By Paul Gunn
Pastor, Tusculum Hills Baptist Church, Nashville

Someday when you come to Nashville, take a drive along Nolensville Road and you’ll see a very interesting situation. Go in one of the international markets. Wow! Nolensville Road is an Epcot® (theme park of Walt Disney World featuring international culture) of sorts, although not a façade like the famous amusement park. This is the real thing — an international community of people starting over in America. Across the street from my church is an elementary school where 26 languages are spoken. [Read more…]

David Evans

By David Evans
TBC Staff

But Jesus called them to Himself and said, “You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great men exercise authority over them. It is not this way among you, but whoever wishes to become great among you shall be your servant, and whoever wishes to be first among you shall be your slave; just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many” (Matthew 20:25-28).

Our world is rapidly changing before our eyes. What once was a world that revolved around the church is now a world that seems to want nothing to do with it. During my grandparent’s lifetime, the church had a community voice and a place at the community table. If the church had an ideological position concerning a situation then most often the community followed the position. This place of influence is no longer where the church assumes. No longer is a church automatically granted a seat at the community table, and church members can no longer assume that it is so. [Read more…]

Johnnie Godwin

By Johnnie Godwin
Contributing Columnist, B&R

After graduating from seminary, I was somewhat like Paul when he cooled his heels in Athens waiting for Timothy and Silas to rejoin him from Berea (Acts 17). We were dead set on finishing up requirements for foreign mission appointment. So Phyllis and I had moved back to my hometown of Midland, Texas, for a year.

I held three jobs to get total indebtedness down to the Foreign Mission Board’s requirement. Phyllis finished up her two years minimum education beyond high school at a local college. My jobs were interim pastoring a struggling church, full-time substituting as a high school P.E. teacher, and delivering dry-cleaning after school. We had three young sons. The church did have a parsonage and some kind members. But they lacked both growth and money. I did what I could, but we knew I was temporary. [Read more…]

Lonnie Wilkey

By Lonnie Wilkey
Editor, Baptist and Reflector

Six years ago, Bob Smietana, then religion editor of The Tennessean in Nashville, wrote an article questioning the future of Baptist state papers and interviewed several editors, including myself. Smietana wrote that “Baptist papers face three major challenges: declining denominational loyalty, soaring print and postage costs, and the rise of online media.”

All three challenges are still valid today. [Read more…]