Pioneer in Baptist electronic media dies

FORT WORTH, Texas — Paul M. Stevens, the man credited with shaping the Baptist Radio and Television Commission into one of the most influential forces in religious broadcasting during his tenure as president from 1953 to 1977, died June 10.

Stevens, 86, had recently suffered a major heart attack while in surgery and never fully recovered, said David Clark, who currently holds Stevens’ former office as president of FamilyNet Inc. and vice president for broadcast communications of the North American Mission Board (NAMB).

Jack Johnson, the last president of the Radio and Television Commission before the entity became part of NAMB in 1997, said Stevens was “an entrepreneur before that term became common.

“He brought the Southern Baptist Convention out of the dark ages of communications, and he was one of the early leaders not just among Southern Baptists but among other Christian organizations as far as television and radio were concerned,” Johnson said. “Paul was recognized as one of the leaders in the communications industry.”