FORT WORTH, Texas (BP)–FamilyNet, the broadcast communications subsidiary of the North American Mission Board, has announced that NAMB President Robert E. Reccord will serve as host of “The Baptist Hour” radio program beginning Palm Sunday, March 24.
The program’s preacher since 1977 has been Frank Pollard, pastor of First Baptist Church of Jackson, Miss., who has retired.
“Dr. Reccord is one of the greatest pulpit communicators in our nation today,” said FamilyNet President David W. Clark. “He is an avid soul-winner and his walk with the Lord, his family and the ministries God has called him to are his priorities.”
Reccord said he will be taping some of the programs in a studio, while others may be drawn from his sermons as he speaks around the country.
“I will be doing messages that bring Bible principles to bear on everyday living,” he said. “As John Stott once said, I will approach having the Bible in one hand and the newspaper in the other. This brings the Scripture to bear on the challenges we face daily, showing that Jesus is the answer to every need man has.”
A new host for the television version of The Baptist Hour, which also is losing Pollard to retirement, has not yet been selected.
The Baptist Hour, first broadcast in 1941, has featured such pulpit giants as M.E. Dodd, George W. Truett, W.A. Criswell and J.D. Grey. The syndicated program airs 408 times weekly in the United States and in nine foreign outlets.
Reccord, president of NAMB since 1997, previously served as senior pastor of First Baptist Church, Norfolk, Va., from 1992-97, and was senior pastor of Bell Shoals Baptist Church in Brandon, Fla., from 1987-92. He holds master of divinity and doctor of ministry degrees from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Fort Worth, Texas. He also completed postgraduate studies at Regent College in Oxford, England, on the history of revival and great awakenings.
Reccord also is the author of “Beneath the Surface: Steering Clear of the Dangers that Could Leave You Shipwrecked,” released by LifeWay Christian Resources’ Broadman & Holman Publishers in January. Other published works include “Forged by Fire,” published by B&H in 2000, and numerous articles in Christian publications.
Based in Fort Worth, Texas, FamilyNet produces five radio programs, “Powerline,” “Country Crossroads,” “On Track,” “The Baptist Hour” and “MasterControl,” airing on more than 2,200 radio stations with a weekly audience of over 3.9 million listeners. For more information or to audition the programs visit www.FamilyNetRadio.com or call 1-800-832-6638.
–30–
