Gaines Stanley Dobbins

By Hal Pettegrew

Protestant

Biography
Contributions to Christian Education
Bibliography
Excerpts from Publications
Recommended Readings
Author Information

Gaines Stanley Dobbins (1886-1978), was one of the most influential Southern Baptists of the twentieth century in a number of areas-church administration, pastoral care, missions and evangelism - but especially in the field of Christian education. His understanding and emphasis on the value of each individual, created in the image of God, significantly impacted his teaching philosophy and methodology. Dobbins might be considered a Christian pragmatist in his unusual ability to make ideas practical and useful in Christian education, both for the individual but also in the life of the church in strategic ways. Dobbins was one of the most prolific of Christian educators, having authored 32 books and approximately 5000 articles.

Biography

Growing Up, Conversion and Pastoring

Gaines Dobbins was born on July 29, 1886, in Langsdale, Mississippi, to poor farming parents, Charles Wesley and Letita Gaines. His family soon thereafter moved to another cotton farm near Pachuta, Mississippi. In 1892, difficult times struck the family. His father severely hurt his back which affected his ability to work and maintain the family income; also, his older brother Austin, whom Dobbins idolized, was tragically killed in a railroad accident. A third difficult incident involved the sale of the cotton crop to a man in Hattiesburg, a "pillar" within his church, who defaulted on payment, thereby leaving the Dobbins family virtually penniless. Though Dobbins' father was a church-attending Methodist and his mother a faithful Baptist, these early family difficulties left Gaines with negative feelings about God and religion.

The family soon thereafter moved to Hattiesburg where they began operating a boarding house, a venture which proved to provide a more stable family income. At the age of 12, Gaines Dobbins obtained a job as the printer's devil for the Hattiesburg, Mississippi newspaper, The Hattiesburg Progress, and by the time he was 17 he was the Associated Press correspondent for South Mississippi. In 1904 he became editor of one of the largest weekly newspapers in Mississippi, The Saturday Evening Eye.

Conversion

After a little more than one year as editor of The Eye, Dobbins determined that he needed to broaden his education. Consequently he enrolled at Mississippi College in 1905, a small college related to the Mississippi Baptist Convention. Dobbins considered himself an agnostic, or at best a deist, as he entered college; Thomas Paine and Jean Jacques Rousseau were influential in his thinking. During an evangelistic emphasis on campus, however, he was approached by one of the professors and encouraged to test the claims of the Christian faith, to test them out in a scientific manner. Even though he was not intellectually convinced that Christianity was completely true, he determined to test the claims of the Christian faith and of Scripture. In 1906, he publicly confessed his belief in Christ as his Savior. Dobbins would later write that on that day, " …a strange peace came. My doubts faded, and life now took a different turn" (Dobbins, 1965, p. 20).

Seminary and Pastoral Ministry

Having excelled in college and having already been noted for his brief but successful journalistic experience, Dobbins accepted a teaching position at South Mississippi College in 1908. While there, he attended Immanuel Baptist Church where he taught Sunday School and occasionally preached when his pastor was absent. His pastor, meanwhile, strongly encouraged Dobbins to attend his alma mater, The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary; in fact, without his knowledge or consent, the church licensed him to ministry! While Dobbins did not necessarily feel "called" into pastoral ministry at that point, he did come to the conclusion that if he was going to serve well as a Christian journalist, he should receive additional Christian foundational training. So he matriculated at Southern Seminary in 1909, for what he thought would be one year of training. One year led to four years for his ThM and then in 1914, he received his Th.D. degree; not surprisingly his dissertation was A History of Southern Baptist Journalism.

During his seminary training, Dobbins married his childhood sweetheart, May Riley, and the first of three children was born. Dobbins also realized that he was being called to pastoral ministry, and he was ordained by the Walnut Street Baptist Church in Louisville, Kentucky.

Career Opportunities

Numerous opportunities came to the now Dr. Dobbins. He pastored in two churches after graduation, Galih president E. Y. Mullins refused. Instead Mullins suggested that Dobbins go study at schools that would prepare him for his classes. At first he began exploring the field of education in summer courses at Peabody College and Vanderbilt University. He then took a leave of absence to attend Columbia University where he studied under John Dewey, Edward Thorndike, Harrison Elliott, and George Albert Coe. All of these men were especially influential in shaping Dobbins' educational theory and practice, especially Coe, as will be noted later. He received his masters from Columbia in 1925. During the 1930's he studied at the University of Chicago for his PhD degree. His dissertation on the theme of "religious democracy" was not accepted, and consequently he did not receive the degree. Gaines Dobbins' biographer, Austin Dobbins, his son, writes that the thesis was not accepted because of its religiously conservative nature (Dobbins, 1978, p. 340). His dissertation later was the basis for his book, Can A Religious Democracy Survive?

Gaines Dobbins remained at Southern Seminary, where he even served as interim president from 1950 to 1951. In 1956, at the age of 70 when retirement was mandatory, he was invited to another Southern Baptist seminary, Golden Gate Seminary, where he served as professor of Church Administration. During his stay there he also served as cochairman and chairman of the Baptist World Alliance Commission on Bible Teaching and Training. In addition, he engaged in mission tours of Europe, South America, Canada, Africa, and the Orient. He taught at Baptist theological seminaries in 1958 in Switzerland and in 1962 in Nigeria.

Then a second retirement followed his ten years at Golden Gate, but Dobbins continued on in untiring fashion by serving as a chaplain at a nursing home from 1967-1973 in Birmingham, Alabama. Indicative of the energy and enthusiasm of this man, he also served as volunteer assistant youth director at his church. In 1975-76 he returned to Southern Seminary as visiting lecturer at their Boyce Bible School. Dobbins died on September 22, 1978, in Birmingham where he is buried.

Summary of Formative Biographical Experiences

Four formative historical experiences seemed to have significantly impacted Dobbins' views of the Christian life and Christian education. First is the factor of his being born into a poor family in the deep south in a very small community. No matter how successful Dobbins became, he never lost touch with the needs of the average man, and he appeared to believe that if God could do something with his life, then he could accomplish much in anyone's life. Findley Edge says of Dobbins, "He always stood in awe of the amazing grace of God that had permitted him, a Mississippi farm boy, who had worked as a "printer's devil," to have had the opportunities and privileges that had come to him" (1978, p. 378). Especially his views of the significance and value of persons and his fascination with the concept of democracy-two key ideas in his understandings of Christian education-are colored by this personal historical circumstance.

A second historical factor in the shaping of Dobbins' views of Christian education rose out of his personal conversion experience. As previously noted, for Dobbins the conversion experience was a huge life-changing event. So while Dobbins writes much about Christian education and nurture in the church, he also writes much about evangelism. In fact, for Dobbins, evangelism and education, conversion and nurture, were inextricably intertwined; when Dobbins writes about evangelism in one breath, in the next breath he is talking about Christian education. Both of these themes are common in his writings as exampled by the books, Evangelism According to Christ and Deepening the Spiritual Life. Numbers of his journal articles deal with evangelism and missions as can be easily seen by a quick perusal of the bibliography of this paper.

