The Christian Life Commission of the Alabama Baptist State Board of Missions (SBOM) held its spring meeting on March 12 in Prattville. SBOM communications associate Keith Hinson served as facilitator and host.
In introducing TAB editor Jennifer Davis Rash as the keynote speaker, SBOM executive director Rick Lance said, “I read that someone suggested the task of the leader is to define reality and to bring hope.
“This is what Jennifer is doing for us. I’ve watched her grow in this work,” he said. “She has the right training, the right temperament and the right public relations skills. She is a friend to Alabama Baptists.”
Rash shared a bit about her background and calling as well as what she and the team have been doing with the print publication.
‘Freshen and declutter’
“We increased the font size, and people have appreciated that the paper is easier to read,” she said. “We’ve tried to freshen, brighten and declutter.”
Rash said she decided to move the editorial from page two to page three. Page two is now a “community bulletin board” intended to take care of housekeeping items among state Baptists.
“We also added ‘Your Voice’ on pages four and five,” she said. “We live in a social media world with a lot of information coming at us, so we’re gathering some of these messages from state Baptists and other Christian leaders and sharing with our readers.”
Rash noted that state Baptist newspapers are in an “identity crisis.”
“A number of state newspapers have stopped publishing and are trying to share content through a digital-only method with reduced staffs,” she said. “Other changes include what’s happening with Kentucky’s Western Recorder. It’s leaders decided to merge operations with the state convention’s communications office.”
Rash said she sees The Alabama Baptist continuing to play a major role in the state — what she called “a connection role.”
“We’re not calling for a movement but we’re working to enhance our role as the main communication center for our people,” she said. “We have some 3,200 churches and nearly 1 million members in Alabama Baptist life. There is so much passion (for the cause of Christ) among us and we need to talk to one another.”
Rash spoke about a unique initiative when she suggested a “cable news fast” during February in order to tone down rhetoric.
“It was an idea I had in the ‘month of love,’” she said. “Life can overwhelm us — it’s complicated, so I suggested we take a breather and reconnect with God and one another. I got a lot of positive response from those who took the challenge.”
Rash met with other editors in February through the Association of State Baptist Publications (ASBP). During the meeting, members elected David Williams, editor of the Minnesota-Wisconsin Baptist, as president for 2019–2020 and Rash as president-elect. She will serve as president of ASBP in 2020–2021.
Rash also talked about spiritual markers in her life and the peace she has felt at each point.
“I had absolute peace about giving two years of my life to missions through the International Mission Board,” she said, noting she served following graduation from the University of Alabama in 1993. “I then came to The Alabama Baptist for what I thought was a short-term job, but it became a much larger mission.
“I also followed God’s leadership to Beeson Divinity School for my theological degree,” she added. “I’ve tried to listen and stay in tune with God, and I still have that absolute peace today with my new position as editor of TAB.”
In other business
Lance also encouraged commissioners to support the “Is Your Ministry Safe?” workshop at Heritage Baptist Church, Montgomery, on March 26. “We’ve always tried to make church a safe place, and we’re working harder now than ever before,” he noted.
Alabama Citizens Action Program (ALCAP) executive director Joe Godfrey also reported on legislative and moral issues.
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