Baptist & Reflector

Telling the Story of Tennessee Baptists Since 1835

TENNESCENE: AUG. 28

LEADERS

Ken Clayton

In his third book with Courier Publishing, retired pastor Ken Clayton offers a diligent study of the book of Romans in Justified by Faith, similar to his early works on the Gospel of John and the book of Daniel. “In Romans, Paul does not share as much discussion about practical problems as he does in his other letters,” Clayton observes. “Paul used this letter to explain the Christian gospel, God’s plan of salvation and its impact on their daily living. A graduate of Carson-Newman University, Jefferson City, and Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, Louisville, Ky., Clayton has served churches in Tennessee and Kentucky and was a missionary in Spain. He and his wife, Joy, are members of Shiloh Baptist Church, Mount Juliet.

Jimmy Webb, pastor of Oak Street Baptist Church, Maryville, has resigned. His last day will be Sept. 15. [Read more…]

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CHURCH BREAKS GROUND ON SPECIAL-NEEDS PLAYGROUND

By Baptist and Reflector

Pastor Chuck Workman of Crossroads Church, Westmoreland, speaks prior to breaking ground for a new interactive church playground that can be enjoyed by children with special needs. — Photo courtesy of EnVision Drone & Media Studios

WESTMORELAND — Families of special needs children in Westmoreland and surrounding communities will soon have an interactive playground to enjoy.

CrossRoads Church broke ground on the new adaptive playground on Aug. 4 in Westmoreland

Mayor David Leath and other city officials attended the community celebration. The church provided free hamburgers, hotdogs and ice cream to those in attendance.  [Read more…]

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HARDWICK TO BE NOMINATED FOR SECOND TERM AT SUMMIT

By Baptist and Reflector

Hardwick

FRANKLIN — Tennessee Baptist Convention president Jay Hardwick will be nominated for a second term as president during The Summit, scheduled for Nov. 10-12 at Embassy Suites in Murfreesboro. 

Hardwick, senior pastor of Forest Hills Baptist Church, Nashville, will be nominated by Cliff Marion, pastor of First Baptist Church, Covington. 

“I am honored and excited to nominate my friend, pastor Jay Hardwick, for a second term as president of the Tennessee Baptist Convention. He has been a steadfast leader, deeply committed to advancing the mission of the Tennessee Baptist Convention and uniting Baptists across our great state in service to the kingdom of God,” Marion said. [Read more…]

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ACTS 2:17 INITIATIVE ENTERS CRUCIAL EARLY STAGE

By David Dawson
Communications specialist, TBMB

FRANKLIN — The next 10 weeks will have a significant impact in the work of Tennessee Baptists for the next 10 years.

 Next month, TBMB Board of Directors will gather for their semiannual meeting and one of the items on their agenda will be to review a report on the Acts 2:17 Initiative. The Board will also consider a recommendation from the Budget Committee that will reflect the needed investment in the plan from Convention churches.’

If the report is affirmed by the board, it will then be presented to TBC messengers in November at the 2024 Summit. 

Randy C. Davis, president and executive director of the TBMB, has said he believes the Acts 2:17 Initiative “could become the most consequential process in the Tennessee Baptist Convention’s history. ” [Read more…]

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CHURCHES MUST BE READY WHEN A CRISIS STRIKES

By Lonnie Wilkey
Editor, Baptist & Reflector

FRANKLIN — The question is not what to do if a crisis strikes, it is being prepared when your church faces a crisis, said Chris Turner, director of communications for the Tennessee Baptist Mission Board.

“There are two types of organizations — those that have had a crisis and those whose crisis hasn’t hit yet,” Turner said.

Turner was featured recently on the “Tennessee Golden Hour,” a podcast produced by the Tennessee Baptist Mission Board and hosted by TBMB staff members Matt Tullos and Beth Moore. 

Turner noted there are two types of crises — those that are sudden and those that are smoldering. A sudden crisis is one that is totally unexpected such as a tornado destroying the church building, he said.  [Read more…]

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GREEAR, OTHERS CHALLENGE AUTHOR’S ‘WOKE’ ALLEGATIONS AS SOCIAL MEDIA DEBATE CONTINUES

By Art Toalston

Former SBC president J.D. Greear addressing the 2021 SBC Annual Meeting. — Photo by Karen McCutcheon

Editor’s note: This article first appeared in The Baptist Paper and is reprinted with permission.

Amid an ongoing — and at times heated — debate on social media, former Southern Baptist Convention president J.D. Greear is among several dozen individuals named in a contentious new book, “Shepherds for Sale” by author Megan Basham

Greear, in a lengthy response to the book, noted, “… we serve a God of truth and if the errors regarding me in this book are any indication of its broader accuracy, then the reader should be cautious about taking her claims at face value.”

