Mark Clifton chooses not to use the adjective “small” in describing most Baptist churches, but rather “normal-sized.” “Forty-six percent of our churches have fewer than 50 on Sunday morning, and ..read more

Herb Reavis attended Moody Bible Institute and often saw a plaque there that read, “Near this place Dwight L. Moody knelt and asked God for a school.” “Moody wasn’t educated or ordained, but biographers said he ‘shook two continents for God,’” Reavis told participants at a Jan. 29 luncheon at the 2024 Alabama Baptist State Evangelism Conference. “He and Jonathan Edwards and R.A. Torrey knew ‘the secret:’ the power of God makes a difference through the Holy Spirit. “Churches cannot trust in plans, programs, technology or facilities, but must seek the power of the Holy Spirit most of all.” Reav ..read more

If Alabama Baptists want to “reach more in ’24,” we need to do less talking, open our eyes to the lostness in our communities and “commence going,” said Rob Jackson, director of the Office of Church Health for the Alabama Baptist State Board of Missions. Jackson explained the importance of doing these things during the 2024 Alabama Baptist State Evangelism Conference at First Baptist Church Pelham, Jan. 28–29. Preaching from John 4: 31–38, he noted how the disciples had lost their focus on trivial things, such as food, and were not seeing the spiritual needs before them. Continue re ..read more

When it comes to evangelism, the scariest part is often getting the conversation started, noted author, speaker and seminary professor Matt Queen. During the 2024 Alabama Baptist State Evangelism Conference at First Baptist Church Pelham, he outlined some practical ways to spark opportunities to share the gospel. Queen is the L.R. Scarborough chair of evangelism and associate dean of the Roy J. Fish School of Evangelism and Missions at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. On Jan. 29, he shared how it’s not about whether people are willing to hear the gospel, but whether or not ..read more

If ever there was a time for God’s people to be rooted and grounded in the gospel, that time is now, said Daven Watkins. Watkins, pastor of First Baptist Church Pelham, challenged this sort of “gospel grounding” as he preached Jan. 29 during the Monday morning session of the 2024 Alabama Baptist State Evangelism Conference, which was held at his church. He stepped in to preach in place of Charles Carter, pastor emeritus of Shades Mountain Baptist Church in Birmingham, who couldn’t attend because of illness. Preaching from 1 Timothy 1:12-20, Watkins gave four characteristics of ..read more

God gives unusual assignments, but He is also trustworthy to provide what’s needed to get the job done. “God, who moves in a mysterious way, always leaves us scratching our heads,” said Reginald Calvert, pastor of New Jerusalem Missionary Baptist Church in Bessemer, preaching Jan. 28 at First Baptist Church Pelham during the Sunday evening session of the 2024 Alabama Baptist State Evangelism Conference. “God, when He calls us into ministry, never gives us a job description before we start. He calls us, and then He provides a job description because He knows if He gives us the job description ..read more

Jamie Dew said he never set out to be an academic, but a passion for evangelism changed the direction of his life. Speaking Jan. 28 at First Baptist Church Pelham during the Sunday evening session of the 2024 Alabama Baptist State Evangelism Conference, Dew said he came to faith after making some poor decisions as a teenager, and what followed his salvation was a deep desire to share Jesus. He learned quickly what others also know: “not everybody is as excited about Jesus as you are. They have questions, criticisms and objections.” Dew, president of New Orleans Baptist Theologi ..read more

A full house of “seasoned citizens” gathered at Glynwood Baptist Church in Prattville May 2 for the Revive Senior Adult Evangelism Conference.  David Dykes, who served 30 years as senior pastor of Green Acres Baptist Church in Tyler, Texas, now pastor emeritus, and Jay Wolf, who for 31 years was senior pastor of First Baptist Church in Montgomery, were featured speakers. Continue reading here. This article was originally published at TheAlabamaBaptist.org ..read more

John Jenkins said holding a baptism service just after Easter has made sense for his church family for a long time. “We kind of always do this after Easter because we really push our people to share the gospel at Easter, and we want them to be able to celebrate after the fact,” said Jenkins, pastor of Northport Baptist Church. This Sunday (April 24) his church will baptize four of the six people who gave their lives to Christ on Easter Sunday. Northport Baptist’s service coincides with Baptism Sunday, a national emphasis across churches in the Southern Baptist Convention. Baptism Sunday ..read more

Just before Christmas a couple of years ago, my cousin Len entered the senior care facility of his small Kentucky town. While an older person being admitted to an assisted living center is not normally alarming, the circumstances that led to Len’s admittance were very concerning. You see, Len was a lifelong bachelor who had retired from IBM. He was an intelligent person who had done well for himself. However, one morning, Len’s neighbors awoke to the sound of gunshots. The police were called. When the police arrived, they found him sitting on his front porch with a pistol beside him. Upon fur ..read more