The Alabama Baptist is the best communication link among Baptists not only in Alabama but also around the globe,” Mike McLemore, pastor of Lakeside Baptist Church, Birmingham, told the messengers present at the state convention annual meeting Nov. 16.
“I read it every week to hear what is happening in our convention and around the world,” said McLemore, newly elected chairman of the board of directors for The Alabama Baptist.
“This year, The Alabama Baptist was judged the best Christian newspaper in the nation by the Associated Church Press. It is really no secret we have an excellent paper,” he added. He encouraged individuals to subscribe and to ask their churches to supply the paper to its members.
Bob Terry, editor of The Alabama Baptist, said every Baptist in the state needs the state Baptist paper.
“It is not a luxury — it is a necessity to know what God is doing through the Baptists of Alabama in the state, the nation and the world,” Terry said. “When they (Alabama Baptists) know more, they give more and they participate more.”
He thanked Alabama Baptists for the support they give the ministry of the state Baptist paper.
“The circulation trend among state Baptist papers for the past 10 years has been downward. The Alabama Baptist remains the only state paper with an increasing paid circulation,” Terry said. “It is the largest state paper despite the fact that other conventions have larger numbers of Baptists — we thank you for that.”
In addition to promoting circulation, the state paper has turned to increased advertising in order to keep a quality product and still keep circulation costs low, he added.
“In previous years, we set a goal of 10 percent advertising in a 16-page paper,” Terry said. “But our current 25 percent in a 20-page paper still gives more room for editorial copy than our previous standard. It also provides more dollars to underwrite the increasing printing and postage costs.”
The Alabama Baptist also offers a way for churches to combat rising postage costs, he said. The local church edition — a church’s newsletter printed on one or more pages of the paper — can be mailed to a church’s members each week for significantly less than the cost of printing and mailing the newsletter themselves.
“We have 150 churches and associations doing this at the present time,” Terry said. “It provides a great opportunity for Christian stewardship.”
The Alabama Baptist is also beneficial because it serves as a state Baptist paper — not a region-focused paper, he said. “The 70 percent of editorial space devoted to Alabama Baptist news is an indication of our determination to be partners with the Baptists of this state,” Terry said.
Every Baptist association in Alabama will have at least two news or feature stories each year, he noted, and church people will also be provided with material on relevant issues and topics.
“The paper is a friend of pastors and staff members,” Terry said.
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