November 24, 1999

1950-1959: Strong
commitment fuels missions growth
___By Bill Pitts
___An active Texas Baptist in the 1950s would welcome the opportunity to go to church morning and evening for worship and to learn about the Bible at Sunday School and about Baptist identity at Training Union on Sunday evening. Wednesday night was packed with activity--a meal with friends, followed by Sunbeams, Royal Ambassadors and Girls' Auxiliary, church committee meetings, choir practice and prayer meeting, where prayer was offered for specific needs.
___Once each month, the church business was discussed, thereby informing and involving all members. It was traditional Baptist democracy in action, and it worked. People made good friends at church and commonly enjoyed "fellowship" (food and more talk for the adults and extended play for the children) at each other's homes after church on Sunday evening. People had time to devote themselves to this full schedule. Many had no television, and "soccer moms" with full-time shuttling schedules were not known yet.
___Many Baptists developed a sense of fulfillment and well-being by being completely involved in the church. They saw steady growth in their own churches and in the reports they read about their denomination. Being part of something this large and successful gave them a sense of purpose. They were part of the kingdom of God and were bringing it to others.
___The 1950s were a curious decade. These years often are depicted as a decade of conformity. Yet they produced Elvis Presley and James Dean, who broke the stereotypes of conformity and found a ready following among the young. The Allies won World War II, yet the USSR detonated a nuclear device and Mao took the most highly populated nation in the world into communism. So began the "cold war" with fear of nuclear holocaust and construction of fallout shelters.
___People had jobs. They bought cars and appliances and managed to remain hopeful about the future. In the new urban South, parents resolved to send their children to college and give them opportunities they had missed because of the grinding poverty of the Depression or the preoccupation of fighting a war. The long-range result of these decisions was an eventual shift to more secular values.
___Religion fared well in the 1950s. The major denominations experienced unparalleled

CORA MAE "MOM" THOMPSON was the first houseporent hired in 1950 at the Texas Baptist Children's Home at Round Rock. She served there 31 years, retiring at age 70. (Photo: Texas Baptist Historical Collection)

success. A notable religious marker of the decade was the meteoric rise of Billy Graham, who renewed the great tradition of revivalism in America. He focused on each service as an hour of decision. He simplified the gospel message and simplified the answer for hearers--each person must decide, and making no decision was a decision. Baptist preachers took similar approaches. They made clear that Christ died for all. Then they put responsibility clearly on the shoulders of the hearers.
___For Texas Baptists, bringing in the kingdom meant the conversion of as many people as possible. The Baptist General Convention of Texas grew every year in total number of members, number of new converts, new building projects and financial contributions. It seemed to Baptists that "God was using" them. They happily placed this interpretation on events. Texas Baptists aimed for conversions and got conversions.
___Texas Baptists conducted revivals on grand scales. Pastor-evangelists were the norm, but professional full-time evangelists and singers also appeared regularly in churches. These services provided intense focus on one's religious life and the need for conversion or recommitment. Texas pioneered in student-led revivals and sent out teams of college students throughout Texas and beyond in the late 1940s and '50s. Texas also enjoyed great success by implementing simultaneous revivals, where many churches engaged in revival meetings at the same time.
___Not all worship was an appeal for conversion, of course. People learned the content of the Bible and application of the Bible to life through expository preaching. Week-long summer retreats or camps for youth provided especially effective forums for evangelism and recruitment into religious vocation.
___The foreign mission enterprise never was far from the consciousness of Texas Baptists. Lottie Moon became the most recognizable figure in the denomination's history. People gave vast sums of money to support foreign missions. Missionaries were regarded with the highest respect, and the key organizations after Sunday School and Training Union--namely Woman's Missionary Union, RAs and GAs--all were devoted to missions literacy and support. Texas Baptist universities and seminary produced a remarkable number of people who committed their lives to this task.
___In the '50s, Texas Baptists enjoyed a period relatively free of theological controversies. As Executive Secretary Forrest Feezor said in retrospect, "There was unity. ... Preachers were not squabbling." This unity allowed for concentration on growth and organization.
___From the perspective of the end of the century, Texas Baptists had their share of shortcomings--particularly on social justice issues. The nation moved to integration in 1954, but many Baptists were reluctant to support this ruling. Change came slowly.
___Texas Baptists did many things well. Their ministry to youth had many positive responses. Backyard Bible studies and church parties appealed to high school students. The Baptist Student Union grew to be highly influential in the decade.
___Southern Baptists were optimistic in the 1950s, and Texas was a part of a rapidly growing denomination. Texans created innovations for accomplishing Baptist work. Southern Baptist offices in Nashville recruited several Texans and implemented their programs.
___The BGCT sought to support the work of Texas Baptists. J. Howard Williams and Forrest Feezor served as executive secretaries during this decade. It is not surprising to find they gave much attention to structuring the BGCT to achieve its goals.
___Williams initiated the Christian Life Commission and the Christian Education Commission. The Baptist Foundation of Texas was formed to manage funds for Baptist institutions.
___The SBC had used professional consultants to help improve their organization. Feezor used the same group--Booz, Allen and Hamilton--to evaluate the BGCT and make its recommendations. The BGCT accepted most of these, thereby bringing about the most far-reaching restructuring in the conventions' history. Much of this was put in place in 1960.
___Under Williams, Texas Baptists created new boards; under Feezor, they gave rational order to their interests--missions, benevolence and education. These men did not lose their passion for ministry, but they were creating a more efficient corporate model for the BGCT. Their goal was to provide good leadership for the tasks of the convention.
___Bill Pitts is professor of religion at Baylor University in Waco
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