A careful examination of Baptist heritage is the new offering by Dr. Ronnie Prevost, professor of Church Ministry in the Logsdon School of Theology. A Distinctive Baptist Church: Renewing Your Church in Practice, published by Smyth & Helwys, will be released for distribution this February and will be available from the publisher and in selected book stores.

“So many Baptists today have forgotten what it means – beyond the mode of baptism – to be Baptist,� says Dr. Prevost, “They have forgotten their heritage. Countless Baptist forebears bought and wrote that heritage with their blood. It is not so much whether or not we remember and honor their names; what is important is whether we honor the legacy they left.�

Dr. Prevost asserts that mere excitement about Baptist heritage is not enough, that it matters little if not lived and shown in the churches. The book attempts to show how Baptist doctrine should influence worship, evangelism, missions, and education ministries in Baptist churches.

According to Dr. Prevost, A Distinctively Baptist Church explains how historically Baptist beliefs can and should shape the way a church functions; the study questions and downloadable teaching guide offer churches a means to work through how their Baptist heritage will shape their life and witness. “A Distinctively Baptist Church challenges readers to become – and lead their churches to become – Baptist not only in name, but in truth,� according to Dr. Prevost.

Previous to his current position, he served on the faculties of Gardner-Webb University, Samford University, The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, and Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. He has been a pastor in Mississippi and Alaska and has served as interim pastor at more than twenty churches in eight states.

He has contributed to two books, the Mercer Dictionary of the Bible (Mercer University Press, 1990) and Forging a Better Religious Education for the Third Millenium (Religious Education Press, 2000). With James Reed, he co-authored A History of Christian Education (Broadman & Holman, 1993). He also authored Evangelical Protestant Gifts to Religious Education (Smyth & Helwys, 2000).

The publisher is accepting pre-orders at margi@helwys.com