A third significant historical influence in Dobbins' philosophy came as a result of his time at Columbia University, especially from John Dewey and George Albert Coe. In regard to the latter, Edge says:

The educator who probably had the greatest influence upon Dr. Dobbins was George Albert Coe. Coe strongly challenged the transmissive approach to teaching; he emphasized science as a way of discovering insights about how one learns and grows religiously. Finally he lifted the social aspect of the gospel at a time when it had been neglected. Dr. Dobbins took the best from Coe and made it his own. (1978, p. 372)

One cannot underestimate Dewey's influence either as Dobbins in his most serious works often refers to John Dewey and quotes him regularly. While one cannot say for sure that John Dewey influenced Dobbins towards pragmatism, Dobbins clearly reflects a pragmatic approach towards teaching and learning. Classical learning, the theoretical, and theology were not irrelevant for Dobbins, but these needed to be linked up with the experimental and pragmatic. Dobbins typically says, "The cultivated mind is an undoubted asset in any area of occupation, but it cannot replace the specific knowledge and skills of one's vocation" (1977, p. 37).

Finally, from the time of Dobbins' conversion until his death there seems not to have been a moment when Dobbins was not immersed in Southern Baptist life. When one examines his writings, basic theology is seldom an issue. Theology is assumed, that being Southern Baptist theology. Even though Dobbins studied under Coe and Elliott and Dewey, and he clearly borrowed from them in terms of his educational methodology, his conservative Southern Baptist theology appears not to have been influenced by them. One cannot find evidence of any doubt in the authority and sufficiency of Scripture, for example. In effect, basic Southern Baptist doctrines make up the belief system of Dobbins, and his writings seem not to present any disputations that he might have had with this denominational theology.

Further, not only theologically, but organizationally, Dobbins stayed tightly connected to Southern Baptist churches and denominational ministry. Dobbins spoke regularly (generally every Sunday) at a Southern Baptist church. He was a frequent speaker for associational and denominational events. He spoke at Southern Baptist training conferences all over the country. And his hundreds of writings were almost exclusively related to Southern Baptist publications (A chronology of Gaines Dobbins' life, organized by his speaking opportunities, is in microfiche form at Samford University. Dobbins spoke thousands of times over his illustrious ministry career).

Unfortunately, this outstanding religious educator seems to be little known outside of Southern Baptist circles, not surprisingly as the Southern Baptist denomination itself was largely isolated from other conservative, evangelical groups for much of the twentieth century (Hankins, 1997, pp. 271-298). Also, Christian education and church administration as recognized disciplines were still very much in a formative state during the first half of the twentieth century; perhaps there were few who were qualified to comment on his work. Dobbins was a long-standing member of the Religious Education Association, and was recognized for his contributions to religious education in a 1978 article in Religious Education, entitled "Six Protestant Pioneers of Religious Education: Liberal, Moderate, Conservative" (Kathan), but other non-Southern Baptist assessments of Dobbins' life and influence are scarce, if existent at all. His numerous writings also found very little review in liberal or conservative circles.

Teaching Approaches

As previously stated, Gaines Dobbins sought to center his teaching around the needs of the individual; learning needed to be meaningful to each person. Dobbins' student Findley Edge, again, says, "While he always stayed committed to a mastery of foundational knowledge, he became committed to a life centered approach" (1990, p. 6). "Teach students, not lessons," Dobbins would say again and again in his writings. Consequently, the Christian teacher must be able to connect with the student in order to be able to teach effectively: "Learning and teaching are vitalized when the learner and teacher identify" (1977, p. 40).

The reason Dobbins was able to accept so readily Coe's, Dewey's, and Elliott's methods of religious education is because he saw the "creative" approach of those educators as person-centered. He considered the traditional transmissive teaching method as fostering an "I-it" relationship, rather than an "I-thou" relationship (Dobbins, 1965, p. 115). Furthermore, Dobbins' theological understanding of persons led him to reject hierarchical authoritarian teaching which seemed to elevate one person in relation to others.

So cooperative and interactive religious education was Dobbins' essential approach. He says, "The teacher learns; he stimulates his students to learn; what both have learned they share in the teaching-learning process. The formula rests thus: much sharing, much learning; little sharing, little learning; no sharing, no learning" (Dobbins, 1965, p. 119).

Competition for grades was minimized in Dobbins' classroom and cooperation among students was maximized. Students worked together in group projects to discover truths for themselves. True to Dobbins' pragmatic self, these projects were a type of "field education"out in the community, in churches, in mental institutions (Dobbins initialized pastoral clinical training at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary), or wherever needs existed and where the students could minister (Edge, 1978, pp. 373-375; Dobbins, 1965, pp. 97-99). This view challenged the church to see Christian education in a much more comprehensive sense. The main curriculum is still, of course, the Bible, but other experiences in life can be helpful in the growth of persons. Education and learning in the Christian life does not just happen on Sunday morning or in a classroom. It happens as people have the Word of God intersect their lives when they need it most. In seeing Christian education as a more comprehensive process than what might happen in the traditional classroom, important concepts such as teachable moments, mentoring, and hands on learning become potential components of teaching and learning.

Further, Dobbins not only emphasized cooperation between student and teacher and student and student, but also between teacher and teacher through interdisciplinary teamwork with other teachers. Dobbins was quick to send his own students to consult other teachers, to involve himself in the work of his colleagues, and to draw them into his work (Dobbins, 1965, p. 101).

Works Cited

Dobbins, A. (1978). Gaines S. Dobbins: Journalist, teacher, administrator. Review & Expositor, 75 (3), 337-347.
Dobbins, G. (1965). Great teachers make a difference. Nashville: Broadman Press.
Dobbins, G. (1977). Zest for living. Waco, TX: Word Books Publishing.
Edge, F. (1978). Gaines S. Dobbins-The teacher. Review & Expositor, 75 (3), 371-382.
Hankins, Barry. (1997). Southern Baptists and northern evangelicals: Cultural factors and the nature of religious alliances. Religion and American Culture, 7 (2), 271-298.

Contributions to Christian Education

One cannot look at the life of Gaines Stanley Dobbins without being impressed at the amazingly wide purview of his influence in Southern Baptist life. He has been variously titled, "Mr. Religious Education," "Mr. Church Administration," and "Mr. Southern Baptist"-titles that all seem very accurate. His holistic view of the Christian life led him to invest his creative genius in Christian education, evangelism and missions, journalism, administration, and pastoral care in ways that set the pace in all of those areas. He is clearly, in this writer's opinion, within the top five most influential Southern Baptists of all times, at least within the Southern Baptist denomination itself. Dobbins wrote, someone has estimated, more than 5100 articles in various periodicals. Also, he authored 32 books. Over his almost 50 years of service in two different seminaries he taught more than 12,000 students. And he spoke literally thousands of times across the Southern Baptist convention. Very few other people have the credentials that Dobbins has for laying claim to the "Mr. Southern Baptist" title, and again, his influence has been immense in the Southern Baptist convention.

One way the influence of Dobbins could be measured is by the number of his followers. Many would claim to be mentored by Dobbins. Among the better known "disciples" of Dobbins is Findley Edge, a Southern Baptist educator of significant proportions in his own right (author of Teaching for results and The greening of the church, e.g.), who strongly acknowledges his debt of gratitude for Dobbins' influence in his life. Also, though Dobbins was less well-known for his work in pastoral care (though he began the pastoral care department at Southern Seminary), one of the very important professionals in this field, Wayne Oates, interned under and was deeply influenced by Dr. Dobbins at Southern Seminary. In numerous ways, as with any really good teacher, the work begun and developed by Dobbins in the various areas of church ministries was continued and expanded by his students.

