By Editor Bob Terry
Who should read The Alabama Baptist? That is a question occasionally asked by a new pastor or by a member of a church that no longer receives the state Baptist paper. Of course, with a history dating back to 1843 and with a circulation that makes it the most widely circulated state Baptist newspaper in the nation, the majority of Alabama Baptists know something about their award-winning publication.
But the question is an honest one. It points out that tradition may be a wonderful foundation on which to build but asks what is in the state Baptist paper today that merits the time of church members and the support of cooperating Baptist churches.
So who should read The Alabama Baptist newspaper?
Obviously anyone concerned about missions and evangelism should read the state Baptist paper. The Alabama Baptist is the only publication sharing how God is using Baptists to spread the good news of Jesus Christ in Alabama, the nation and the world. In one publication, one can read about missions projects in the Black Belt of Alabama, about Southern Baptist ministries in Detroit, about the work of Southern Baptist representatives in South America and about Baptist nationals in Moldova.
Over the years, the state Baptist paper has been a primary source of missions information for lay members of our churches. Pastors receive information from many different sources, but The Alabama Baptist remains the place most laypeople turn for information about missions and evangelism at home and around the world.
Those looking for the latest news about Alabama Baptists turn to their state Baptist paper, too. Stories from every part of the state are collected each week through a network of correspondents. These stories are edited and shared so other Baptists will know what God is doing in churches and through the state Baptist convention. On average, more than 70 percent of the paper’s editorial space is devoted to news and information about Alabama Baptists. No other single source makes this information available.
The same is true for those seeking national and international religious information. Every day, The Alabama Baptist sifts through information from at least five national and international wire services, together with releases from organizations, movements, institutions and more. The result is news and information readers can count on being presented in a fair and balanced style.
This breadth of coverage offered in The Alabama Baptist, together with its professional quality, has helped the state Baptist paper earn the designation of one of the best regional Christian newspapers in the nation for 12 years running.
Those seeking resources for Christian service regularly turn to The Alabama Baptist. Through a partnership with the Alabama Baptist State Board of Missions, the state Baptist paper shares information about the latest ministry tools, about training opportunities and about ministry needs. Products from LifeWay Christian Resources are announced. Stories about the latest trends in religion and American life are regularly printed. Book reviews give readers guidance about releases that may be helpful to them in certain areas. One might be able to find some of this information in a variety of sources, but The Alabama Baptist brings it all together in one place.
The state Baptist paper is also the place to turn for those wanting a Christian perspective on major moral and ethical problems of the day. Whether the issue is a state concern or a national debate, The Alabama Baptist tackles it from a biblical perspective reflecting a Baptist understanding of Scripture. These resources allow readers to draw their own conclusions based on insights and understandings provided by Christian ethicists and theologians who sometimes offer differing views.
Those wanting information about the denomination find it on the pages of The Alabama Baptist. Ministries sponsored by the state and national conventions are regularly highlighted. Entities are promoted. Issues are explored. Personalities are identified. Funding decisions are reported. Major meetings are covered so Baptists know the results of the meetings as well as the whys behind the decisions.
Baptists who are serious about Bible study should read the two Bible study lessons published each week. Bible professors at Samford University in Birmingham and the University of Mobile provide commentary on the week’s Sunday School lessons, and many find this resource invaluable.
If one wants information about the persecuted church, then one finds it in The Alabama Baptist. If one wants to know major developments in other denominations, then one finds them in The Alabama Baptist. If one wants information about how Baptists work together, then one finds it in The Alabama Baptist. If one wants inspiring accounts of God working in people around them, then one finds them in The Alabama Baptist.
Perhaps because of all the reasons mentioned above, at least two out of three Alabama Baptist churches provide the state Baptist paper to at least some of their active families through the church budget. And providing the paper makes a difference in the church. Studies show that churches that provide the paper to all their active resident families give more to missions and participate more in convention life than churches that do not.
With such a result from regularly reading the state Baptist paper, is it any wonder that many contend that every resident member of every cooperating Baptist church in Alabama should regularly read The Alabama Baptist because “an informed Baptist is the best Baptist?”
Sunday, July 27, is Read The Alabama Baptist Day. Hundreds of churches will emphasize the many contributions The Alabama Baptist makes to the lives of its readers, to the churches and to the convention. If you know someone who does not read the state Baptist paper, then encourage him or her to subscribe. If your church does not provide the paper for resident families, then urge it to include the paper for active resident families in the next budget year.
Everyone should read The Alabama Baptist. It helps the reader. It helps the churches. It helps the Alabama Baptist State Convention.
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