An Acts 1:8 Publication

An Acts 1:8 Publication

An article earlier this year in the North American Mission Board’s (NAMB) On Mission magazine highlighted state Baptist papers as a primary source for missions information. Of The Alabama Baptist and its sister publications in other states, the article said, “One thing common to all, is their commitment to tell the Southern Baptist missions story.”

That is certainly true of this publication. Missions news and information is at the heart of The Alabama Baptist week in and week out. The state Baptist paper has been and remains a missions-centered publication.

Prior to the reorganization of the Southern Baptist Convention, the former Home Mission Board and Foreign Mission Board both concluded from independent studies that the primary source of missions information for church members was the state Baptist paper.

The recent promotion by NAMB continues to recognize the important contributions of state Baptist papers to Baptist missions efforts around the world.

The On Mission article continued, “Because missions is the heartbeat of Baptists, you’ll often read (in state Baptist papers) about the North American continent/your Samaria and the international missions field/your ends of the earth.”

Looking at one month of stories appearing in this publication affirms that observation. During that time span, four stories focused on North America and nine on international missions fields.

North American missions stories told of efforts and plans for spreading the gospel in Canada, the far-flung bands of believers scattered across the Wyoming prairie, efforts to reach vacationers in Lake Placid, N.Y., and the work of military chaplains.

International missions stories called attention to work in the Philippines, across the Arabian peninsula, Southeast Asia, Myanmar and Zambia. Other stories reported on disaster relief efforts and the impact of the weakening U.S. dollar on missions efforts around the world.

All of that in just four of the 50 issues published each year.

The On Mission article continued, “They (state Baptist papers) truly excel at telling the story about mission needs and opportunities in their state/Judea.”

In the same month examined above, The Alabama Baptist reported state missions efforts in the Mobile area, Montgomery, Auburn, Hueytown, Vance and Decatur. The paper reported on efforts to reach Muslims and Hispanics living in Alabama and told how Alabama Baptists worked with other Christians to address social problems such as hunger and poverty.

These were just some of the major feature stories.

The four issues furnished more on each area. There was information about Alabama’s partnership missions project in the northeast part of the nation. International missionaries shared letters and prayer requests. Alabama churches and associations reported scores of efforts to touch lives with the gospel in their respective communities.

The On Mission article made the point clearly. You can read about international missions in information furnished by the International Mission Board. You can read about North American missions through information provided by NAMB.

But the only place you can read about international, North American, state and local missions is the state Baptist paper.

That is why the article recommended “that you start with your state convention publication.”

The state Baptist paper is what is now being called “an Acts 1:8 publication.” That is, The Alabama Baptist and its sister publications share the good news of what God is doing in “Judea, Samaria and unto the ends of the earth.”

The article concluded, “Whether you’re looking for prayer requests, places to serve without having to go much farther than your own zip code, missionaries to invite to your church or you simply want to stay abreast of where your mission gifts are being used, state Baptist publications may be your number one source.”

As editor of The Alabama Baptist, I appreciate the support of state Baptist papers by NAMB and its urging all missions-minded Baptists to read their state Baptist paper.

The Alabama Baptist should be a part of the missions literature provided to active church families by their churches.

The Alabama Baptist is the No. 1 source of missions news and information available to the members of our churches.

Regular reading provides an encompassing view of the needs, opportunities and victories in missions work at home and around the world. That is more than the opinion of this editor. That is the announcement of NAMB’s magazine.