Obviously, Dobbins made a major contribution in the field of religious education, especially for Southern Baptists. Findley Edge perhaps overstated the case when he said, "there has never been one man who influenced religious education in the United States and around the world more than he" (1978, p. 378); nonetheless, his role as an important, influencing educator was large. Dobbins was not afraid to take the best of educational ideas, even if they came from an irreligious person like John Dewey, and to fit them into the Biblical framework and the Christian church milieu. In fact, Dobbins was very much in the pragmatic mold. Ideas were for action and as long as those ideas did not go against the biblical revelation, use them for the sake of the kingdom of God. As previously discussed, the pragmatic teaching methodology of Dobbins was revolutionary, particularly for his day, but Dobbins was not afraid to go against the grain of popular approaches to teaching and learning, in order to forward the work of the Kingdom of God.

Underlying Dobbins' approach to teaching is his understanding and emphasis on the significance of individuals and the fact that each person is of equal importance before God. While many discuss the "priesthood of believers" or "soul competency" (Southern Baptists have often seen as almost equivalent terms), Dobbins appears to be consistent in his application of that doctrine throughout his writings and in his teaching. The value of persons rings loud and clear throughout his life and influences his efforts not only in religious education but also in evangelism and missions, pastoral care, and administration. Was Dobbins influenced by Coe and Dewey, as well as Scripture, in the application of this belief? Perhaps so, but Dobbins never sees the individual as being the ultimate source of meaning and importance but rather keeps the emphasis on the transcendent God who ultimately gives meaning to life. Dobbin's understanding of persons is essentially a Biblical/theological understanding.

Dobbins' pragmatic style also was important in his ability to see needs and do something about those needs. Seeing the need for organizing the administrative work of the church led him to do something about those concerns. Seeing the need for formalized pastoral care training in Southern Baptist life led him to begin the pastoral care department at Southern Seminary. Dobbins has to be given tremendous credit for his energy and creativity in developing these critical disciplines.

Dobbins also maintained a clear vision and a certainty about how the Kingdom of God could be advanced by a "teaching church," teaching how people come to God through faith, and teaching how people can grow in their relationship to God through faith. Dobbins liked to talk about how Christians needed a strategy to impact the world for Christ (see, for example, Dobbins 1965), and he laid out a strategy in his writings that was understandable and usable by ministers and layperson alike.

Dobbins seems to have a very balanced approach to the necessity of both evangelism and nurture, and his influence has undoubtedly had an impact on Southern Baptist churches. His understanding of the Sunday School as both the primary teaching and reaching arm of the church-while not a particularly unique idea in Southern Baptist life-is in Dobbins' mind a big part of the necessary strategy for a church to be successful. One then has to believe that Dobbins was influential by strongly reinforcing the role of the Sunday School as essential in the life of the church. And the twin emphases in the Southern Baptist Sunday School on evangelism and nurture draw strength from the work of Dobbins.

Another area where Gaines Dobbins saw a need in the life of the church was in its emphasis, or lack thereof, on children's ministry. Dobbins consequently wrote the first essential Southern Baptist book in that area entitled Winning the Children (1953). Also, as the Dean of the School of Religious Education he brought on to the faculty a specialist for children's ministry. Again, these were "firsts" for Southern Baptists and represent a significant contribution in Christian education.

In short, the major contribution of Dobbins lay in his profound ability to make ideas and concepts useful. He was not particularly creative in a conceptual sort of way; he did not really develop any new educational theories, but he took new educational ideas and put them to work in various educational contexts. Rarely, in his writings, do you see him grappling with theological and philosophical ideas, but he had a very clear grasp and vision for how basic theological understandings should be applied in the context of the local church. Further, unlike many others, he worked to develop the materials and methods to implement that vision.

Clearly Gaines Dobbins made major contributions to this country's largest Protestant denomination. In many ways, it is a shame that Dobbins has been barely known outside the Southern Baptist denomination. He did serve the Baptist World Alliance, heading up the commission on Bible Study and Membership Training which eventually became the Division of Evangelism and Education. He also was a member of the American Academy of Political and Social Sciences and the International Council for Religious Education. As previously stated, he was a long-standing member of the Religious Education Association and served on numerous mission ventures, lecturing and evangelizing all over the world. So he was not isolated or unaware of the needs of the world outside his denomination. Yet, even in this matter, Dobbins represents the quintessential Southern Baptist during most of the twentieth century, being primarily involved in his work with Southern Baptists. On the other hand, if he had been more widely involved in interdenominational work, perhaps he would not have made the major contributions that he did to and through Southern Baptist life.

Works Cited

Dobbins, G. (1965). The teaching church-strategy of Baptist advance. Review & Expositor, 62, 213-223.
Edge, F. (1978). Gaines S. Dobbins-the teacher. Review & Expositor, 75, 371-382.

Bibliography

Books

A Note on the Bibliography: Below is a fairly brief (brief for Dobbins!) bibliography of Dobbins' work, mostly from his major sources, and in current bibliographic format. At the end of this document is a link to a complete bibliography, or almost complete bibliography, of all of Dobbins' writings, compiled by Austin Dobbins, son and bibliographer of his father. This bibliography is on microfiche at Samford University library (Birmingham, Alabama), was borrowed by this writer, and was scanned in and hugely "repaired" by faculty secretaries (hours and hours of work!) at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary.
(1923). The efficient church. Nashville: Sunday School Board.
(1923). The Sunday school manual. (by B.W. Spilman and P.E. Borroughs, Rev. by G. S. Dobbins). Nashville: Sunday School Board.
(1926). Outline of the history of religious education. Louisville: Southern Seminary.
(1926). Source book in the history, theory, and practice of religious education. Louisville: Southern Seminary.
(1926). Working with intermediates. Nashville: Sunday School Board.
(1929). Baptist churches in action. Nashville: Sunday School Board.
(1929). Edgar Young Mullins-A study in Christian character. Louisville: Southern Seminary.
(1930). How to teach young people and adults in the Sunday school. Nashville: Sunday School Board.
(1933). Vitalizing the church program. (coauthored with John L. Riffey). Nashville: Broadman Press. (1950). Vitalizando el programa de la Iglesia, (Tr. by A. E. Corugedo). El Paso, TXd: Casa Bautista de Publicaniones.
(1934). The school in which we teach. Nashville: Sunday School Board.
(1935). The Bible and the Bible school. (coauthored with J. B. Weatherspoon). Part II) of The school in which we teach.
(1936). Teaching adults in the Sunday school. Nashville: Broadman Press. (1957). Ensenando a los adultos en la escuela domincal, (Tr. by A. E. Corugedo Biberia). El Paso, TX: Casa Bautista de Publicaciones.
(1937). Deepening the spiritual life. Nashville: Sunday School Board. (1951). Crescei na graca, (Tr. by G. Rocha). Rio de Janeiro, Brazil: Casa Publicadora Batista.
(1938). A winning witness. Nashville: Sunday School Board.
(1941). Can a religious democracy survive? New York: Revell.
(1943). The improvement of teaching in the Sunday school. Nashville: Sunday School Board. (1960). Melhor ensino na escola Dominical. Rio de Janeiro, Brazil: Casa Publicadora Batista. (1973). The improvement of teaching in the Sunday school. Nashville: Convention Press (a rewriting of the 1943 text).
(1945). Enlisting for Christ our returned servicemen. Nashville: Sunday School Board.
(1947). Building better churches: A guide to the pastoral ministry. Nashville: Broadman Press. (1963). Published in a Chinese edition.
(1947). Meeting the needs of adults through the Baptist Training Union. Nashville: Sunday School Board.
(1948). Understanding adults. Nashville: Broadman Press.
(1949). Evangelism according to Christ. Nashville: Broadman Press.
(1951). The churchbook: A treasury of materials and methods. Nashville: Broadman Press. (1970). (Tr. by J. Lee and published in a Korean edition).
(1953). Winning the children. Nashville: Broadman Press.
(1957). Building a better Sunday school through the weekly officers and teacher's meeting. Nashville: Convention Press.
(1959). The years ahead. Nashville: Convention Press.
(1960). A ministering church. Nashville: Broadman Press.
(1960). Guiding adults in Bible study. Nashville: Convention Press.
(1962). The church at worship. Nashville: Broadman Press.
(1965). Great teachers make a difference. Nashville: Broadman Press.
(1968). Learning to lead. Nashville: Broadman Press.
(1976). Good news to change lives: Evangelism for an age of uncertainty. Nashville: Broadman Press.
(1977). Zest for living. Waco, TX: Word Books.

