Telling the Story of Tennessee Baptists Since 1835
Lonnie Wilkey
By Lonnie Wilkey
Editor, Baptist and Reflector
The choices we make as individuals have consequences. Refer to Adam and Eve in Genesis 1.
Life is full of choices. Do I eat the double scoop of chocolate peanut butter ice cream on half price scoop night at Baskin-Robbins or do I skip it? Eat it and I gain five pounds. Skip it and I miss a wonderful treat.
Denominational entities and churches have to make choices all the time as well. [Read more…]
By Randy C. Davis
TBC Executive Director
Randy C. Davis
When Eric Watkins strides into one of the most dangerous housing projects in Memphis to take the light of Christ, Tennessee Baptists go with him. When Kent Hightower stands in the loose dirt of a rodeo arena in Morristown and preaches the gospel, Tennessee Baptists are with him. When Doylene and Ritchie Farley distribute food to hundreds of families in one of Tennessee’s most impoverished counties, Tennessee Baptists are there too.
Tennessee Baptists financially giving through the Golden Offering for Tennessee Missions are fueling the missions fires across our state. From the inner city of Memphis, to the hills and hollows of Middle and East Tennessee, to Baptist Collegiate Ministries on 24 campuses across our state, Tennessee Baptists — you — are touching lives with the love of Christ and making an eternal difference. In fact, during the 2014-2015 year you gave the second highest GOTM amount ever recorded, totaling $1,626,579.33! And that is just a little more than $23,000 short of our goal for the year. That’s an increase each of the past two years. [Read more…]
By Michael Ellis
TBC President & Pastor, Impact Baptist Church, Memphis
Michael Ellis
In 1968 Philip Knight, a former track athlete at the University of Oregon, and his college coach, William Bowerman, each invested $500 to form and stock their own shoe company, Blue Ribbon Sports. They later had their logo designed by a college student for $35. As a result of Knight and Bowerman’s “just do it” attitude their company, which is known today as “Nike,” became the top selling athletic apparel company in the United States. Their company’s slogan “Just Do It” is known all over the world. Two simple guys did it. [Read more…]
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…]
Lonnie Wilkey
By Lonnie Wilkey
Editor, Baptist and Reflector
There appears to be a disturbing trend popping up in society today. Some churches, whether they mean to or not, are giving aging Baby Boomers (another way of saying senior adults) the impression they are not welcome.
These churches are putting all of their eggs into the “Millennial basket.” Millennials are generally defined as those born between 1981-97. Boomers are those born between 1946-64. This year, experts predict there will be more Millennials than Baby Boomers for the first time in history. [Read more…]
By Randy C. Davis
TBC Executive Director
New Hope Baptist Church in Leakesville, Miss., knew they were overpaying their 20-year-old preacher. He knew it too. At $125 a week, neither was real sure of what they were getting into. However, those sweet people were patient, kind, nurturing, and at every turn looked for ways to take care of their preacher boy and his new bride. For instance, there was the Christmas they gave his wife an oak coffee table and matching end tables, and gave him a Remington 1100 vent ribbed shotgun. Why? Just to tell that young couple, “We love you and appreciate you and your ministry to us.” [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…]
By Jimmy Inman
Teaching Pastor in Jefferson City
Of the many questions we were asked about starting a church in east Tennessee, one of the most common ones was, “Why are you starting a church where there are already so many churches?” It is a legitimate question. My scriptural conviction is that every church is called to be a part of planting new churches locally, nationally, and internationally, and our church is 
doing that. Here are some basic biblical reasons why I believe this is true. [Read more…]
Roc Collins
By Roc Collins
Pastor in Kingsport
As followers of Christ we have been called to “Go and Make Disciples.” What a great task is ours!
There is no one person who can fulfill that mission alone. God, in His infinite wisdom, has granted us the opportunity to fulfill the Great Commission by working together. Certainly we can get together to participate in ministry but there is another way.
We can give through the Cooperative Program (CP). As we give through the CP we are giving fuel to fulfill the Great Commission. The whole purpose of our giving is to point people to Jesus Christ. [Read more…]
