Sunday, November 1, we at First Baptist Church of Madison, AL, celebrate our 125th anniversary. In 1860 the Liberty Baptist Association, now the Madison Baptist Association, hired a missionary to be an itinerant preacher and church planter. Madison Station, a small community around a railroad stop was one of the sites where the association planned to start a new church. With the turmoil of the Civil War and the hardships of recovery it is not surprising that it took years of faithful work by the association to see that dream come about. Finally, in 1884, a group of believers began meeting every Sunday two blocks from the railroad station, right were we are today. A new church was born, now called First Baptist Church of Madison, Alabama.
As I reflect I am reminded of some aspects of our history that provide important signposts for the future. The beginning of First Baptist Church was intentional. A group of believers decided on a plan, provided the needed resources, an implemented their plan to start a church in Madison. While here is always room for the serendipitous in the unfolding of God’s will, the church is always at its best when it is intentional. Envisioning an outcome, planning a path to its fruition, provided what is needed, all theese things, an important part of who we must do as we move into our future.
The beginning of First Baptist was also missional. First Baptist was started because the Liberty Baptist Association had a mission and used that understanding to direct what they intended to do. Providing places for believers to worship, for the gospel to be proclaimed, and for ministry to extend the work of the kingdom all were what those early Baptists accepted as their mission. They not only intended to start a church in Madison, they intended to do so because it fulfilled their mission.
The beginning of First Baptist contextual as well. The clustering of settlers around a railroad station, the difficulty of travel to the nearest church, Mt. Zion Baptist, the needs of the small but growing cummunity, all these were a part of the context that framed the beginning of First Baptist Church. The context of ministry is always changing. The church as its best is able to adjust quickly to new circumstance, new challenges, and new opportunities as it constantly response to the context of ministry in which we find ourselves.
Intentional, Missional, Contextual – Three words that describe our beginnings 125 years ago. Intentional, Missional, Contextual – Three words that will serve us well as we move into our future.
Quiet Faith 