesman of considerable importance, playing a key role in the development of the Anglican Church in South America.

He was Presiding Bishop (the equivalent of Archbishop) of the Anglican Council of South America from 1974 to 1977, a post he combined with episcopal leadership in Chile, Peru and Bolivia, and before that was Bishop of Paraguay and Northern Argentina. Later he spent seven years in London as general secretary of the South American Mission Society (SAMS) and also exercised notable ministries as an assistant bishop in the dioceses of Liverpool and Southwell.

Flagg's missionary zeal became evident when, at the age of 16, he used his spare time from farming to bicycle around Somerset preaching in churches and the open air, thus becoming known as "the boy preacher". He also began to educate himself with the aid of a correspondence course and, having matriculated, entered All Nations Christian College at Taplow, Buckinghamshire, to prepare for overseas missionary work.

From 1951 to 1958 he was in Chile as an agricultural missionary, then returned to England to prepare for Holy Orders at Clifton Theological College, Bristol. In 1959 he became chaplain and missionary superintendent of St Andrew's, Asuncion, in Paraguay, and five years later he was appointed Archdeacon of Northern Argentina; five years after that, when only 40, he became a bishop.

Firmly rooted in the Evangelical tradition, Flagg made an indelible impression wherever he went, often travelling on horseback for several days across the continent's vast open spaces to minister to small isolated Christian communities and often to start new ones, particularly among the Mapuche Indians. He had taught himself Spanish on his first sea crossing to South America and acquired the ability to preach in several local languages. Inseparable from his preaching was a humble and inspiring personality who brought many to faith.

As a bishop, he recognised that the days of importing church leaders to South America from England were numbered, and he devoted a good deal of time to the training of indigenous clergy who would soon assume responsibility within their own parishes and dioceses. He also saw the importance of bringing the separate South American dioceses to work together and relate more closely to the rest of the worldwide Anglican Communion. He was himself a member of the Anglican Consultative Council from 1974 to 1979.

John William Hawkins Flagg was born on April 16 1929 at the village of Mudford, near Yeovil. He had an inquisitive mind, and when still very young had a vivid conversion experience that determined the course of his life. He remained, however, wedded to the soil, never lost his Somerset accent – even, it was said, when speaking Spanish – and during his subsequent work as a missionary bishop used his knowledge of farming to sustain the life of rural missions. He could turn his hand to almost any practical task, including the repair of buildings and motor vehicles, and seemed no less at home when working in great cities.

In the 1960s he obtained wood-working tools for the poor Wichi people of northern Argentina and started an industry of hand-crafted wood sculptures – beautifully carved and inlaid birds and animals – which provided them with a sustaining income. On his return to England he became one of the industry's chief salesmen.

As general secretary of the South American Mission Society from 1986 to 1993, Flagg not only continued the necessary fund-raising, but also proved to be a visionary, strategic thinker in a period when the Church of which he had first-hand knowledge was experiencing considerable growth and was in need of unification. He made frequent visits to South America to advise those responsible for leadership in the Province of the Southern Cone, which he had done so much to create. The flourishing of the missions he had founded moved him greatly.

During the seven years between ceasing to minister in South America and becoming general secretary of SAMS (1978-85), Flagg served as Assistant Bishop of Liverpool, under David Sheppard, who had visited South America and had been deeply impressed by what he found there. Flagg combined this post with that of vicar of St Cyprian's, Toxteth, where he was much loved and had an important role in the rebuilding of community life after the destructive riots. He also worked tirelessly to retain the landmark church and was responsible for overseeing the design and building of a new community centre.

Following his retirement from SAMS, when he was an assistant bishop in Rochester diocese, Flagg moved to Southwell, Nottinghamshire, in the same role, except that he was now free to give it his full attention.

Besides exercising a characteristic pastoral and evangelistic ministry in the parishes, he accepted the responsibilities of adviser on rural ministry, which proved invaluable at the time of the BSE outbreak, and also for stewardship and overseas relations. He finally retired in 1997, but remained an honorary assistant bishop and continued to lend a hand until illness intervened.

Archbishop George Carey awarded him the Cross of St Augustine in 1996. Flagg's autobiography, 'From Ploughshare to Crook', was published in 2000.

His wife, Marjorie, who predeceased him, played an important part in his ministry, often accompanying him with their large family on hazardous journeys to remote places in South America.

Bill Flagg is survived by a son and four daughters, and by a son whom he adopted in Peru.