Baptist & Reflector

Telling the Story of Tennessee Baptists Since 1835

TBMB DEBUTS FIRST BOOK VIA ‘WE SERVE PUBLISHING’ IMPRINT

By Lonnie Wilkey
Editor, Baptist & Reflector

Matt Tullos, resource objectives specialist for the Tennessee Baptist Mission Board, holds a copy of Lordship Generosity, which he coauthored. The book is the first to be published under the TBMB’s “We Serve Publishing” imprint. — Photo by Samantha Bligh

FRANKLIN — The Tennessee Baptist Mission Board recently has released a new stewardship resource entitled Lordship Generosity: Giving All to the One Who Gave All.

The book, co-written by Matt Tullos of the TBMB staff along with G.B. Howell Jr. and Tod Tanner, is the first published under the TBMB’s “We Serve Publishing” imprint.

“I am extremely excited about Lordship Generosity being the flagship and first book for We Serve Publishing,” said Chris Turner, director of communications for the Tennessee Baptist Mission Board. [Read more…]

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LEADERS SEEK INPUT FOR COMPENSATION STUDY

By Lonnie Wilkey
Editor, Baptist & Reflector

FRANKLIN — The Tennessee Baptist Mission Board has teamed up with GuideStone Financial Resources, Lifeway Research and other Baptist state conventions for the SBC Church Compensation Survey.

Results of the survey, which is conducted every two years, will be available in early fall, in time for many churches considering their 2025 budgets. 

Churches of all sizes can utilize the survey’s results to determine comparable wages and benefits. The survey takes about 10 minutes to complete at GuideStone.org/CompensationSurvey. The survey started on April 1 and goes through the end of June. [Read more…]

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MISSIONS GET-TOGETHER 2024 OFFERS NEXT STEPS FOR PARTICIPANTS

By Ann Lovell
Baptist and Reflector correspondent

Attendees at the 2024 WMU Missions Get-Together worship together at the annual conference, which was held this year at Brentwood Baptist Church, Brentwood. —  Photos by Tiffany Roy and Stephanie Evans

BRENTWOOD — Kasondra Pillow loved everything about the Tennessee WMU’s Missions Get-Together.

“I loved all of it!” she declared. “I’ve learned so much about Jesus!”

This was Pillow’s first time to attend the Missions Get-Together, which met April 11-13 at Brentwood Baptist Church in Brentwood. She came with a group of seven from Immanuel Baptist Church in Trenton. 

“I loved interacting with the people, and the breakout sessions are the best,” Pillow said. “I learned about knowing God and trusting God. I love all of it!” [Read more…]

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TENNESCENE: MAY 1

LEADERS

Michael Martin

Michael Martin will begin serving as pastor of Meridian Baptist Church, Knoxville, on June 1.  He previously served as senior pastor of Seventh Street Baptist Church in Cullman, Ala., where he served as senior pastor for 10 years. Martin received his master of divinity from Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, Louisville, Ky., and his undergraduate degree from Union University in Jackson. He was licensed to the ministry in March 1998 at Union Grove Baptist Church in Beech Bluff, and ordained at Calvary Baptist Church in July 1999 in Osceola, Ark. He and his wife, Sarah, have two children.

Unity Baptist Church, Madisonville, recently called Mike Blair as pastor.

Jacob Shatzer

Jacob Shatzer, associate provost and dean of instruction at Union University, has been named the university’s provost, effective July 1. Shatzer will replace John Netland, who has served as Union’s provost since 2017 and chose to return to the classroom as a professor. Shatzer joined the Union faculty in 2017 as assistant professor of theological studies and associate dean of the School of Theology and Missions. He is a member of West Jackson Baptist Church, Jackson.

North Knoxville Baptist Church, Knoxville, has called Jim McNeal as pastor and Tracy Clayton as minister of music. [Read more…]

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TBMB DIRECTORS APPROVE PURCHASE OF LAND NEAR BOC

By Lonnie Wilkey
Editor, Baptist & Reflector

Jay Hardwick, president of the Tennessee Baptist Convention and senior pastor at Forest Hills Baptist Church, delivers the president’s report at the Tennessee Baptist Mission Board’s quarterly board of directors meeting. — Photo by David Dawson

FRANKLIN — The directors of Tennessee Baptist Mission Board unanimously approved the purchase of 14 acres with two buildings with a combined 15,100 square feet of space to be used for church planting in the area near BlueOval City during their first meeting of the year April 23 in Franklin.

