In an Aug. 4 joint letter to Alabama Baptist pastors, Executive Director Rick Lance and President Mike Shaw wrote, “As your leadership prepares the church budget for the coming year, we would like to encourage you to make sure that The Alabama Baptist is included in it for your resident family members.”
Thank you, Mr. Executive Director. Thank you, Mr. President.
Often when those of us privileged to serve the Lord through the ministry of the state Baptist paper talk about the important role it fulfills, some people just yawn. Of course, those involved in a ministry think their work important, they reason. What else would you expect?
That is why the words of these two state convention leaders are important and instructive. Their request comes from acknowledged Baptist leaders who see the big picture of Baptist work and are willing to publicly urge churches to provide the weekly state Baptist paper to active resident families.
Lance and Shaw wrote, “We highly recommend it (The Alabama Baptist) to you as a valuable resource of information and inspiration.”
The letter cited some of the important contributions the paper makes to a reader’s life. First the state Baptist paper “continues to be an essential channel of communication for Alabama Baptists concerning the ministries supported through the Cooperative Program (CP).”
Every Alabama Baptist entity regularly uses the paper to share news and information about what God is doing through its ministry. Every program of the Alabama Baptist State Board of Missions regularly promotes its work through the state Baptist paper.
Every Southern Baptist Convention ministry reports to Baptists through news stories, feature articles, opinion pieces and more, which are printed in the paper.
The Alabama Baptist is the only informational source dedicated to what God is doing through Baptists in Alabama, in North America and around the world.
It is well known that Baptists only give financial, prayer and personal support to what they care about. But they can care about only what they know about. The state Baptist paper has the privilege of sharing trustworthy information that allows them to know, care and support.
Each week as the paper tells the story of what God is doing through Baptists, it is helping make cooperation possible. It promotes the “Program” part of the CP as well as the channel of giving that makes the program possible.
Referring to the reporting role of The Alabama Baptist, Lance and Shaw wrote, “You will be able to stay apprised of information about missions.” They referenced stories about Alabama Baptist partnerships in Guatemala, Ukraine, Haiti, the Appalachian region and Michigan as examples of this missions emphasis.
Readers also could point to the reporting done by the state Baptist paper following the April 27 tornadoes. Working almost around the clock, staff members had comprehensive coverage of the storms’ impact on Baptist churches across the state by press time. At a time when Baptists could have felt alone in their troubles, the paper helped tie churches together by sharing stories from across the state. There is no denying the impact of its reporting during that crisis.
Whether it is missions news or news about ministry needs or news from churches or news from the world of religion, regular reading of The Alabama Baptist is the way to stay informed about what God is doing in the world.
Lance and Shaw told pastors, “Regular reading of The Alabama Baptist by your people will strengthen your church family.” They added that regular reading “will make them not only better Baptists but better church members as well.”
News stories, feature articles and editorials capture readers’ hearts. They lift the spirit with inspiration. They challenge the mind with new understandings and reinforce traditional Baptist teachings. They build up the body of Christ. They not only tell what Baptists are doing together but they also share what Baptists believe and how Baptists work together.
The Alabama Baptist is a religious newspaper in the best sense of the term. For 15 consecutive years, it has been selected as one of the top three regional religious papers in the nation. And it is more. It is part of a church’s educational emphasis on what it means to be Baptist. It is a trusted, welcome and accountable voice to the state convention through its 16-member board of directors.
The Alabama Baptist State Convention believes in The Alabama Baptist. Each year, the state Baptist paper receives an appropriation from the state portion of the CP to help keep it affordable for churches.
That is why the two leaders could write with integrity as they urged pastors to provide the paper to their active resident families. They called it “an inexpensive investment.” It is. A weekly issue costs only 25 cents through the church budget. That is less than the cost of a postcard. And the returns regular reading makes to the church and the lives of members mean the cost is not an expense but an investment, just as the letter said.
Many churches will finalize their 2012 budgets in the next few weeks. Funds are tight for practically everyone. Some well-meaning committees will be tempted to be “penny-wise and pound-foolish.” They will consider cutting ministries that undergird the effective functioning of the church — including The Alabama Baptist.
To do so would be a mistake.
Hear again the words of Lance and Shaw as they describe the importance of the state Baptist paper as “an essential channel of communication” for church members, churches and Alabama Baptists.
Please join me in praying that your church will provide the paper to active resident families through the church budget in 2012.
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