December 8, 1999
Jimmy Allen
___By Rosalie Beck
___Jimmy Allen has been a leader and role model in evangelism, missions and denominational service.
___Working as the Texas Royal Ambassadors director in the late 1940s, he molded the missions commitment of many of leaders of the Baptist General Convention of Texas. When he has served in churches, the congregations have taken on serious mission work, both in their own neighborhoods and around the
JIMMY ALLEN
world. A strong supporter of voluntarism in missions and an advocate for the BGCT River Ministry, Allen pushed for creation of Mission Service Corps as a way to involve more laypeople in hands-on missions.
___During the 1980s, he expanded his notion of missions and evangelism by heading the Southern Baptist Radio & Television Commission, exploring ways to spread the gospel through the media. For more than 40 years of ministry, Jimmy Allen has lived the gospel and taught Texas Baptists how to do the same.
___A man of integrity, Allen has been concerned with how Christians live their lives.
___In 1960, he became the leader of the BGCT Christian Life Commission, replacing Foy Valentine. Serving in this capacity during the turbulent Civil Rights years and the beginning of serious American involvement in Vietnam, Allen's clear voice and clear thinking helped Texans articulate a responsible Christian perspective on tough issues.
___Today, he continues to speak for godly living and commitment to honesty and compassion through his involvement with the Freedom Forum First Amendment Center and the AIDS National Interfaith Network. A man of profound convictions, he taught Texas Baptists to care about and act on important issues.
___Becoming pastor of First Baptist Church in San Antonio in the late 1960s, Allen showed his skills in leading a strong congregation in new missions and ministry directions. A gifted preacher, he kept the gospel and the telling of the gospel before the people and the city. At a time of great change and growth in San Antonio, Allen proved a worthy citizen and religious leader, as well as good comrade to the other Baptist ministers in the city.
___During the years in San Antonio, Allen served Texas and the Southern Baptist Convention as president. A peacemaker by inclination, Allen worked hard to find common ground between the disparate factions emerging in the SBC. In his sermon as convention president in 1979, he made clear his determination to work for conciliation and healthy resolution of emerging problems.
___But no matter how strong his personal commitment to peace, the tide of change swept through the SBC, and Allen could not stop the movement.
___A man deeply committed to historic Baptist beliefs and polity, in 1990 he helped organize and became head of Baptists Committed to the SBC, and he worked to offer a forum for those who had felt excluded by the national leadership. This movement eventually led to formation of the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship.
___Statesman, missions advocate, compassionate citizen, denominational servant, godly pastor--all these terms describe Jimmy Allen.
___Rosalie Beck is associate professor of history at Baylor University
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