The Biblical Recorder gives a special word of appreciation to all North Carolina Baptist churches that have a group subscription plan with us. These churches are consistently providing their members with information that has a biblical worldview focusing on the Great Commission and seeking to glorify God. Special recognition is given to the top 20 churches (see chart below) that have a group plan or receive a bulk shipment of each printed issue of the Recorder. Group plans are the most economical and easiest way for churches to provide members with news.

These group plans are important to us, but the real value goes to these churches and their leaders.

When the pastor of these churches says something about the work of the Baptist Children’s Homes or N.C. Baptist Men (also known as Baptists on Mission), the church knows what he is talking about because they read about these ministries in the Biblical Recorder. When he mentions Fruitland Baptist Bible College, The College at Southeastern or Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary, the people in these churches are familiar with these institutions of learning. Church members have read encouraging stories about church planting, church revitalization, international missions and North American missions. They know how their mission dollars are being used. These church members are informed.

People really need to know! Informed members are more likely to be involved members. They are more likely to be tithers and generous givers. The right information generates a connected membership. The right information gives birth to vision and a passion to serve.

I’m concerned that a large number of people in the churches of our state are not fully aware of the great things God is doing among Baptists or of the many critical issues that are challenging the normal expressions of our faith.

Some people get by with pieces of information drawn from Twitter feeds and Facebook posts. That’s like snacking on a piece of chocolate candy in the middle of the day – it’s good, but it does not have adequate nutrition to sustain the human body.

The Biblical Recorder adds value to the work of local churches in many ways. Although we use social media, our scope is much broader. We serve you with the printed Biblical Recorder, the matching digital edition, the BRnow.org website, the accompanying app for smartphones and the BRweekly e-newsletter.

Pastor, do you want the members of the church to know how mission dollars are being used to proclaim the gospel? Do you want church members that are informed about cultural challenges to their faith? You can address some of these matters in a sermon, but there’s much more than you can pack into a few sermons. That’s where the Biblical Recorder is your partner. Our responsibility is to support your preaching of the gospel by providing news that informs and motivates God’s people to be on mission for Christ in their neighborhood, across the state and around the world.

If you want to do something positive for church members, give them a steady stream of trustworthy information! Allow us to partner with you. Be sure the congregation uses the resources we provide.

Don’t believe the rumor that print is dead! According to a 2015 Pew Research report, 51 percent of adults get their news from “print only” sources while 5 percent get their news from “mobile only.” Another 5 percent get their news from “desktop only” and 15 percent depend on a combination of “print/desktop/mobile.” The remaining adults use other combinations of news sources.

If 51 percent of N.C. Baptists subscribed to the print edition of the Biblical Recorder in their homes, our circulation would increase 4,000 percent overnight. Even if only 10 percent of our members subscribed we would increase about 700 percent and exceed the highest number of subscriptions in the Recorder’s 183-year history.

There’s an extra advantage to your subscription. Whether you are part of a group plan or you have an individual subscription, you are entitled to a free subscription to the digital edition. This is a full PDF copy of the printed Recorder that you can access online. This is not the same as the website, which is free to the public. Your digital edition looks exactly like the printed issue.

If you’re traveling and want to look at a back issue of the Recorder, log on to your digital edition and read any issue of the Recorder for the past three years. It’s easy and very convenient.

If there are members of the church who prefer to read the digital edition exclusively, the church can have a group plan of digital edition subscriptions for only $5 annually. Ten subscriptions for 10 church leaders will cost $50 each year.

How can we serve you? Please contact our circulation manager, Liz Tablazon, to get started on a group plan for the printed issue, a group plan for the digital edition, or both! Contact her at (919) 459-5693 or [email protected].

Thank you for allowing us to partner with you as we fulfill the Great Commission and glorify God together.

“For of Him, and through Him, and to Him, are all things: to whom be glory for ever. Amen.” Romans 11:36.

Top 20 BR group plans

Calvary Baptist Church, Reidsville

Jonesboro Heights Baptist Church, Sanford

Fruitland Baptist Church, Hendersonville

Mud Creek Baptist Church, Hendersonville

Trinity Baptist Church, Raleigh

Elizabeth Baptist Church, Shelby

Holly Springs Baptist Church, Broadway

First Baptist Church, Clayton

Mount Ruhama Baptist Church, Maiden

Western Prong Baptist Church, Whiteville

First Baptist Church, Shelby

Florence Baptist Church, Forest City

Galatia Baptist Church, Seaboard

Olive Branch Baptist Church, Marshville

Antioch Baptist Church, Mamers

First Baptist Church, Hickory

Woodlawn Baptist Church, Conover*

Westwood Baptist Church, Roxboro*

Clydes Chapel Baptist Church, Wendell

Faith Baptist Church, Faith

*These churches have bulk subscriptions to the Biblical Recorder, while the remaining list subscribe under BR’s family plan.