Ministry Description
Aletheia Baptist Ministries is a Baptist organization that is fundamental and conservative in its philosophy, local church in its emphasis, as well as premillennial and dispensational in its theology.
ABM believes that the present trend among Baptist churches toward contemporary methodologies is a detriment to the gospel ministry and an affront to the holiness of God. We do not believe that methods alone, no matter how pragmatically successful they may be, promote true belief in the gospel of Jesus Christ.
Brief History
In 1993, Dr. Rick Shrader, then pastor of Bethel Baptist Church, Ft. Collins, CO, felt the need to begin writing a paper which he called Aletheia (the Greek word for “truth”). Seeing the growing trend toward compromise of godliness in conservative churches, Dr. Shrader began speaking out in a monthly publication to local church pastors and Christian educators. The paper is now in its twentieth year.
In 1997 Dr. Peter Slobodian (Dr. Shrader’s father-in-law) began Baptist Global Mission of which Dr. Shrader became the secretary. This was a foreign mission board actively involved in Russian and Ukrainian missions until Dr. Slobodian’s death in 2005. In the early years of that mission, Dr. Shrader made his Aletheia paper the writing arm of the mission board. Upon Dr. Slobodian’s death, Dr. Shrader became the president of Baptist Global Mission and suggested that the mission change its name to Aletheia Baptist Ministries and focus exclusively on home missions within the United States. This was unanimously accepted by the board of directors.
In 2005 ABM began a home mission emphasis using Kansas City as a geographical base for the project. The immediate goal was to plant 10-15 churches in 20 years within a 200 mile radius of Kansas City. This would be done by building a basis of education through a Bible Institute, promoting a conservative local church philosophy through an interactive website and other literature, and continually seeking men who would join in this endeavor.
As these goals are achieved, our prayer is that churches will be born and built to God’s glory, and that the gospel of Jesus Christ will be preached in more areas because of this ministry.