Periodical Articles from The Alabama Baptist State Newspaper

(1958, May 15). Towards a new era of Baptist sharing. p. 1.
(1958, July 31). Reports on religious condition in France. p.7.
(1966, September 1). Reflections on a birthday following retirement. p. 9.
(1967, September 14). "Thanks" letter published in the paper. p. 3.
(1967, December 14). Director of spiritual services at Shout Haven Nursing Home. p. 9.
(1968, April 4). Facing our Baptist responsibility for a cool summer. p. 6.
(1968, May 23). If these kids don't make it… neither do we. p. 8.
(1968, July 25). Where this church leads, will not others follow? p. 12.
(1969, January 16). A second look at a knotty problem. p. 10.
(1969, March 20). Working together for a better tomorrow. p. 9.
(1969, July 17). Let's pay what we owe. p. 10.
(1969, October 9). A backward look. p. 11.
(1969, October 23). Church splits: Then and now. p. 13.
(1969, October 30). A step in a new direction. p. 9.
(1969, November 13). The old and the new in race relations. (no page).
(1969, November 20). What is happening to modern education. p. 5.
(1969, December 4). How Baptists get-and keep-together. p. 10.
(1970, January 15). The cost of a happy new year. p. 5.
(1970, February 12). Changing times bring changing conflicts. p. 5.
(1970, February 19). Authority and responsibility. p. 5.
(1970, April 2). Prejudice, intolerance, and freedom. p. 11.
(1970, April 9). Better churches need better supported pastors. p. 12.
(1970, April 16). How times have changed. p 13.
(1970, April 30). Baptist progress and the printed page. p. 9.
(1970, May 28). Southern Baptists head west. p. 6.
(1970, June 18). Who's a hypocrite? p. 8.
(1970, July 16). Your heart is where your money is. p. 7.
(1970, July 30). The case for Christian education-What are they learning? p. 6.
(1970, August 6). Who will win the world? p. 7.
(1970, August 13). The day the preacher failed to preach. p. 8.
(1970, August 20). Why are we anxious? p. 7.
(1970, September 24). Tangled lives. p. 5.
(1970, October 1). What more do today's women want and need. p. 9.
(1970, October 8). Do you understand what you are reading? p. 8.
(1970, December 17). Making the most of the rest of your life. p. 9.
(1971, January 21). Misunderstanding and understanding. p. 6.
(1971, February 4). Glorifying by multiplying or destroying. p. 9.
(1971, February 18). Sophistication-Have we lost the sense of one another? p. 9.
(1971, March 18). Has preaching lost its preeminence? p. 9.
(1971, April 1). What is this diatonic task? p. 9.
(1971, April 8). An unforgettable Easter. p. 8.
(1971, May 6). Conquerors of their conquerors. p. 6.
(1971, May 13). The value of a sheep. p. 9.
(1971, May 20). Twisted minds. p. 8.
(1971, May 27). The church's part in public education. p. 7.
(1971, August 12). Thank God, I am not prejudiced. p. 7.
(1971, October 7). In the sweat of thy face. p. 9.
(1971, October 14). What's your hurry? p. 9.
(1971, October 28). What kind of "holic" are you? p. 8.
(1971, December 2). What are church members for? p. 9.
(1971, December 9). Lest we forget. p. 9.
(1971, December 16). Is it folly to be jolly? p. 9.
(1972, January 13). What's your new year's wish? p. 9.
(1972, January 27). Let's practice evangelism according to Christ. p. 5.
(1972, March 9). What's a church and what is it for? p. 9.
(1972, March 16). What about religion in China? p. 9.
(1972, March 30). The risen Christ of the here and now. p.9.
(1972, April 27). Motivation: Why we behave and misbehave as we do. (no page).
(1972, May 11). Is there an answer to life's seeming futility treadmill to oblivion? p. 5.
(1972, June 22). Right back where we started from. Southern Baptists in Philadelphia. p. 5.
(1972, July 13). The S.S. Board in perspective and prospect. p. 8.
(1972, July 20). What is the source of humane authority? p. 9.
(1972, July 27). The country church challenges our consideration. p. 7.
(1972, August 24). God's message from nature and revelation. p. 9.
(1972, September 28). Popularity-asset or liability. p. 8.
(1972, October 5). Giving is a measure of caring. p. 13.
(1972, October 12). In today's Christian Olympiad are we performers or spectators? p. 8.
(1972, October 26). It's time to upgrade teaching and learning. p. 9.
(1972, November 16). Lessons from the reformers and revolutionaries. p. 11.
(1972, November 30). The tumult and the shouting. p. 5.
(1972, December 7). What are the occultists trying to find? p. 8.
(1972, December 21). The Living Lord keeps leading on! How to put Christ in Christmas. p. 5.
(1973, January 4). Let's resolve to be more involved. What's your new year's resolutions? p. 5.
(1973, January 11). Is the show over? Time will tell. What will it say? p. 5.
(1973, February 9). Man's insatiable thirst for knowledge. pp. 8-9.
(1973, February 22). What is a preacher's purpose? p. 5.
(1973, March 1). After peace pact, what? p. 5.
(1973, March 22). Vibrant courage triumphs over grief: Good night-I'll see you in the morning. p. 9.
(1973, March 29). Destiny determined by response to challenge. p. 8.
(1973, April 12). Causes and care of the mentally ill. p. 9.
(1973, April 26). Must we undergo future shock? pp. 8-9.
(1973, May 17). The Christian's mandate in human relationships. p. 8.
(1973, May 31). The Christian in time of crises. p. 9.
(1973, June 28). Baptist bulletin service-Who's telling you what to believe. p. 13.
(1973, July 26). Education's richest contribution. p. 9.
(1973, August 2). Independence is a cooperative achievement. p. 9.
(1973, August 23). How a church calls a pastor. p. 1.
(1973, August 30). The wonderful world of Baptists. p. 5.
(1973, September 13). How to make the most of the gift of life: Understanding and conserving one's personhood. p. 5.
(1973, September 20). Determining the pastor's suitability. p. 6.
(1973, October 18). John R. Sampey-They called him Tiglath. pp. 8-9.
(1973, December 6). What's the use of history and biography? p. 4.
(1973, December 20). The continuing miracle of Christmas. p. 5.

