Great Soul-Winning Churches - Elmer Towns

September 24 this past fall a high of 2,633 was recorded in Sunday School, and the church has
averaged over 1700 during the fall. Last year the church was the 79th largest Sunday School in
the nation, according to the Christian Life survey.
The church was running 140 in Sunday School in 1960 when Nelson became pastor and
has grown at its same location, buying houses, service stations, individual lots and acreage. The
church belonged to the Conservative Baptist Association, but under Nelson voted itself out in
1962 because of the compromise among Conservative Baptists in the state. In addition to
separation from apostasy, Nelson has been rigid on separation from sin and,, as a result,
according to one observer, “Most preachers will not fellowship with South Sheridan because of
its separationist stand.” The boys have clean haircuts and Nelson preaches that the girls should
wear their dresses at the middle of the knee. No girl is permitted on the platform with a short
dress. Also, the church takes a stand against movies, dancing, smoking and drinking.
“Mr. Fundamentalist” was led to the Lord through the preaching of the grandfather of
fundamentalism, Dr. Bob Jones, Sr. Ed Nelson was born and reared seventy miles north of Fort
Collins, Colorado, and was working as a sugar beet farmer when his mail carrier invited him to
come to a revival. Nelson testifies that he went out of respect for the mailman, got mad at the
preaching and hated the service, yet went back the following night and each night after that until
he went forward at the end of the week and gave himself to Jesus Christ.
One event in Nelson’s life that brought him to realize he needed the Lord was a farm
accident with a runaway team of horses, in which he was almost killed. Because of injuries, he
couldn’t get in the armed services. When Dr. Bob Jones, Jr., came to Fort Collins, Colorado, for
a revival meeting, young Nelson was one of the few young men in the church and was asked to
lead the singing. He testifies, “I couldn’t sing, but I did the best I could.” Dr. Bob, Jr., told him,
“Son, come to Bob Jones and get training.” According to Nelson, he shrugged the suggestion off,
until Sunday morning a lady approached him at the platform after the service and announced,
“Ed, you’ve been called to preach.” Young Ed slapped his knee and laughed, but she was
unmoved and asked, “Will you pray about it?” That evening at the service he went forward,
saying, “I’ll do something for God,” yet not surrendering to preach. The following morning
before daybreak, Ed was in the sugar beet field and the burden of the ministry came upon him.
He got down on his knees and told God he would be a preacher. That was late fall and he
enrolled for second semester at Bob Jones College in Cleveland, Tennessee, which accepted him
at the last minute.
According to Nelson, “I went to Bob Jones still mad at God and wanting some way to get
out of the ministry.” Later that fall, in a special afternoon chapel, Dr. John R. Rice spoke on the
topic, “Putting Bread Before the Family,” and said, “Every person ought to be a soul winner.”
That afternoon Nelson told God he didn’t know about-becoming a preacher but he wanted to be a
soul winner. The next week young Ed folded 2,000 tracts and, on a trip to Chattanooga, passed
out tracts in the train station. He saw six men in black suits and black bow ties, carrying musical
instrument cases, so he gave each of them a tract. As the gentlemen stood reading the tracts, he
realized, “This crowd is large enough for preaching,” so he stood on a bench and began
preaching on Romans 6:23, “The wages of sin is death.” Many other gentlemen with black suits
and musical instruments gathered. Nelson’s first sermon was short-about seven minutes-and at
the conclusion he had his audience bow their heads and gave an invitation. No one came