Great Soul-Winning Churches - Elmer Towns

negative vote, as 547 people stood to their feet to call Berry. A deacon phoned long distance,
“Pastor, we’re here at the altar praying. When can you come?”
Tom Berry began his ministry at Baptist Bible Church on July 25, 1971. He indicates, “I
had two objectives when I came to the church: (1) to prove that we could break the numerical
records of the past. Immediately that fall the church broke their record, having 1,423 in October,
1,519 and 1,655 in November. (2) We needed to strengthen our financial base. Because of rapid
expansion the church had borrowed $80,000 that year for operating expenses.” Berry gave
attention to strengthening the financial base.
Berry indicated that when he became the new pastor, “I wasn’t going to change anything
for six months; I just climbed in the saddle and rode.”
Berry involved the lay leadership in the financial program of the church, and when the
men became knowledgeable, the congregation responded financially. First, he assigned an area
of responsibility to every deacon in the church, making the man accountable at the deacons’
meeting. He divided the 12 deacons’ responsibilities into: head usher, jail ministry, benevolences
(sick and needy), new-member visitation, active-member visitation, hospital visitation, shut-in
visitation, prayer coordinator, chairman of the Missions Committee, supervision of the
ordinances, clerk and treasurer.
Each trustee was given a responsibility for a physical area of the church, such as
equipment, grounds, and church interior.
Even though the men were involved, Berry demanded total liberty to lead the church. He
needed a free hand to lead the church in its spiritual program, although he consulted with the
leadership.
Tom Berry was saved at the First Baptist Church, Urbandale, Texas. He had attended
church in order to play on the softball team. His unsaved buddies also attended and kept him
from going forward. One morning, standing next to his mother, he looked up and saw her crying,
yet he had no encouragement to go forward. Later in the, Sunday night service, he felt, “If I don’t
get saved tonight, God will never speak to me again.” Berry testified that after the congregation
sang about eighteen verses of “Just as I Am,” he walked out of the church unsaved. When he got
home, his brother went to bed first, and Tom went out to the car to get his Bible. He didn’t know
one verse, but felt, “If I get saved, Jesus Christ will have to do the saving.” He remembers
getting on his knees and praying, “Lord, if You will save me, You can have all of me.” From that
time on, he knew he was to be a preacher.
The next Sunday, he went forward; the preacher asked, “Are you coming to get saved?”
He answered, “No, I’m coming because I got saved last Sunday night.” Most of his buddies
came forward that morning. Later in Canton, Texas, while milking a cow, he felt the Lord was
nudging him and responded, “All right; I’m willing to be a preacher.” He went in the house and
announced it to his mother, who was shocked. His friends at school laughed, because they felt he
was a jokester.
Later he returned to Dallas and hooked up with the old crowd, thinking he would help
them, but they dragged him down. After one night of revelry at the State Fair, he was troubled as