Baptist secretaries association holds ministry training at Judson

Nearly 200 church secretaries gathered at Judson College in Marion for the 44th annual Conference of the Alabama Association of Baptist Secretaries (AABS) April 24–26, although “church secretary” is a term the group thinks is a bit shopworn.
   
“The newer term is ‘ministry assistant,’” said AABS President Jo Anne Turner of First Baptist Church, Prattville, in Autauga Baptist Association. “Church secretaries are ministers, too. We thought about changing the name of our organization, but some churches still use the title ‘secretary,’ and we wouldn’t want to exclude anyone.” 
   
Turner is the senior pastor’s ministry assistant at her church, a position she’s had for nine and a half years, though she’s been a church secretary for 17 years. It was at the AABS annual conference that she began to see her work in a new way. 
   
“Through the training I received right here at Judson, I learned that it’s not just a job,” she said. “I came to see my work as a calling from God. I am a minister of the church and working in our church office is one way I can serve Him every day.”
   
Some 20 breakout sessions were offered this year, including computer how-to sessions on programs like PowerPoint, Excel and Outlook. Turner said the computer sessions are always very popular and are one of the main reasons churches allow their secretaries to attend. 
   
“Smaller membership churches might not be able to send a secretary to a business conference for training,” she said. “But they can come here and be introduced to a number of programs in our few days together. And our sessions are specifically geared to church ministry.”
   
Another conference that proved popular was one on finances and taxes led by Bobby DuBois, associate executive director of the Alabama Baptist State Board of Missions. Jane Burdeshaw of Montgomery offered two new courses dealing with prayer and the gift of hospitality. Those attending also had opportunity to participate in the professional certification track taught by Jane Barrett, church administrator of Mount Hebron West Baptist Church, Elmore, in Elmore Baptist Association. Barrett has been a professional certification instructor for LifeWay Christian Resources for more than 11 years.
   
In addition to the breakout sessions, the secretaries attended daily worship sessions led by women’s conference speaker Page Hughes of Alabaster and heard devotions by Travis Coleman and Mitch Loftin of First, Prattville. (JC)