Articles from Other Southern Baptist Periodicals

(1922, March). Missionary day-March 26, 1922. Sunday School Builder, 1.
(1923, March). Missionary day-March 25, 1923. Sunday School Builder, 6.
(1924, May). Supplying the supreme need. Sunday School Builder, 6.
(1925, March). Why we believe in missions. Sunday School Builder, 6.
(1927, September). Keeping steps with progress. Sunday School Builder, 5.
(1927, December). Advertising department. Sunday School Builder, 25.
(1927, December). Home and foreign fields. Sunday School Builder, 19-20.
(1928, March). How much do we know about missions? Sunday School Builder, 15-18.
(1928, November). How to teach the Bible to adults. Sunday School Builder, 10.
(1929, March). Building a missionary Sunday school. Sunday School Builder, 5, 10.
(1929, October). Linking Sunday schools and the state mission boards together in a great program. Sunday School Builder, 3, 25.
(1930, March). Making a Sunday school positively missionary. Sunday School Builder, 1, 12, 32.
(1930, August). Baptist missionary achievements. Sunday School Builder, 9-10.
(1930, October). The Sunday school promoting Baptist democracy. Sunday School Builder, 1.
(1931, March). Shall a Sunday school take a missionary offering? Sunday School Builder, 1, 15, 17.
(1931, September). October is a "loyalty month." Sunday School Builder, 1, 9.
(1931, October). The need and value of "loyalty month." Sunday School Builder, 3, 6, 11.
(1931, November). The Sunday school's place in church finance. Sunday School Builder, 6-7.
(1933, January). Why missions in the Sunday school? Sunday School Builder, 6.
(1933, February). Making vivid the missionary message. Sunday School Builder, 12.
(1933, March). Has your Sunday school the missionary spirit? Sunday School Builder, 10.
(1933, April). Ten points in a missionary program for Sunday school. Sunday School Builder, 14.
(1933, May). Promoting missions through missionary information. Sunday School Builder, 14.
(1933, June). Promoting prayer for missions. Sunday School Builder, 15.
(1933, July). Making missions attractive. Sunday School Builder, 22.
(1933, August). A fruitful program of mission study. Sunday School Builder, 14.
(1933, September). The school of missions. Sunday School Builder, 13.
(1933, October). Books in the building of a missionary Sunday school. Sunday School Builder, 14.
(1933, October). Give state missions the right of way. Sunday School Builder, 1-2.
(1933, November). Developing missionary-minded teachers. Sunday School Builder, 12.
(1933, December). Developing a Sunday school in worthy giving. Sunday School Builder, 19.
(1934, January). Making the Sunday school missionary. Sunday School Builder, 14.
(1934, March). A missionary calendar-A calendar of denominational activity. Sunday School Builder, 6.
(1934, April). The missionary value of our Baptist schools. Sunday School Builder, 22.
(1934, June). Our Sunday school and our colleges. Sunday School Builder, 6-7.
(1934, July). The missionary service of the Baptist Bible institute. Sunday School Builder, 14.
(1934, August). The Southwestern Seminary as a missionary agency. Sunday School Builder, 16.
(1934, September). The Sunday school and the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. Sunday School Builder, 19.
(1934, September). The Sunday school's debt to the pastor. Sunday School Builder, 18.
(1934, October). Workers together. Sunday School Builder, 1.
(1934, November). The Baptist press promoting the Baptist program. Sunday School Builder, 8.
(1934, December). Let us make Christmas Christian. Sunday School Builder, 20.
(1935, June). Emphasis of the Raleigh meeting. Sunday School Builder, 15.
(1935, September). A great seminary president's contribution to the Sunday school. Sunday School Builder, 12.
(1937, September). Scholarship, practicality, spiritual fervor-The three fold ideal of Southern Seminary. Sunday School Builder, 24-25.
(1938, August). The church and the Sunday school-A study in relationships. Sunday School Builder, 1-2.
(1939, February). Improve teaching through officers/teachers meetings (Part 1). Sunday School Builder, 14-16.
(1939, March). Improve teaching through officers/teachers meetings (Part 2). Sunday School Builder, 20-21.
(1940, October). Making the Sunday school positively missionary. Sunday School Builder, 20-21.
(1941, May). Great events that have shaped Southern Baptist Sunday school history. Sunday School Builder, 14-16.
(1942, September). Keep them training. Sunday School Builder, 29.
(1943, January). The testimony of a seminary professor. Sunday School Builder, 11.
(1944, January). The past eight years in associational Sunday school work. Sunday School Builder, 2-3.
(1944, January). Winning through team play. Sunday School Builder, 17.
(1944, February). Attaining the standard is in itself a teaching/learning process. Sunday School Builder, 10-12.
(1945, January). Southern Baptists' ideas of Sunday school work. Sunday School Builder, 16-17.
(1945, December). A tree is known by its fruit. Sunday School Builder, 1; 42.
(1946, January). The pastor as leader of his Sunday school forces. Sunday School Builder, 8-9.
(1946, February). The pastor-Discovering and leading teachers. Sunday School Builder, 12-13.
(1946, March). The pastor as supervisor and counselor. Sunday School Builder, 13-14.
(1946, April). The pastor as teacher of his teachers. Sunday School Builder, 17-18.
(1946, May). The pastor aiding the teachers to define their aims. Sunday School Builder, 15-16.
(1946, June). The pastor leading his teachers in evangelism. Sunday School Builder, 12-13.
(1946, November). Building for worship. Sunday School Builder, 3-4.
(1948, August). Grading and promoting adults. Sunday School Builder, 7.
(1949, December). The evidence is in. Sunday School Builder, 10-11.
(1951, January). How Satan tempts adults. Baptist Training Union Magazine, 6-7.
(1951, May). Hide the words-in the heart. Sunday School Builder, 3.
(1951, June). We salute the Vacation Bible School. Sunday School Builder, 7.
(1952, June). The Church-it's members and their duties. Sunday School Builder, 15.
(1952, August). Where place the emphasis. Sunday School Builder, 7.
(1953, November). Christ's imperative-"Teach them." Sunday School Builder, 15.
(1954, February). The Sunday school and the public school differentiated. The Sunday School Builder, 1-2.
(1954, April). Guiding through freedom or suppression. Sunday School Builder, 3.
(1954, May). Wise unto salvation… Sunday School Builder, 6-7.
(1954, June). Achieving spiritual maturity. Baptist Training Union Magazine, 12-13, 54-55.
(1954, June). Pastoral leadership. Sunday School Builder, 12-13.
(1954, August). When the pastors looks ahead. Sunday School Builder, 14-15.
(1954, September). Growing a church where there was none. Sunday School Builder, 18-19.
(1954, October). Better teachers for better learning. Sunday School Builder, 14-15.
(1954, November). The true meaning of church control. Sunday School Builder, 16-17.
(1954, December). Worship education in the Sunday school. Sunday School Builder, 16-17.
(1955, February). The Sunday school as a congregation builder. Sunday School Builder, 15.
(1955, March). The problem of the short pastorate. Sunday School Builder, 15-16.
(1955, August). The challenge of adult education (Part 1). Sunday School Builder, 10-11.
