History
Themes and History of the Free Grace Broadcaster
Sanctification (#215) Satan and His Deception Incarnation (#234) Justification (#187, also in Span- (#161) Scripture, The (#150) Secret Sins (#209) Self-denial (#218) Sin of Unbelief (#174) Substitution (#207, also in Spanish) Lord's Day, The (#233) Love (#159) Love Not the World (#163) Love of the Spirit, The (#173) Loving One Another (#206) Majesty of God, The ish) Suffering (#158) Temptation (#160) Thankfulness (#190) Thoughts for Young People (#171, also in Spanish) Marriage (#200, also in Spanish) Modest Apparel (#216) Mortification (#201) Motherhood (#229) New Birth, The (#202) Obedience (#232) Persecution (#185) Person of Christ, The (#219) Pride and Humility (#168) Repentance (#212) Trinity, The (#165) Triune God, The (#231) Union with Christ (#214) Uniqueness of the God-Man (#172) Virtuous Womanhood (#196) Vital Prayer (#221) Work of Christ, The (#225) Worship (#177) (#203, also in Spanish) Resurrected Savior, The (#175) Resurrection (#235) Revival (#223)
History Pastor W. F. Bell of Canton, Georgia, began the Free Grace Broadcaster in September of 1970. The first 49 issues were published six times per year under the title The Word of Truth. Then, in November of 1975, issue 50 carried the name Free Grace Broadcaster with the significant subtitle (from the Baptist preacher Samuel Medley,
1738-1799):
"Our Purpose: To humble the pride of man, to exalt the grace of God in salvation, and to promote real holiness in heart and life."
Every edition since has been devoted to fulfilling this purpose.
These early issues included articles from the pens of Pastors Bell, Glen Berry, Ferrell Griswold, Henry Mahan, Conrad Murrell, and also J. C. Philpot, A. W. Pink, J. C. Ryle, and C. H. Spurgeon.
In May 1988 with issue 125, Pastor Bell asked Mt. Zion Bible Church's pastor, L.R. Shelton, Jr., to assume the editing, printing, and distribution of the FGB because his mailing list had grown to more than 3,000 subscribers. These subscribers were combined
Themes and History of the Free Grace Broadcaster
with that of Chapel Library, and by faith Pastor Shelton printed 10,000 copies of issue 125! By 1991, 15,000 copies were printed. By God's grace, the 200th issue had a print run of 27,000, including
16,500 subscribers in North America, 2,000 sent in bulk to churches, 3,000 for the Free Quarterly Offer and follow-up requests during the quarter, 1,000 for our stock, 1,000 sent to other ministries who share complimentary copies with their constituents, and 3,500 sent to 13 international distributors who maintain subscriptions in their own countries.
The FGB became a quarterly in January of 1989 with issue 127.
Pastor Shelton loved the old writers; he cut his teeth on LloydJones, Pink, and Spurgeon. When the Lord's people donated for a new printing press, by January 1990 the FGB listed 18 available
Spurgeon sermon booklets (they now number 95). Today, the Chapel Library catalog is filled with tracts and booklets that first appeared as articles in the FGB during this era. January 1993 issue
143 came with a new title font, which has remained to this day.
Significantly, with issue 150 in November 1994, the FGB included articles all related to one theme. This increased its value immensely because God's people could now feast on the best of what older writers had to say on one relevant topic!
Working behind the scenes, Mike Snyder ably assisted Pastor Shelton Jr. in the editing for many years. Pastor Jeff Pollard became the third primary editor of the FGB when he moved to Pensacola in August 2002 from Providence Baptist Church of Ball,
Louisiana. He and Pastor Shelton co-edited two issues before Pastor Shelton passed away in January 2003. Since then, Pastor
Pollard has sought to make each issue a more extensive presentation of the facets of the theme at hand: what it is, what it means, and how it affects the lives of the saints. We believe this increases its value still further because it has now become a more in-depth tool for discipleship, training, and sermon preparation, in addition to its role in encouraging the saints in discipleship and personal devotions. As such, it is proving very significant in the training of native pastors worldwide.
The FGB Spanish Edition first appeared in 2009 with the addition of international distributors in Mexico and Spain.
Chapel Library makes issues since #150 available for download worldwide without charge. And in North America, these also may be ordered in print from the Literature Catalog.
ABOUT CHAPEL LIBRARY
Sending Christ-centered messages from prior centuries worldwide
Chapel Library sends Christ-centered messages from prior centuries worldwide. It operates under the authority of Mount Zion Bible Church, a small, evangelical, Bible-teaching, independent church in Pensacola,
Florida. The authors have stood the test of time and therefore are not subject to contemporary trends. These include Spurgeon (Baptist),
Bonar (Presbyterian), Ryle (Anglican), Bunyan (Independent), Pink, the Puritans, and many others. The focus is the grace of God through Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior.
The printing ministry began in 1978. The Prison Ministry started mailing free Bibles to inmates in 1984. Chapel Library was added by God's grace in 1987, the Free Grace Broadcaster in 1988, the Bible Institute in 1995, the website in 1996, and the International Distributors in 2004.
In North America, we send materials to individuals in moderate quantities postage paid and free of charge. We also send large quantities without charge to prisons, missions, and overseas pastors. Larger quantities to churches and others are available at our costs. We are a faith ministry, depending upon the Lord to meet all our needs. We never ask for donations, share our mailing list, or send promotional mailings.
The ministries include the following:
1. Printing: Distributing tracts, booklets, and paperbacks printed in our own facilities.
2. Tape Ministry: Audio tapes from our library of over 6,000 messages and books on tape.
3. Prison Ministry: Serving inmates and chaplains throughout North America.
4. Bible Institute: More than 50 study courses utilizing proven authors of the past.
5. Two magazines: Free Grace Broadcaster sent quarterly without charge in North America; Studies in the Scriptures available by email subscription in digital format with printed copies available upon request.
6. Missions: Sending Christ-centered materials from prior centuries to pastors and missionaries worldwide without charge.
7. Internet Ministry & John Bunyan Archive: Downloadable sermons, literature, MP3 audio, & Bunyan's complete works.