Your editorial comment in the Jan. 7 issue of The Alabama Baptist, “Best of Both Worlds,” caught my interest and should also be of interest to all Southern Baptist church members.
Being close to your age group I remember your mention of W.A. Criswell, John Bisagno and other strong Christian servants such as H. Hobbs and others that were dedicated to the Christian ministry. Back in that day I believe church members were more dedicated to the Lord’s work than they are today.
It is my belief that the Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) should be less concerned about large membership numbers, both in church and in Sunday School, and instead concentrate on the quality of its members.
It is easy to be a church member but not as easy to be an active Christian. This became more apparent to me while living many years in the Arabic world among Muslims. I’ve seen dedicated Muslims convert in Lebanon and then drug out of the church pew at worship time and killed in the street. My thoughts at the time were, “Would I be that dedicated to Jesus and give my life?”
When the local church truly fulfills its obligation of winning souls, teaching them God’s Word and encouraging them to stand up and be counted as a serving Christian, then church members will be like they were 60 years ago and attend the SBC annual meeting.
Bob Lewis
Camden, Ala.
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