Baptist History & Heritage Journal

The Society publishes the Baptist History & Heritage Journal three times yearly. Contributors include Baptist and religious historians, as well as clergy and lay persons.

To subscribe to the Baptist History & Heritage Journal, join the Society. Alternatively, you may contact the BHHS office directly at 478-297-7838 .

Past journal authors and titles are available here.

Editorial Offices

  • Joe Coker (Baylor University) — General Editor
  • Rob Nash (McAfee School of Theology, Mercer University) — Festschrift Editor
  • J. David Holcomb (University of Mary Hardin-Baylor) — Book Review Editor
  • Carol A. Brown — Copyeditor
  • Amy C. Cook — Graphic Designer

Submissions

We are now accepting unsolicited journal articles that are previously unpublished and make a new contribution to the study of Baptists. Submitted articles must be no more than 4,500 words in length and will be submitted to a reader review process. At the end of the review process, if your paper is determined to be potentially suitable for the Journal, you may be asked to do further editing of your paper prior to formal acceptance for publication. Generally speaking, the entire process from submission to publication–should your paper be accepted for publication–may take as long as 12-15 months (but could take much less, depending on current Journal needs).

Please download and review our writers’ guidelines.

Email manuscripts to General Editor Joe Coker at Joe_Coker@Baylor.edu

Advertising in the Journal

The Journal accepts advertisements from educational institutions, academic presses and historical organizations. Job openings in such institutions and organizations may also be advertised in the Journal. Pricing is $300 for a full page ad; $150 for a half-page ad; $75 for a quarter page ad. Email advertisement queries to Jackie Riley.

Editorial Board

  • Baylor University: C. Douglas Weaver
  • Campbell University: Glenn Jonas
  • Campbellsville University: Joseph E. Early, Jr.
  • Dallas Baptist University: Michael E. Williams, Sr.
  • Hardin-Simmons University: Kelly Pigott
  • Mercer University: Wm. Loyd Allen
  • Samford University: Delane Tew
  • University of Mary Hardin-Baylor: Carol Crawford Holcomb

Editorial Board Executive Committee

  • Joe Coker
  • Jerry L. Faught, II
  • John M. Finley
  • C. Douglas Weaver
  • Michael E. Williams, Sr.

History

In 1965, the Historical Commission of the Southern Baptist Convention and the Southern Baptist Historical Society® initiated the publication of Baptist History and Heritage. Davis C. Woolley, the second executive director of the Southern Baptist Historical Commission and the first editor of the journal, wrote in the first issue that the journal was “dedicated to the pursuit of historical information that will enable Baptists to understand themselves, to appreciate their past, and to discover historical perspective for the future. If an occasional article helps Baptists to avoid mistakes of the past and enunciate more positively the cherished truths that have made and sustained them across the years, the journal will have served a worthwhile purpose.” Davis Woolley’s goals for the journal have been adopted and pursued by each successive editor.

The journal has had six general editors:  Davis C. Woolley (1965-71), Lynn E. May, Jr. (1971-95), Slayden A. Yarbrough (1995-99), Merrill M. Hawkins, Jr. (1999-2003), Pamela R. Durso (2003-2010), C. Douglas Weaver (2010), Bruce T. Gourley (2011 – 2017), Bill Pitts (2017-2019) and Joe Coker (2019-present).

The Historical Commission’s co-sponsorship of the journal ended in 1997 after the commission was closed. That year, the Southern Baptist Historical Society® became the sole publisher of the journal. In 2001, the SBHS changed its name to the Baptist History and Heritage Society and assumed publication of the journal. The Center for Baptist Studies at Mercer University was a co-sponsor for the journal from 2003-2009, and Baylor University is currently a co-sponsor. We welcome other co-sponsors; please contact Jackie Riley for more information.