(1955, October). The challenge of adult education (Part 2). Sunday School Builder, 21-23.
(1955, November). The challenge of adult education (Part 3). Sunday School Builder, 23-25.
(1955, December). The challenge of adult education (Part 4). Sunday School Builder, 23-25.
(1956, January). Better Bible teaching for young people and adults (Part 1). Sunday School Builder, 21-23.
(1956, February). Better Bible teaching for young people and adults (Part 2). Sunday School Builder, 23-25.
(1956, March). Better Bible teaching for young people and adults (Part 3). Sunday School Builder, 23-25.
(1956, April). Better Bible teaching for young people and adults (Part 4). Sunday School Builder, 21-23.
(1956, May). Better Bible teaching for young people and adults (Part 5). Sunday School Builder, 23-25.
(1956, June). Better Bible teaching for young people and adults (Part 6). Sunday School Builder, 23-25.
(1956, June). The pastor promoting better teaching. Sunday School Builder, 13.
(1956, July). Better Bible teaching for young people and adults (Part 7). Sunday School Builder, 21-23.
(1956, July). The pastor promoting "the ministry of the Word." Sunday School Builder, 64.
(1956, August). Better Bible teaching for young people and adults (Part 8). Sunday School Builder, 23-25.
(1956, August). Organization and spiritual power. Baptist Training Union Magazine, 6-7.
(1956, August). Seeking much-We may gain little. Sunday School Builder, 64.
(1956, September). Better Bible teaching for young people and adults (Part 9). Sunday School Builder, 21-23.
(1956, September). It must happen between Sundays. Sunday School Builder, 7.
(1956, October). A pastor and his Sunday school this year. Sunday School Builder, 2.
(1956, October). A pastor interviews his teachers. Sunday School Builder, 64.
(1956, October). Better Bible teaching for young people and adults (Part 10). Sunday School Builder, 23-25.
(1956, November). Better Bible teaching for young people and adults (Part 11). Sunday School Builder, 23-25.
(1956, November). The pastor's Sunday school leadership. Sunday School Builder, 64.
(1956, December). Better Bible teaching for young people and adults (Part 12). Sunday School Builder, 21-23.
(1957, January). Better Bible teaching for young people and adults (Part 13). Sunday School Builder, 23-25.
(1957, February). Better Bible teaching for young people and adults (Part 14). Sunday School Builder, 23-25.
(1957, March). Better Bible teaching for young people and adults (Part 15). Sunday School Builder, 21-23.
(1957, April). Better Bible teaching for young people and adults (Part 16). Sunday School Builder, 23-25.
(1957, May). Better Bible teaching for young people and adults (Part 17). Sunday School Builder, 25-27.
(1957, May). The adult situation in your Sunday school. Sunday School Builder, 18.
(1957, June). Better Bible teaching for young people and adults (Part 18). Sunday School Builder, 23-25.
(1957, July). Better Bible teaching for young people and adults (Part 19). Sunday School Builder, 25-27.
(1957, August). Better Bible teaching for young people and adults (Part 20). Sunday School Builder, 25-27.
(1957, September). Better Bible teaching for young people and adults (Part 21). Sunday School Builder, 23-25.
(1957, October). Better Bible teaching for young people and adults (Part 22). Sunday School Builder, 25-27.
(1957, November). Better Bible teaching for young people and adults (Part 23). Sunday School Builder, 25-27.
(1957, December). Better Bible teaching for young people and adults (Part 24). Sunday School Builder, 55-57.
(1957, December). Dr. Barnette's contribution to religious education. Sunday School Builder, 32-33.
(1958, January). Better Bible teaching for young people and adults (Part 25). Sunday School Builder, 25-27.
(1958, February). Better Bible teaching for young people and adults (Part 26). Sunday School Builder, 25-27.
(1958, March). Better Bible teaching for young people and adults (Part 27). Sunday School Builder, 23-25.
(1958, April). Better Bible teaching for young people and adults (Part 28). Sunday School Builder, 25-27.
(1958, May). Better Bible teaching for young people and adults (Part 29). Sunday School Builder, 25-27.
(1958, May). The next 25 years in training adults. Sunday School Builder, 14.
(1958, June). Better Bible teaching for young people and adults (Part 30). Sunday School Builder, 23-25.
(1958, July). Better Bible teaching for young people and adults (Part 31). Sunday School Builder, 25-27.
(1958, July). They can-and must-be won to Christ. Sunday School Builder, 14.
(1958, August). Better Bible teaching for young people and adults (Part 32). Sunday School Builder, 23-25.
(1958, September). Better Bible teaching for young people and adults (Part 33). Sunday School Builder, 25-27.
(1958, October). Better Bible teaching for young people and adults (Part 34). Sunday School Builder, 25-27.
(1958, November). Better Bible teaching for young people and adults (Part 35). Sunday School Builder, 23-25.
(1958, December). Better Bible teaching for young people and adults (Part 36). Sunday School Builder, 21-23.
(1959, January). Can Sunday schools survive? Sunday School Builder, 18.
(1959, February). The Bible makes Baptists. Sunday School Builder, 16.
(1959, March). What would you say? Sunday School Builder, 18.
(1959, May). Better Bible teaching for young people and adults (Part 37). Sunday School Builder, 25-27.
(1959, June). What would you do if… Baptist Training Union Magazine, 14-15, 51.
(1959, August). Better Bible teaching for young people and adults (Part 38). Sunday School Builder, 25-27.
(1959, November). Sound administration-a needed corrective. Church Administration, 5-7.
(1959, December). Jerry Lambdin: Pioneer with unswerving purpose. Baptist Training Union Magazine, 26-29.
(1960, February). Convictions for survival. Baptist Training Union Magazine, 12-13.
(1960, February). Creative training transforming the world. Baptist Training Union Magazine, 8-9.
(1960, March). Christian growth: The answer to unenlistment. Church Administration, 33-35.
(1960, April). The Sunday school-a missionary agency. Sunday School Builder, 7.
(1960, June). Deacons: Board or body. Church Administration, 17-19, 42.
(1960, August). The pastor's opportunity in adult evangelism. Sunday School Builder, 6.
(1960, September). Ministers must be administrators. Church Administration, 37-42.
(1960, November). Motivating church members to attend Sunday school. Sunday School Builder, 12.
(1960, November). What is teaching? Sunday School Builder, 28.
(1960, December). Why the laying on of hands? Church Administration, 10-12.
(1961, May). A parable for staff members. Church Administration, 12.
(1961, May). No "made in U.S.A." label. Sunday School Builder, 8-9.
(1961, July). Real progress begins with a church survey. Church Administration, 17-19.
(1961, August). The tyranny of tradition. Sunday School Builder, 4.
(1961, September). Chart your church's course. Church Administration, 8-10.
(1961, November). From survey to service. Church Administration, 25-27, 42.
(1962, July). Discovering leaders. Baptist Training Union Magazine, 6-7.
(1962, October). He helped give Africa a soul. Baptist Training Union Magazine, 34-35, 64.
(1962, November). The stewardship of responsibility. Sunday School Builder, 62.
(1963, January). Wizard of Eku. Baptist Training Union Magazine. 18-19.
