nineteen hundred and forty-six - Amazon Web Services

152 SOUTHERN BAPTIST CONVENTION
not something new. It is not an intruder trespassing upon the traditions of
Southern Baptists. It is an authorized, a recognized and financed feature of
our general denominational program. This being true, a church is not complete
in its denominational structure without a Brotherhood. Without a
Brotherhood it is as incomplete denominationally as it would be if it did not
have a Sunday school or a Training Union.
A YEAR OF UNCERTAINTIES
There have been few years in the history of this nation, indeed of the
world, more uncertain and chaotic than 1945. Every area of our national
life—political, social, domestic, economic, religious—has been shot through
with uncertainty and confusion. New and foreign ideologies are competing
with our national traditions and established systems, and seem to be making
some decided impression upon our national thought.
The businessman is perhaps the chief victim of this confused condition, not
knowing from day to day what the next step will be, or how he will be affected
by it. It was inevitable that this condition would affect his religious ideas,
and make it more difficult for him to render his maximum service to his church
and denomination.
Notwithstanding all this, the Brotherhood Movement has rolled along with
increasing momentum and effectiveness. Perhaps more new Brotherhoods were
organized during 1945 than during any single year of the last decade.
The Brotherhood Movement is more soundly established within our state
conventions than ever before. Ten states are now fully organized for Brotherhood
work, and the conventions of four other states have authorized the establishment
of a Brotherhood department and the employing of a full-time
Brotherhood secretary. Thus, more than one-half of the states now have fulltime
Brotherhood departments, and we confidently expect it to be conventionwide
in the near future.
INTENSIFIED ACTIVITIES
The men of our Brotherhoods did not explore new territory during 1945 but
intensified their efforts in the previous year's fields of activities—evangelism,
church attendance, stewardship, increased circulation of state papers, and
general denominational enlistment.
The Brotherhood has never been particularly concerned with statistics, and
rarely fixes a statistical objective. Therefore, this report will contain very
few statistical accomplishments of the Brotherhood as such. We accept the
goals of other agencies as a whole, and throw the full strength of our organization
into the fulfillment of those objectives. The work of the Brotherhood is one
of cooperation and largely supplemental.
The main consideration after all is one of direction rather than of speed. It
is a question of whether the tide is rolling in or going out.
Evangelism
The Brotherhood of the South cooperated with the Centennial Crusade Committee
in personal soul-winning last year. Many services were held by laymen
in homes, schoolhouses, and out in the open country. Many men were won to
Christ through these special efforts. Laymen also gave their complete cooperation
in evangelistic services conducted by their pastors, and thus supplemented
their ministry in a splendid and effective way.
While 1945 witnessed a specific and intensified evangelistic effort throughout
the entire convention, the Brotherhood has always believed that evangelism
is to be perennial and not periodic. Therefore our efforts in this field will continue,
and with increasing zeal, throughout 1945 and beyond.
Church Attendance
The Brotherhood is increasingly concerned regarding the laxity in church
attendance on the part of the men of our churches. Certainly a majority of
them do not attend the regular services. This concern causes us to continuously
place a major emphasis at this point. We believe that church attendance is
absolutely essential to maximum Christian service. While it is undoubtedly
true that a man can be a Christian yet not go to church, it is equally true that