Included with the purchase was 25 acres contiguous to the property given as a charitable donation. The property is located in Gallaway in Fayette County near the site of BlueOval City, the massive Ford auto plant currently under construction in Stanton. The BlueOval City plant is expected to employ an estimated 10,000 workers when it is fully operational.

The recommendation called for the purchase of 5.1 acres with the two buildings (home to Bellamia Manor, a wedding venue) for $2,400,000; the purchase of 8.9 acres of cleared land with approximately 1,200 frontage feet on Highway 70 for $945,000 and the donated 25 acres. [Read more…]

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THREE GENERATIONS SERVE ON MISSIONS

By Carolyn Tomlin
Baptist and Reflector contributing writer

 

Standing together and representing three generations of missions are back row, from left: Diane Hooper, Brooke Evans, Oaklee Evans; front row from left: Wiley Evans, and Tanner Evans

BROWNSVILLE — It isn’t unusual for a Baptist church to plan and go on a short-term mission trip but when three generations from the same family go together—they set an example for others.

Woodland Baptist Church near Brownsville, TN in Haywood County joined with other Tennessee Baptist Churches to work with Send Relief, a project supported by the North American Mission Board (NAMB).

Diane Hooper, a retire d grandmother and former director of an assisted living center, her daughter and son-in-law, Brooke and Buddy Evans and their three children Oakley 16, Tanner 14, and Wiley 10 joined a group of 14 people, in late March, for a 10-hour bus ride to the Dallas, Texas area. Buddy Evans, an experienced driver drove the church bus. [Read more…]

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WILKEY ANNOUNCES PLANS TO RETIRE AS B&R EDITOR IN DECEMBER

By David Dawson
Communications specialist, TBMB

Lonnie Wilkey, editor of the Baptist and Reflector, will retire in December after 36 years on the newspaper’s staff.

FRANKLIN — The start of a new year will mark the end of an era for the Baptist and Reflector. 

Lonnie Wilkey, who has served as editor of the B&R for 26 years, has announced his plans to retire from his position, effective Dec. 31, 2024.

The Greenville, S.C., native first joined the B&R staff in 1988 as associate editor, holding that position for 10 years. Wilkey then served as interim editor for roughly five months before being elected as editor in September of 1998.  [Read more…]

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NEW GREAT COMMISSION REPORT SHOWS GAPS, OPPORTUNITIES

By Jennifer Davis Rash
The Baptist Paper

Screen shot from lausanne.org

Billy Graham headed the committee that drew more than 2,300 evangelical leaders from 150 countries to Lausanne, Switzerland, in 1974 for the International Congress on World Evangelization.

The gathering produced The Lausanne Covenant, a declaration leaders said is intended to define the necessity, responsibilities and goals of spreading the gospel. It also challenges Christians to work together to make Jesus Christ known throughout the world.

Now 50 years later, a group of 150 contributors helped produce a robust report on the “State of the Great Commission,” which was released April 23 at lausanne.org/report. [Read more…]

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LONGTIME IMB LEADER CLYDE MEADOR DIES AT 79

By From IMB news office, The Baptist Paper reports

Clyde Meador, shown here speaking at Calvary Baptist Church in Winston-Salem, N.C., in 2010, worked closely with four IMB presidents. — IMB photo

Longtime International Mission Board leader Clyde D. Meador died April 26, 2024. He was 79.

Meador worked closely with four IMB presidents as a top advisor and executive vice president, and as the mission organization’s interim president from August 2010 to March 2011 and again briefly in 2018 before the election of current president Paul Chitwood.

“I thank God for the life and friendship of Clyde Meador,” Chitwood said. “I first met Clyde when I began serving as an IMB trustee in 2002. Over the following years, I saw Clyde was a leader who had earned the trust of everyone — trustees, administrators and missionaries.”

When Chitwood was elected president in November 2018, he asked trustees’ approval for Meador to remain in the President’s Office as interim executive vice president during the transition. [Read more…]

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SNAPSHOTS IN TIME: Native Son: T. B. Maston

By Baptist and Reflector

Maston

Thomas Buford Maston was born Nov. 26, 1897, and grew up in New Market, Tenn.  He graduated from Carson-Newman College in 1920 and later received an honorary doctorate in 1958.  

Maston received his master’s and Ph.D. in religious education from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary where he later taught for 41 years.  He later received a master of arts degree from Texas Christian University and a Ph.D. in philosophy from Yale.    [Read more…]

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