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RELIEF AND ANNUITY BOARD 431
The fruits of the labors of these unknown champions of aged ministers' relief
have subsequently been very much in evidence.
In addition to the activities above mentioned, all of which were preparatory
to the great work which Southern Baptists were destined with God's guidance and
empowerment to accomplish, there were certain other preparatory movements
of very great significance which should not be overlooked.
There were far-reaching plans, accompanied by sacrificial service and gifts
on the part of many of our people, looking to the better preparation of men
for the work of the Gospel ministry. During the past century and more, colleges
or universities were started in nearly all the states of the convention. Worthy
—often classical—buildings were erected, and considerable endowments were
raised. To these institutions of higher learning and to Baptist academies, which
were operated as subsidiaries to the colleges and universities on the same
campuses, or separately as feeders to these institutions, came thousands of young
students for the ministry. Such schools were a boon to great numbers of young
men who had heard the call of Christ, "Come ye after me and I will make you
fishers of men." In the Bible and theological departments of our Baptist Colleges,
young men were given a considerable measure of training for the Gospel
ministry which had previously been received by only a fortunate few who
could attend the colleges and seminaries in the states of the North. Ministerial
student aid funds were graciously provided in all schools, thus enabling young
men to avail themselves of the instruction provided for them. It should be
remembered that practically all of our Baptist colleges were originally brought
into being for the primary purpose of providing an educated ministry.
Then followed, in 1859, the founding of the Southern Baptist Theological
Seminary at Greenville, South Carolina, which institution was later moved to
Louisville, Kentucky. From this great institution have come into the pastoral
leadership of our churches thousands of well equipped men who, humanly
speaking, have made spiritually dynamic forces of thousands of our churches.
In later years, were founded the Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary
at Fort Worth, Texas (1909), and the Baptist Bible Institute, New Orleans,
Louisiana (1918). These two institutions have played a great role along with
the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, not alone by way of training men
to pastor our churches, but also of developing in the churches an appreciation
of the superior preaching and leadership of trained pastors.
Under the leadership of a better trained ministry, great improvement was
brought about in the preaching of thousands more of our faithful pastors who
were unable to take advantage of regular courses of study in our colleges and
seminaries. Many preachers have been developed by an informal and maybe an
unconscious tuition under the influence of highly trained pastors with whom
they were associated in the pastors' conferences, district associations, state and
southern conventions. From these and other contacts, the fairly unlettered
preacher often learned both what to preach and also how to preach. From
the trained preachers, these men learned how to use books, particularly theological
treatises, commentaries, and other helpful literature. At the same time,
they learned the better how to speak good English. Southern Baptists have
never made rigid scholastic requirements of those men who in response to God's
call offered themselves on the altar of ministerial service. They have, however,
always desired that all preachers should seek to improve their preaching by
study, by associating themselves with men of God who were also men of letters,
and by availing themselves of the advantages offered them by preacher schools,
conferences, and correspondence courses offered by theological schools. Often
such men have found it possible, even late in life, to attend one of our seminaries.
A further preparation for the great undertaking of Southern Baptists in providing
for the economic security of their preachers in their old age or earlier
physical incapacity has been a growing recognition on the part of the churches
of their obligation to provide regular monthly incomes (salaries) for their
pastors. Southern Baptist churches have been slower to do this than some
other religious groups. For illustration, in a single state where Baptists are
very numerous there are 250 pastors who receive in a year's time from
$25 to $100 from each of their churches. Such meager salaries are known to
be provided by very many of our churches in several states in which Baptists are
numerically strong.
census Considerable showed that improvement Southern Baptists in this regard provided has been for their made. pastors In 1910, an the annual federal in-