Interrupted Sleep

“A stirring of my soul.” —James M. Frost

The history of Lifeway can be traced to a quiet night near the end of January 1890 when James M. Frost, pastor of Leigh Street Baptist Church in Richmond, Virginia, awoke with what he later wrote was “a stirring of my soul” to propose creating a board of publications to serve the needs of Baptist churches of the South. At first light, he carefully penned a set of resolutions that set in motion the steps to create the Sunday School Board of the Southern Baptist Convention. Frost later recalled, “God touched me, and I thought of it.”

Controversy Simmers

Baptist newspapers debate Frost’s proposal

James M. Frost’s proposal for a Baptist board of publications was first published in the Religious Herald, the Baptist paper in Virginia. Sent to all the Baptist newspapers in the South, it met vigorous opposition and discussion. The idea of a Southern Baptist publishing entity had simmered among leaders for years. Similar efforts had already failed. Many Baptists in the South were convinced the risks were too great.

Drama Unfolds at O’Brien's Opera House

Following months of debate, a decision is made

Following months of debate in the state Baptist papers, the decision to create a publishing entity for Southern Baptists loomed large at the May 1891 Southern Baptist Convention in Birmingham, Alabama. Instead of the usual hundreds of messengers from churches, thousands showed up expecting a fight. No church could handle the event, so organizers moved the meeting to Birmingham’s O’Brien's Opera House.

An Unlikely Partnership

Frost and Gambrell forge a report

Required by the Sunday School Committee to work with prominent Mississippi pastor James B. Gambrell, who opposed the idea of a publication board, pastor James M. Frost crafted a resolution urging fellow messengers in an overflowing opera house to approve the creation of the Sunday School Board. Wisely asking for the last word, Frost closed his report with a plea for Southern Baptists to give the board a “fair consideration.”

A Statesman Steps Up

John A. Broadus delivers an impassioned plea

In a moment of high drama immediately after James M. Frost’s reading of the Report of the Sunday School Committee to the convention, John A. Broadus, president of The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, took the stage uninvited and gave an unscripted and impassioned plea for calm acceptance of the report. The motion to create The Sunday School Board of the Southern Baptist Convention passed.

Frost Elected

“A voice that would not be hushed.” — James M. Frost

James M. Frost was asked to accept the position of corresponding secretary (now president) of the new Sunday School Board. Frost later explained: “It not only surprised but fairly startled me.” He initially turned down the offer. Later, after the urging of his friends and sensing God’s leadership during a sermon, he agreed to accept the job. He would later write, “The message went home to my heart as a message from God—a voice that would not be hushed.”

Relocation

Sunday School Board calls Nashville home

Though he had never lived in Nashville, James M. Frost believed it was ideal for the publishing work of the Sunday School Board. At the time, it was the most significant printing center in the South and was the geographical center of the denomination.

Nashville was also home to the Methodist Publishing House, which graciously provided office space and printing services for several critical years until the Board moved into its first office on Cherry Street (now 4th Avenue North) in 1897.

By July 1, 1891, Frost had moved his wife, Nannie, and young family from Richmond, Virginia, to Nashville to begin work. He later wrote that it was “the loneliest day of my life.” Thankfully, he was befriended by W.R.L. Smith, pastor of First Baptist Church Nashville and chairman of the Sunday School Board of Trustees.

Fruitful Beginnings

God blesses the new Sunday School Board

Under founding President James M. Frost’s leadership, the Sunday School Board expanded its Sunday school curriculum, produced training material for teachers, and began publishing books. Within two decades of its founding, the Southern Baptist Convention charged the Sunday School Board with providing not only Sunday school curriculum but also books, tracts, hymnals, and supplies for churches.

Today Lifeway Christian Resources is one of the world’s largest providers of Christian products and services, including Bibles, books, Bible studies, church supplies, church music, Christian films, camps, events, and other Christian resources. LifeWay’s ministries reach across the United States and around the world through millions of Christian products in multiple languages used in more than 160 countries.