Randy Davis

Change is uncomfortable. It means leaving the familiar for which there is a routine that creates repetition, that creates efficiency.

People will often say about an organization when it reaches that point that “It runs like a well-oiled machine.” It’s as if things just run on autopilot.

But routine, repetition, and efficiency can also create comfort and complacency, and complacency is the death knell of churches and organizations like the Tennessee Baptist Mission Board. [Read more…]

Chris Turner

The reputations of churches today are just one crisis away from being destroyed. Yet, an overwhelming majority of churches are unprepared to manage even the slightest level of hostility that is becoming more prevalent in American culture.

Harsh statement? Maybe, but hopefully a wake-up call also. After more than 20 years in crisis communications and media relations, I can confidently say there are two types of organizations: those that have faced a crisis and those whose crisis hasn’t happened yet.

When things go wrong, organizations without a plan often suffer significant reputational damage — sometimes irreparable — in a matter of minutes. [Read more…]

Randy Davis

Nothing changes your perspective for the better like intently looking at what the Lord has done for you, then entering His presence with a long list of gratitude. In fact, we are instructed to be thankful. “It is good to give thanks to the Lord” (Psalm 92:1).

It doesn’t take long to make that kind of “thanks-giving” list, and it will be a great source of encouragement. Truly, we should live in a perpetual state of reflection and thanksgiving — not just at Thanksgiving. However, ’tis the season, and it is certainly right to be reminded now of God’s goodness to us and what He has done for, with, and through Tennessee Baptists. So here goes: [Read more…]

Chris Turner

“Every man lives with the specter that he is letting someone down,” a pastor once told our men’s group.

The 17 years since have proven the declaration’s truth.

A specter is “a visible ghost or phantom, or a haunting, frightening mental image of something that is a source of dread or fear.” Dread comes from all quarters. Men aren’t good enough husbands, fathers, employees or providers for their families.

Sometimes, that sense of inadequacy is reinforced from the pulpit. I sat behind a dad and his son during church on Father’s Day several years ago. The sermon focused on how fathers “need to pick it up,” supported by statistics about absentee dads. “Dad,” the son whispered, “how come Mom got roses on Mother’s Day, and you get a lecture?” [Read more…]

Hardwick

What a great couple of years.

It has been a joy and honor to serve Tennessee Baptists these two years as president of our Tennessee Baptist Convention and as chair of the Acts 2:17 vision team.

The Lord gave me a front-row seat to what he is doing in and through our family of churches. I can confidently say God is at work, and I am excited about our future together!

I love our TBC vision “to be a collaborative network of spiritually healthy churches reaching Tennessee and beyond for Christ.” I’ve seen this in action over these last few years. [Read more…]

Randy Davis

Morris H. Chapman’s faith received sight when he recently arrived in the eternal presence of the Lord he loved and served — a legacy that still echoes in our convention halls.

I recently attended his funeral at Triune Baptist Church here in Middle Tennessee. Chapman was a longtime pastor and served as president/CEO of the Southern Baptist Convention Executive Committee for 18 years.

He was considered a man of “vision, diplomacy, commitment to evangelism and world missions as well as his stalwart support of the Cooperative Program,” as was stated in a Baptist Press article announcing his death. [Read more…]

Editor’s note: This column is Part 3 of a three-part series. The first two installments are “Prayer for the Lost Begins with the Spirit” and “Believers Should Answer Call to Intercede for the Lost.” 

Nancy Duggin

Do you have a sense of urgency concerning those who are without Christ? Where does such urgency come from? We need only to examine the Gospels and Paul’s teachings to understand that any urgency we experience is driven by the belief in the imminent return of Jesus Christ and the need for others to hear the gospel and accept Him as their Savior.

Each of us will live for all eternity. The question is: where will we spend it? This question should fuel our urgency to present the gospel through prayer, personal witness, and commitment to missions. [Read more…]

Chris Turner

America is fraught with tension, and many days it feels as if the philosophical differences stretch the fabric of democracy to irreparable shredding. That’s no epiphany. Ideological conflict predates the Revolutionary War and is woven throughout our history. Democracy encourages diverse and divergent perspectives.

But lately our culture and country feel as if we’re on one of those runaway trains in an old Western movie careening across the Arizona desert with no brakes and heading toward the Grand Canyon, where the bridge is out.

There is division on virtually every topic. A poll conducted last month by the Siena College Research Institute indicated widespread pessimism about political division and the nation’s ability to address key challenges. The results underscore a deepening sense of “national despair,” with polarization serving as a barrier to progress. [Read more…]

Hardwick

Southern Baptists found themselves in a rapidly changing world 100 years ago. The 1920s roared with supposed progress that left many questioning long-trusted truth. Rising modernism challenged Scriptural beliefs, morality, creation and threatened the foundations of our missional efforts.

Amid the uncertainty, Southern Baptists, and specifically Tennessee Baptists, chose to stand firm on God’s Word and in shared commitment to His mission.

The defining year was 1925, and it still defines us a century later. Southern Baptists adopted the Baptist Faith and Message (BF&M) and launched the Cooperative Program (CP) that year in Memphis. [Read more…]