Great Soul-Winning Churches - Elmer Towns

program was stymied. Nelson did two things by faith and his congregation followed. The interior
of the auditorium was ripped out and two floors built in, doubling the space. Church services
were held on the second floor and Sunday School moved into the first-floor rooms. The church
was not then running $10,000 a month, but Nelson challenged the congregation on March 20,
1969, to raise $10,000 in cash over and above their regular giving in the next 30 days. The
congregation voted unanimously, and by April 20 they had $10,500. The following day they
started construction, but the $10,000 barely paid for excavation. Two days later a Nazarene
farmer called and told Nelson he wanted to buy $33,000 worth of bonds. Nelson drove to his
home immediately. By the end of the week, he had sold the entire issue, enabling them to
complete the building. For one year their church had been stymied in selling its bonds, but sold
them out in one week when they launched out on faith. The church grew by 1,000 in the next
three years. Today the church has a foyer bigger than the old auditorium.
The church has an exciting future. Nelson wants to build a ski lodge that will also be a
summer camp in the Rockies. Also, he plans to work among the blind and to go on television.
This fall they are in a campaign “Win Denver—Start with a Block.” The church is contacting
1,000 new homes a week, and each staff member must go out and knock on 100 new doors a
week. The high school will continue to grow and Nelson feels they must use every means to
reach the city for Jesus Christ, but never compromise their stand on the fundamentals. Thus, with
the blessing of God, the fastest growing church in the Rockies will probably become the largest
church in the Rockies.
will.
Nelson plans to reach the goal of “3003 in ‘73” and the way they are going, they probably
Chapter Sixteen
Temple Baptist Church,
Kingsport, Tennessee Bill Pennell, Pastor
“The Largest Church in Town, the Fastest Growing Attendance and the
Youngest Pastor”
Temple Baptist Church, Kingsport, Tennessee, called a 21-year-old pastor, William W.
Pennell, ten years ago, and he has grown in spiritual stature as the church has grown in outreach
and size. Next month a 1500-seat auditorium will be dedicated, a high day of 1400 has been
reached, and this fall the Southwide Baptist Fellowship will meet in the church’s new facilities.
When Pennell was 13, his granddad was preaching a revival at Hibriten Baptist Church
and became ill. Maston Bradshaw continued the meeting. Pennell had been to the altar many
times to pray, but one night he heard the gospel clearer than ever before, as Bradshaw used the
illustration of the children of Israel looking on the brazen serpent. Bradshaw said very simply,
“Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and you shall be saved.” Young Bill went forward and,
according to his testimony, “I trusted Christ as I was going down the aisle, about four pews from
the front of the church.”