Alma 6

When Alma finished speaking, he ordained more men as priests and teachers to man the baptismal duties, expecting a haul of new converts, which he got as if he were hauling in a big fishing net (though, despite their proximity to the ocean, the Nephites didn’t much care for fish, preferring big game).

At the same time, a new round of purging got the worst offenders off the church rolls. Alma gave them a chance, but short-lived at best. The gospel ship was being cleansed for the next wave of New World history.

Freedom of speech still lived on, of course, along with freedom of assembly, which the church made the most of. Meetings, meetings, meetings. That’s how any church had to tighten its character. Beyond the meetings, were intangibles like fasting and extraordinary prayer, the ritual self-denial of true saints.

When things were moving like well-oiled gospel machinery, Alma moved on to Gideon City. His message had a different tone. I don’t have a transcript, but here’s a reconstruction based on what a few people recall: