Driving Discipleship for 16 Years

By Ron Hunter

We celebrate the 100th issue of ONE Magazine. Because the first issue rolled off the presses in 2005, that marks 16 years of reporting. Sixteen years may remind us of the time lapse from birth to when the typical child gets his or her driver’s license. Just as a child develops over this period, so have our national agencies.

Randall House gets the honor of designing and printing ONE Magazine for the Executive Office, a responsibility we do not take lightly. Nor do we take lightly the knowledge that everything we do every day is to serve our local churches and the families within your churches. When asked to document milestones that have occurred for Randall House since that first issue in Spring 2005, a cascade of memories reflect on God’s direction and achievement.

ONE Magazine launched a year after CLEAR Curriculum, which later became D6 Curriculum. This line revolutionized how other publishers do Sunday School and small group studies. One hundred issues ago, Randall House sold around $1.9 million in curriculum annually. This grew to over $4.6 million in total revenue pre-COVID. Prior to the first issue of ONE Magazine, the abbreviation for Deuteronomy 6—now known around the world as D6—had never been uttered, as that iconic label was first used in July 2007.

The launch of a generational discipleship curriculum led to the first-ever family ministry conference called D6 in 2009. In time, the discipleship conference expanded into eight countries, with five holding annual events. Yet, the global ministry of Randall House includes more than conferences, as books and curriculum have been translated into multiple languages, with publications reaching 21 countries.

D6 Curriculum has won over 160 content awards and close to 50 design and printing awards! Free Will Baptists can be proud their publishing house ranks top in Bible content, doctrinal distinctions, and excellence in writing and design. What started as CLEAR has been through three generations of curriculum: D6, D6 2nd Gen, and currently, D6 EveryDay. As a result, many pastors have grown to value and stress discipleship in their churches, specifically generational discipleship or family ministry.

The inaugural year of ONE Magazine also saw Randall House publish the first non-Free Will Baptist author, Stan Toler, and that same year Dave Ramsey became a regular contributing columnist in our teen and adult devotional magazines. Since that time, we have published works by Michael W. Smith, John Trent, Richard Ross, Timothy Paul Jones, Jim Putman, Philip Nation, and Brian Haynes—all while continuing to produce Free Will Baptist history and doctrine from greats like Robert E. Picirilli, Leroy Forlines, and others.

We have seen new writers pick up the baton and carry it well: J. Matthew Pinson, Jackson Watts, Matthew S. Bracey, and others. We completed the Randall House New Testament Commentary Series edited by Robert Picirilli and Harold Harrison and written by numerous scholars who contributed this great work for pastors and teachers alike.

We have helped other organizations outside of Randall House with publishing and printing. Not only does Randall House print ONE Magazine, we also produce The Gideon magazine, adult studies for Baptist Way Press (now GC2 Press), and several Free Will Baptist state newsletters. We love collaborating and offering our strengths to our tribe of Free Will Baptists and the greater Body of Christ.

Student and children’s ministry shifted from the National Youth Conference (which offered options for far more than teens) to the Vertical Three Conference, named after the three Hebrew friends of Daniel who stood tall and refused to bow to the peer pressure of the Babylonian culture. Since 2005, Truth & Peace has grown from 60 students to 140, offering the best leadership training for Free Will Baptist high school students. The national Youth Evangelistic Team (YET) has been blessed to garner the sponsorship of North American Ministries (NAM), including trips to new church plants and other churches during its annual tour.

The publishing world has been blessed (and, in some ways plagued) by the digital world over the last 16 years. Randall House stepped boldly to the front and often led the way through early digital development of books, videos, curriculum, and distribution. Drawing from over 300 speakers, the D6 Conference has produced resources for the local church and families such as D6 Plus and the D6 App. Likewise, since 2015, the D6 Podcast has featured interviews with some of the world’s greatest ministry leaders. Today, over 300 episodes offer valuable ministry, discipleship, and parenting insights.

As we recount the growth and opportunities for your Free Will Baptist publisher, you can take pride knowing Randall House is driving discipleship on a global scale. Our awards are your awards. And, if you had kids born into D6 Curriculum, if you have used the devotional magazines, you have seen your kids earn more than a driver’s license. They discovered God’s road to drive, the same one they will intuitively share with their own children.

About the Author: Since 2002, Ron Hunter Jr., Ph.D. has served as executive director and CEO of Randall House & D6 Family Ministry. He pastored 11 years before starting his present role. Hunter has five published books. He is passionate about leadership and discipleship. He married his college sweetheart, Pamela, and they have two married children: Michael and Lauren, and one grandchild, Kinsley.