Alabama Association of Baptist Secretaries changes name, keeps ‘same heartbeat’

After 63 years as the Alabama Association of Baptist Secretaries, the group voted earlier this year to change its name to “better represent who we are.”

The name Alabama Association of Baptist Ministry Assistants reflects the fact that over time, many churches around the state have switched to use the title “ministry assistant” rather than secretary, said Sara Bible, AABMA president and ministry assistant at First Baptist Church Demopolis.

Changing the group’s name to AABMA “also better represents us because we truly are in ministry,” she said. “We have a vital role we play in the ministry of our churches and associations and the Alabama Baptist State Board of Missions.”

Same goal

Bible said the name is the only aspect of AABMA that’s changing — “we are just simply growing and helping people better understand who we are.”

“The organization still has the same heartbeat; our leadership still has the same goal in mind,” she said. “We still want to love and support our ministry assistants. The conference is still there to do its job. We just want to better represent who we are now.”

The officers presented the name change to the whole group for a vote at its annual conference in March. Their next conference will be held March 2–5, 2025, at Shocco Springs Baptist Conference Center in Talladega.

“Our annual conference is a time to offer professional development sessions for them but also offer spiritual renewal and spiritual refreshments,” Bible said. “Ministry assistants hold a lot on their plate, and there can be things that come across their desk that are heavy at times within the job and within the life of the church.”

She said the conference is meant to equip, renew and encourage them.

“We have worked really hard to create a network,” Bible said. “We’re there to offer that community of people who fully understand what you’re doing in your job and in your ministry.”

AABMA will also have a booth at the Alabama Baptist State Board of Missions annual meeting in November.

For more information about AABMA, visit facebook.com/1AABS.