(1963, February). World vista: Adult Bible study. Sunday School Builder, 63.
(1963, June). The most wasted half hour of the Sunday school. Sunday School Builder, 63.
(1964, February). The pre-eminence of teaching. Sunday School Builder, 67-68.
(1964, March). The centrality of teaching adults. Sunday School Builder, 68.
(1964, March). The pattern determines the building. Sunday School Builder, 14-15.
(1964, April). When adults are taught. Sunday School Builder, 69.
(1965, January). Advance through Christian education. Quarterly Review, 25, 42.
(1965, January). Let's take adult learning seriously. Sunday School Builder, 46, 32.
(1965, January). Where to tomorrow? Church Administration, 7, 15.
(1965, Winter). The denomination and missions; grassroots involvement. Review & Expositor, 62, 67.
(1965, February). Interim pastor: Problems and opportunities. Church Administration, 7, 20.
(1965, March). Outreach: Limited or unlimited? Baptist Program, 9.
(1965, Spring). The teaching church-strategy of Baptist advance. Review & Expositor, 62, 213.
(1965, August). Music and the ordinances. Church Musician, 16, 6.
(1965, December). Are you pablum-feeding your congregation? Church Administration, 7, 22.
(1965, December). Let's save the evening service. Baptist Training Union Magazine, 40, 13.
(1965, December). New approach to evangelism. Sunday School Builder, 46, 12.
(1966, June). The church council grew out of a need. Church Administration, 8, 10.
(1966, October). Great teachers make a difference. Baptist Training Union Magazine, 41, 25.
(1966, October). My conversion experience. Sunday School Builder, 47, 5.
(1966, October). The primacy of teaching in the life and work of today's church. Baptist Training Union Magazine, 41, 6.
(1967, July). Dobbins warns of perils of not accepting federal aid. The Southern Baptist Educator, 31, 9.
(1967, December). Fifty years of church administration as I have seen it unfold. Church Administration, 9, 4.
(1968, March). Refusal of all federal aid-Scripture or tradition. The Southern Baptist Educator, 32, 3.
(1968, April). They shared not the spotlight-but helped build the Board. The Quarterly Review, 28, 41.
(1968, September). Are Southern Baptist preachers changing? The Baptist Program, 11.
(1968, November). Today's pastor achieving permanence and relevance. Sunday School Builder, 49, 48.
(1968, December). When a loved one needs a nursing home. Home Life, 22, 28.
(1969, January). Is group planning needed? Sunday School Builder, 50, 15.
(1969, January). Matching leadership demand with supply. Sunday School Builder, 50, 12.
(1969, April). A new look at an old problem. Baptist Training Union Magazine, 44, 29.
(1969, June). Enlargement waits on trained leaders. Baptist Training Union Magazine, 44, 20.
(1969, July). How evaluate progress? Sunday School Builder, 50, 8.
(1969, August). Make meetings more meaningful. Baptist Training Union Magazine, 44, 24.
(1969, October). Youth's quest for excellence. Sunday School Builder, 50, 49.
(1969, December). Enlargement through improvement. Baptist Training Union Magazine, 44, 8.
(1969, December). General officers, help those teachers! Sunday School Builder, 50, 8.
(1969, December). How does your church see itself? Church Administration, 11, 14.
(1970, January). Bible study: A basic need of adults. Sunday School Builder, 51, 31.
(1970, January). Improve! Grow!-twin heartbeats. Baptist Training Union Magazine, 45, 12.
(1970, February). Keep on learning. Sunday School Builder, 51, 16.
(1970, February). The difference planning makes. Church Administration, 12, 12.
(1970, February). Training demands direction. Sunday School Builder, 51, 14.
(1970, April). How to prepare a church to meet crises. Church Administration, 12, 32.
(1970, May). Let's save what we have. Baptist Training Union Magazine, 45, 62.
(1970, June). Putting excitement into Bible study. Sunday School Builder, 51, 12.
(1970, July). My sixty years of involvement in the convention. Baptist History and Heritage, 5, 135.
(1970, August). "Imagineering" into the 70's. Sunday School Builder, 51, 12.
(1970, August). Planning pays off! Baptist Training Union Magazine, 45, 10.
(1970, September). Leadership still the supreme need. Sunday School Builder, 51, 13.
(1970, September). Trained leaders-the supreme need. Sunday School Builder, 51, 12.
(1970, October). Meeting change with change. Church Administration, 13, 46.
(1970, December). A trusted counselor for troublous times. Adult Leadership, 1, 5.
(1971, January). The deacon's ministry to church dropouts. The Deacon, 1, 23.
(1971, April). The deacon and church harmony. The Deacon, 1, 19.
(1971, April). It's worth what it costs. Church Training, 1, 6.
(1971, May). Let's take adult learning seriously. Adult Leadership, 1, 16.
(1971, June). How to become a Christian. Adult Leadership, 1, 4.
(1971, July). Let's lay the "board" to rest. The Deacon, 1, 44.
(1971, August). Witnessing to reclaim church dropouts. Adult Leadership, 1, 6.
(1971, October). What's happening to churches. Church Administration, 14, 14.
(1971, November). Your church and its influence. Church Administration, 14, 16.
(1971, December). Challenge to January Bible Study. Outreach, 2, 3.
(1971, December). Concentrate on teaching and learning. Adult Leadership, 2, 6.
(1972, March). Evaluating leader effectiveness. Adult Leadership, 2, 10.
(1972, May). Century of Uniform lesson helps. Adult Leadership, 2, 12.
(1972, June). An adult baby was born (how the Baptist Adult Union Quarterly came to be). Church Training, 2, 22.
(1972, July). Caring for persons: The deacon's major task. The Deacon, 2, 28.
(1973, January). How are you doing, country church? Baptist Program, 5.
(1973, September). Upgrade teaching and learning. Adult Leadership, 3, 16.
(1973, October). Why the "laying on of hands"? The meaning of ordination for deacons. The Deacon, 4, 6.
(1973, October). You need never cease to learn. The Lifelong Learner, 1, 1.
(1973, November). Let's ground our polity and practice in basic Baptist beliefs. Church Administration, 16, 49.
(1974, March). Improvement is more than an eleven-letter word. Baptist Program, 11.
(1974, September). The issue of alien immersion. Baptist Program, 5.
(1974, December). Qualitative teaching through planning and sharing. Quarterly Review, 4, 26.
(1975, January). From a perspective of fourscore years. Search, 5, 6.
(1975, January). You can teach an absentee. Outreach, 5, 20.
(1975, February). What is the Biblical pattern of church training? Church Training, 5, 48.
(1975, June). From printer's devil to staunch advocate for Baptist state papers. Baptist Program, 11.
(1975, October). The shaping and reshaping of attitudes. Search, 6, 44.
(1976, January). Sharing, we learn to teach better. Outreach, 6, 14.
(1976, February). They wanted a teaching-outreach revival. Outreach, 6, 33.
(1976, March). How to be an effective evangelist. Church Administration, 18, 3.
(1976, April). Teaching is guiding youth to think. Outreach, 6, 34.
(1976, April). What sort of leaders do we need? Outreach, 6, 40.
(1977, January). The therapy of thoughtfulness. Outreach, 7, 10.
(1977, June). Let's recover the primacy of character education. Outreach, 7, 28.
(1978, April). The meaning of ordination for deacons. The Deacon, 8, 12.
(1978, October). Some things don't change. Church Administration, 21, 16.

