Holcombe was influenced to dedicate his life to evangelistic leadership of the Baptists by the Rev.
In 1818 he moved to Jefferson County, Alabama where he joined Cannon Baptist Church in old Jonesboro.
[3] Holcombe was one of the founders of the Alabama Baptist State Convention in 1823, and was its president from 1833 to 1838.
[4] He deplored factional struggles between the Alabama Baptists, and insisted on the need to maintain doctrinal purity.
[5] In the preface to his book, he notes that he was requested to undertake the work by the Alabama Baptist State Convention in 1834, and urged to continue over the ensuing years in which he traveled 4,000 or 5,000 miles and wrote about 600 letters to obtain material.