Hardwick
First, I want to say how grateful I am to be a Tennessee Baptist and what a humbling honor it is to serve a second term as president of our convention of churches.
God is moving in our state, and I am looking forward to another year of traveling and seeing first-hand what He is doing from Memphis to Mountain City!
Multiple times throughout our Summit in Murfreesboro, I was overwhelmed looking across the room and seeing so many wonderful leaders from so many wonderful churches that are advancing together in fulfilling the Great Commission. The Kingdom potential of nearly 1,100 messengers from over 500 of our churches is massive! Can you imagine what God might do as we cry out to Him in prayer and work together in collaboration around our shared vision and strategic priorities? There’s no limit!
Though I’m not sure who said it first and I’m not sure where I heard it first, one of my favorite leadership quotes is, “Language creates culture.” One of the first steps in creating and casting vision is aligning around shared language. Shared language brings people from diverse backgrounds together in conversation and collaboration to work toward the same strategic priorities and the same vision.
As Tennessee Baptists, we overwhelmingly aligned around a shared vision to be “a collaborative network of spiritually healthy churches reaching Tennessee and beyond for Christ.”
We also overwhelmingly adopted three strategic priorities that will advance that vision — to strengthen and multiply gospel leaders, evangelistic disciples and healthy churches. Undergirding this vision and strategy are the two rails of prayer and collaboration because this vision cannot succeed without the power of God and it cannot be accomplished alone.
God has given us powerful, shared language! He has given us in that language a blueprint that we can take back to our churches and that we can use when we gather with fellow pastors and leaders in our associations and Harvest Fields. Across the state, we can have the same conversations and the same focus. That’s where the grassroots nature of Acts 2:17 will continue. This vision and strategy comes to life and gains momentum as we intentionally gather to pray and to strategize on how we can advance together in our local churches and in our local contexts.
A question for all of us as pastors, ministry leaders, director of missions and Harvest Field leaders to be praying about and considering together is, “What’s your next move?” What’s the next move God is calling us to take in our churches and in our local context to strengthen and multiply gospel leaders? What’s our next move to strengthen and multiply evangelistic disciples? What’s our next move to strengthen and multiply healthy churches?
It’s been said the only way to eat an elephant is one bite at a time! Advancing together around these shared strategic priorities will happen one move or one step at a time. What’s the next move for your church? What’s the next move for your association? What’s the next move for your Harvest Field?
What’s exciting is to think that conversation could be, and hopefully is, happening across the state! I can’t wait to see the “back of the napkin” ideas that are generated as pastors and ministry leaders meet, pray and collaborate over meals and cups of coffee together! I can’t wait to see the whiteboards at association offices that are filled with ideas and opportunities being generated in strategic planning sessions! I can’t wait to see leaders and churches taking action to see these ideas and ultimately this vision and strategy come to life!
God has given us an incredible foundation and an exciting future! He has given us a clear, shared vision and strategy. Let’s pray, let’s collaborate and let’s make our next move … together!
What’s your next move? B&R — Hardwick is senior pastor of Forest Hills Baptist Church, Nashville.