Audiovisual Media

(1941?). Into all the world. (Motion picture produced by Gaines S. Dobbins, abridged and unabridged, on Film Reel No. MV 23). Louisville, KY: The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary.
(1947). Groundbreaking ceremony for Alumni Memorial Chapel. (Tape Reel No. 131). Louisville, KY: The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary.
(1948, September 30). Chapel address at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. (Sound disc No. PH 229). Louisville, KY: The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary.
(1950). Motivating, teaching, and learning. (Lecture on Tape Reel No. 32). Louisville, KY: The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary.
(1955, February 18). Chapel address at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. (Sound disc No. PH 8). Louisville, KY: The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary.
(1956, January 25). Chapel address at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. (Tape Reel No. 34). Louisville, KY: The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary.
(1966, September 15). Chapel address at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. (Tape Reel No. 36). Louisville, KY: The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary.
(1970, September). Inaugural luncheon for Ernest J. Loessner at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. (Tape Reel 1873). Louisville, KY: The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary.
(1970, September 2). Chapel address at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. (Tape Reel No. 37). Louisville, KY: The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary.
(1972). The history and development of the Southern Baptist Seminary's School of Religious Education. (Videorecording No. VT 129). Louisville, KY: The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary.
(1974, October 30). Chapel address at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. (Tape Reel No. 5000). Louisville, KY: The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary.
(1974, October 31). Chapel address at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. (Tape Reel No. 5000). Louisville, KY: The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary.
(1974, November 1-December 13). The pastor's role in the church education program. (Classroom lecture at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary on Tape Reel No. 1750). Louisville, KY: The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary.
(1974, November 5-December 10). Essentials of church administration. (Classroom lecture at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary on Tape Reel No. 1750).
(1974, 1975). Interview with Gaines S. Dobbins concerning J. B. Weatherspoon. (Cassette Recording No. CA 37). Louisville, KY: The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary.
(1975). Sermon. (Cassette Recording No. CA 18). Louisville, KY: Crescent Hill Baptist Church.
(1976, August 24). Chapel address at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. (Tape Reel 43). Louisville, KY: The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary.
(1978). School of Religious Education R.E. banquet. (Cassette Recording No. CA 19). Louisville, KY: The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary.

Other Materials

(1914). Southern Baptist journalism. Unpublished doctoral dissertation, The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, Louisville, KY.
(1920?-1956?). Correspondence, papers, addresses, articles, personal materials of Gaines S. Dobbins. (32 boxes). Louisville, KY: The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary.
(1936). Sourcebook in the history, theory and practice of religious education. Unpublished manuscript, The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, Louisville, KY.
(194-?). Work book in church efficiency 131. Unpublished manuscript, The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, Louisville, KY:.
(1940-1943). Work books in Religious Education 101. Unpublished manuscript, The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, Louisville, KY.
(1974, October 29-31). Gaines S. Dobbins Conference on Religious Education. (Tape Reels No. 39-42). The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, Louisville, KY.
Dillard, B. (1978). Oral history interview of Gaines S. Dobbins. (Cassette Recording No. CA 13). Louisville, KY: The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary.

Excerpts from Publications

(1954). Principles of evangelism according to Christ. Pastoral Psychology 5 (9), 45-50. On the significance of persons…

The most revolutionary aspect of Jesus' attitude and approach was his view of human personality. To him, every person is a potential child of God, over whom the Father yearns with infinite longing, no matter who he is or what his condition. To him a person is not just a rational soul in a physical body, nor a set of mental properties reacting to stimuli and responding with muscular activity, nor a socialized superanimal produced by an indefinitely long biological and educational process; rather, he views a person as a universe of unlimited possibilities which have the beginnings of their unfoldment in time but the fulfillment of their incompletions in eternity.

(1965). Great teachers make a difference. Nashville: Broadman Press, p. 119. On cooperative religious education…

The teacher learns; he stimulates his students to learn; what both have learned they share in the teaching-learning process. The formula rests thus: much sharing, much learning; little sharing, little learning; no sharing, no learning.

(1947). Building better churches. Nashville: Broadman Press, pp. 192-193. The church as a school…

A church is not a religious institution with a school attached; it is essentially a school. Christ is the Great Teacher; the Holy Spirit is his interpreter, the Bible is the chief textbook; the minister is the chief officer of the school, about him are gathered teachers and staff; every church member is an enrolled student, all others who can be reached are sought as learners to be led toward Christ and then to him and into church membership through conversion. In this conception there is no antagonism between evangelism and Christian nurture.

(1960). A ministering church. Nashville: Broadman Press, p. 95. Sunday School as the epitome of religious democracy, characterized by…

the popular reading of the Bible, the bringing of the constituency of the church together in congenial classes, the utilization of great numbers of lay people, the implementation of the congregational idea, the provision of opportunity for effective evangelism, the assimilation of new members into the church body.

(1956). Toward recovery of New Testament evangelism. Pastoral Psychology, 5 (9), p. 36. Christian nurture and evangelism as inseparable…

Christian nurture and evangelism are inseparably related. Christian education must always accompany and precede and follow evangelism. Without some knowledge of the gospel there could be no decision regarding it. Without Christian education, evangelism is impossible and without evangelism Christian education may lack dynamic and decisiveness.

(1949). Evangelism according to Christ. Nashville: Broadman Press, p. 47. Making disciples and the role of the Holy Spirit…

We who seek to make disciples take ourselves too seriously. We may assume that it all depends on our human wisdom and effect, our shrewd planning and eloquent preaching, our skillful approach and persistent persuasion, our attractive message and effective method. We are human instruments which he needs, but the first and last word must be spoken by the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit must convince of sin and of righteousness and of judgment.

(1938). A winning witness. Nashville: Sunday School Board, p. 97. The importance of Christian nurture…

The development of Christlike character is not something that takes place in the moment of conversion. It is a gradual growth, like that of the seed which must first be planted, then go through the process or germination and growth, at length to bear its ripe fruit.

(1956). Toward recovery of New Testament evangelism. Pastoral Psychology, 7 (6), 34. On changing society…

The church as evangelizer of the social order insists that the most important step in social action is the thorough evangelization of the individual; but it must at once associate changed individuals in corporate action in a wide-scale frontal attack on the ills and evils which afflict humanity. The church militantly evangelistic becomes the church triumphantly unified, finding its consummation and bliss in doing perfectly the will of him who is its Evangel.

Author Information

Hal Pettegrew

Hal Pettegrew serves as the J. M. Frost Associate Professor of Leadership and Church Ministry and Interim Associate Dean for Doctoral Studies in the School of Leadership and Church Ministry at The Southern Baptist Seminary in Louisville, Kentucky.

Gaines Stanley Dobbins

Biography

Growing Up, Conversion and Pastoring

Conversion

Seminary and Pastoral Ministry

Career Opportunities

Summary of Formative Biographical Experiences

Teaching Approaches

Works Cited

Contributions to Christian Education

Works Cited

Bibliography

Books

Periodical Articles from The Alabama Baptist State Newspaper

Articles from Other Southern Baptist Periodicals

Audiovisual Media

Other Materials

Excerpts from Publications

Recommended Readings

Books

Author Information

Hal Pettegrew