“How Evangelical Leaders Traded the Truth for a Leftist Agenda” is the subtitle of Basham’s book, published by the Broadside Books imprint of HarperCollins on July 30.

Reflecting the “wokeism” debate in contemporary culture, Basham writes in the hardbound book’s dust jacket that “in recent decades … well-funded forces from outside the church have been sowing seeds of discord from behind the scenes … to co-opt the church for political purposes.” [Read more…]

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CHRISTIAN MOVIES USEFUL AS EVANGELISM TOOL, CHURCHGOERS SAY

By Myriah Snyder
Writer, Lifeway Christian Resources

BRENTWOOD — Not only are churchgoers watching Christian movies, but some find them useful as an evangelistic and discipleship tool.

A recent study by Lifeway Research finds 68 percent of American Protestant churchgoers have watched a Christian movie in the last year. Around 4 in 5 (81 percent) say Christian movies are effective evangelism tools.

“The Forge,” the latest film from the Kendrick brothers, releases in theaters nationwide on August 23, 2024. The movie focuses on issues central to evangelism and discipleship. Stephen Kendrick, co-producer of “The Forge,” believes Christian movies can play a role in those fundamental aspects of the Christian walk.

“We live in a visual, video-driven generation. Movies can be great tools to reach people where they are and share biblical truth in the context of an emotional and memorial story,” Kendrick said. “Countless people have come to Christ through watching a Christian movie. The Holy Spirit continues to use art to point to the glory of Christ and the gospel.” [Read more…]

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PASSIONATE ABOUT HELPING OTHER PASTORS

By Lonnie Wilkey
Editor, Baptist & Reflector

Longtime friends and Tennessee Baptist pastors Larry Robertson, left, and Steve Freeman share a passion for mentoring younger pastors.

CLARKSVILLE — Mentoring young ministers is a passion for longtime friends and former Tennessee Baptist Convention presidents Larry Robertson and Steve Freeman.

Robertson and Freeman recently shared in an interview with the Baptist and Reflector how  their ministries were impacted through mentoring. Freeman, pastor of Grace Baptist Church, Springfield, acknowledges that Robertson has been one of his primary mentors throughout his ministry.

Robertson, pastor of Hilldale Baptist Church, Clarksville, felt God calling him into ministry in 1982 while he was attending the Tennessee Baptist Youth Evangelism Conference in Nashville. Though he already had accepted Christ, Robertson admitted, “I was not walking with the Lord.”

On the opening night of the YEC Robertson recalled that “God got my attention.” The following morning former Tennessee pastor and Southern Baptist Convention president Jim Henry challenged those who might be considering God’s call into some form of ministry to stand up.

“I found myself standing up,” Robertson said. “I sensed very strongly that God was calling me into ministry.” [Read more…]

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PASTOR’S EXPERIENCE LEADS TO RESIDENCY PROGRAM

By Lonnie Wilkey
Editor, Baptist & Reflector

Freeman

SPRINGFIELD — Soon after Steve Freeman accepted his first pastorate more than 20 years ago at Slayden Baptist Church in Cumberland Furnace, he realized after a few months that he was in over his head, he recalled.

“They taught me that I didn’t know anything,” Freeman said.

“I realized that even though I was in seminary and pursuing a degree, there’s just some things you are not going to learn in the classroom,” said Freeman, who has served as pastor of Grace Baptist Church in Springfield for the past 17 years.

“There was a lot that I did not know and I had to go figure it out,” he said.

After 18 months at Slayden Baptist, he resigned and returned to his home church (Hilldale Baptist In Clarksville) and began serving as a pastoral intern. See related story here. [Read more…]

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BCM KEEPS TENNESSEE’S MINISTRY PIPELINE FLOWING

By David Dawson
Communications specialist, TBMB

Tennessee Baptist leaders, from left, Micah Stephens, Jonathan Chapman,
Cole Rogers and Chad Mize discuss the importance of a ministry
pipeline during a recent video shoot.

FRANKLIN — Chad Mize and Jonathan Chapman are doing their part to ensure that the circle remains unbroken.

Mize, associate pastor of missions and mobilization at Forest Hills Baptist Church, and Chapman, collegiate ministry specialist at East Tennessee State University, are both passionate and committed to helping aspiring church leaders find reliable and godly “ministry mentors.” 

Eventually, if all goes according to plan, those same students will then help others follow that path. 

It’s a cycle of events that is crucial to the future of student ministry, said Chapman. With the pipeline of rising ministry leaders slowing almost to a trickle in recent years, this is a vital time for new leaders to emerge. 

Chapman said Tennessee Baptists can aid the process, and infuse the cycle, by supporting the BCMs in Tennessee, both with prayer and financial resources.  [Read more…]

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