An Outline of Baptist History

uf -22- (4) The Period of Evangelism and Education. Baptists have always believed that they should "catch fish" (Mark 1:17) and "feed sheep'' (John 21:16). They have insisted upon individualism, or the competency of the soul to receive or reject salvation, and a regenerated church membership which involves the competency of Jesus to save. Therefore they are dependent upon evangelism for existence and growth. Burroughs has well said that, ''Whenever the Baptist people cease to win new converts, they begin to perish from the face of the earth.'' At the close of the Revolution there were 100,000 Baptists. Now there are nine million of them.