Baptist and Reflector
FRANKLIN — Two Tennessee Baptist pastors have announced plans to nominate candidates for vice president and second vice president of the Tennessee Baptist Convention during next week’s annual meeting at Summit, set for Nov. 11-15 at West Jackson Baptist Church in Jackson.
David Green, pastor of First Baptist Church, Greeneville, was announced as a nominee for TBC president during the summer.
Robbie Leach, pastor of Beech Park Baptist Church, Oliver Springs, will nominate Byron Edens as vice president. Edens, a member of Clingan Ridge Baptist Church, Cleveland, is vice president of Piedmont International Seminary which is the home of Temple Baptist Seminary in Chattanogoa. Edens has been a professor at Temple since 2006.
Leach noted Edens has more than 40 years of experience in preaching and pastoral ministry spanning 11 different churches. He holds a master of divinity and a doctor of ministry in expository preaching from New Orleans (La.) Baptist Theological Seminary.
“I believe we need a strong Southern Baptist educator who has the heart of a pastor and the call of an evangelist to serve as our new vice president of the Tennessee Baptist Convention,” Leach said.
Todd Stinnett, pastor of Black Oak Heights Baptist Church, Knoxville, and current vice president of the TBC, will nominate Lee Hickman, pastor of Black Oak Baptist Church, Clinton, as second vice president.
Hickman is a native of Tennessee and was called as pastor of his first church (Beals Chapel Baptist Church in Lenoir City) at the age of 18. Since then, he has led three other congregations, Stinnett said, adding that Hickman holds a doctor of theology from Andersonville Theological Seminary in Camilla, Ga.
He noted that Black Oak Baptist has experienced “tremendous revitalization” since Hickman became pastor in 2016. The church has baptized more than 50 new believers and seen about 70 other additions over that time span. In addition, Hickman has led the church to begin giving once again through the Cooperative Program. The church is set to begin giving 3 percent through CP beginning in 2019, Stinnett said.
“Lee’s greatest desire is to see every man, woman and child won to faith in Jesus Christ and for those who’ve been saved to carry the message of Christ to the nations — starting right here in Tennessee,” he said.