nineteen hundred and forty-six - Amazon Web Services

SUNDAY SCHOOL BOARD 389
USING THE ASSOCIATION TO REACH EVERY CHURCH
J. P. EDMUNDS, Secretary of Co-operative Reid Promotion
The achievements of Southern Baptists through the years have been the
achievements of individual churches. We are great as a denomination because
we have built great churches. As we launch a second century of organized
Southern Baptist work, we begin with the conviction that if we are to build
a greater denomination we must build more and greater churches.
It is likewise true that the achievements of Southern Baptists have been the
achievements of a small percentage of our churches. It is our immediate task
to reach every church with a program of Bible study, training, and enlistment.
We are committed as never before to the use of our associations as a means of
achieving this objective, for our associations provide both a field and a force for
missionary endeavor.
The association provides a field.—The average association is associationminded,
lt is interested in all the churches. It has learned to work together
as an association. It understands the problems of its churches. Church leaders
will attend an associational meeting when they would not go outside of the
association to attend a similar meeting.
The association provides a force.—No one is more interested in the development
of all the churches in the association than the church leaders in the
association. No one better understands the problems and needs of the churches.
The association alone can provide a .sufficient number of workers to reach and
help every church.
_Our 1946 Southern Baptist Sunday school program was keyed to the general
objective of using the associations to reach every church with a program of
Sunday school work. Three types of meetings were planned as follows:
1. A state planning meeting of associational Sunday school officers and
other associational leaders in each state for the purpose of launching the 1946
Southern Baptist Sunday school program in each state and in each association.
These meetings were highly successful.
2. Simultaneous associational planning meetings, January 22, for the purpose
of revitalizing the associational Sunday school organizations and perfecting
plans for the church planning meetings in February under the direction of the
associational organizations. While the reports are still coming in, we have
reports on 600 associational meetings on January 22 with representatives from
7,500 churches in attendance.
3. Church planning meetings in every church under the direction of associational
Sunday school superintendents and missionaries. This was perhaps
the most far-reaching Sunday school program Southern Baptists have ever
promoted. Teams of three or more members each were selected, enlisted, and
trained and went afield to visit the churches. The purpose of these meetings
was to help the Sunday school officers and teachers in the individual churches
plan their 1946 Sunday school program. Literature was distributed; a balanced
Sunday school program was discussed; plans were made; and the workers were
challenged and inspired to undertake a bigger program for the Lord.
Reports are being received daily indicating that at least 600 associations
are promoting these planning meetings in the churches. To date forty-six
associations have visited every church and at least 300 associations have indicated
they will reach every church before the program is completed.
Dr. W. L. Howse, of the Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary and
superintendent of the Tarrant County Association, Texas, writes as follows
about this program:
"We expect to visit every church in our association. Thus far we have
received reports from fifty-two meetings. I consider this the greatest Sunday
school program that Southern Baptists have ever undertaken. In our association
we have had the most complete response that we have had to anything presented
in many years. If each association will work this plan, it will bring
unbelievable results."
It is hoped that this plan of visiting every church every year under the
direction of our associations will become a permanent means of extending our
total ministry to every church.