Naylor made her profession of faith at just 5 years old, and eight years later accepted God’s call to become a medical missionary. After graduating from Baylor University with her B.A. degree in chemistry in 1964, she then completed her Doctor of Medicine degree at Vanderbilt University School of Medicine in Nashville, Tennessee, in 1968. Her surgical training was completed 1973, after which she was certified by the American Board of Surgery and became a fellow of the American College of Surgeons.

In 1973, Naylor was appointed to the Foreign Mission Board (now International Mission Board). Following a 13-week orientation that prepared her for the mission field and a semester of studies at Southwestern Seminary, Naylor was deployed to Bangalore, India, as a general surgeon, evangelist, and church planter.

Naylor served at Bangalore Baptist Hospital (BBH) from 1974-2002, during which time the hospital experienced significant growth during this time. While Naylor’s initial appointment was as a clinical surgeon, she eventually assumed the positions of chief of medical staff, administrator, and medical superintendent. Under her supervision, BBH expanded patient care services and increased its capacity from 80 to 160 beds.

Naylor also supervised the construction in Bangalore of the Rebekah Ann Naylor School of Nursing in 1996. She later became its professor of anatomy and physiology and saw the first class graduate in August 1999.

Besides serving as a missionary surgeon and professor, Naylor also worked as a strategy coordinator and church planter for the International Mission Board in the state of Karnataka, India, from 1999 to 2009. During this time, she worked with the medical ministry and Indian pastors to help plant 900 churches in the state.

Upon her return to the United States, Naylor joined the faculty of the University of Texas Southwestern Medical School in Dallas and taught in the surgery department. She was promoted to associate clinical professor of surgery in 2007 and served in that capacity until her retirement in 2010. She then began serving as a global healthcare consultant for Baptist Global Response, mobilizing and training healthcare personnel to meet needs around the world. She also helped found Mercy Clinic, a free medical clinic for the uninsured, low-income population of southern Fort Worth, and has previously taught at Southwestern Seminary as an adjunct professor of missions.

Naylor became Southwestern Seminary’s permanent missionary-in-residence during Greenway’s administration, and now, as the first-ever female distinguished professor at Southwestern Seminary, “she will continue to impart her knowledge and years of experience to the next generation of God-called men and women, who can continue her legacy of reaching the nations for Christ,” Greenway said.