So how did this happen? How did this little band of persecuted Baptists grow to the largest denomination in the nation? The story is too big to break down in one article, indeed whole volumes have been written about this. One thing I would like to look at in this article is the relocation of pastors during this era.
These were booming times. People were migrating to the West. Not to California but the “West” in those days was Kentucky and Missouri. By 1810 it was estimated that half of the Virginian pastors had moved west. The congregations that would be left behind found new pastors and continued on. At times whole congregations would relocate. One example of this was Pastor Lewis Craig, who with his entire congregation, migrated from Virginia to Kentucky. It was the largest migration from Virginia to the “Blue Grass State” with over 600 people moving. After arriving in Kentucky, Pastor Clark would go on to establish two more congregations in that state.
In Kentucky the churches increased from 11 to 32 churches in the years from 1788 to 1798. The membership of these congregations grew from 559 to 2,376. By 1801, just three years later, the membership would be at 4,853 in these churches. By relocating, these pastors were helping to establish and multiply churches. A combination of migration, revival, and red-hot evangelism helped the Baptists to see explosive growth during these years.

Brining it Home :

I think if you are a pastor, especially in certain parts in the south of The United States you should consider…

1. Could your ministry have a greater impact in another area of your state, your country, or the world.
2. Praying about relocating and starting a ministry in a more needy area.