Pastors

Sometimes churches are left out in the cold. Chilly winds of change leave them shivering, wondering if they'll survive the night. Forces beyond their control sap energy from once powerful local bodies.

Two congregations in Richmond, Virginia, with significantly different personalities, both found themselves tossed by changing social conditions. "White flight" and urbanization had left both the Bainbridge Baptist Church and the Southampton Baptist Church with dwindling numbers and a sense of corporate despair. What could they do?

Though they were both Southern Baptist churches, the style and personality of each congregation was unique.

Bainbridge, located just south of the James River, was proud of its history. Born in 1857 out of the Sunday school movement, the church weathered the pain and uncertainty of the Civil War. Church records indicate that between November 1862 and January 1863, a revival broke out- "there have been 175 professions of conversion . . . and the meeting is still in ...

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