By Lonnie Wilkey
Editor, Baptist and Reflector

BRENTWOOD — Though the Tennessee Baptist Convention’s official partnership with the Guatemala Baptist Convention does not take place until next year, it is off to a good start.

A team of 22 Tennessee Baptist volunteers traveled to Guatemala in early May to participate in the Guatemala convention’s Sixth Annual Leadership Summit.

Tennessee Baptists are no strangers to Guatemalan Baptists, said Garry Eudy, who will serve as field coordinator for the partnership.

He noted that a team of Tennessee Baptists taught the TBC “More Life” evangelism approach two years ago and last year a team taught the 1-5-1 Harvest Plants approach. Harvest Plants are off campus efforts (outside the walls of the church) geared toward people who don’t know Christ as their Savior for the purpose of sharing the gospel, discipling people, and starting churches.

“This year, in light of the coming partnership, the goal was to introduce as many TBC pastors to as many GBC pastors as possible,” Eudy said.

Eudy noted that the Summit was “decentralized” this year and was held in five different locations around the country for maximum impact. “Instead of four or five teachers, we had 22. And instead of 120 attendees we had around 325-350,” he shared. [Read more…]

By Chris Turner
Director of Communications, TBC

BRENTWOOD — The majority of leaders from Tennessee Baptist churches say they are “very satisfied” with the Cooperative Program and an even higher percentage indicated they find the Cooperative Program “valuable,” according to a recent study conducted by the Executive Board Ministries of the Tennessee Baptist Convention.

The survey’s questions were sent to approximately 2,000 churches and polled pastors, church administrators, treasurers, Woman’s Missionary Union directors, missions ministers, and other key leaders. The survey grouped churches into three categories: those whose Cooperative Program giving is increasing, those whose Cooperative Program giving is decreasing, and those whose giving is remaining flat.

“We sampled Cooperative Program giving over the five-year period from 2008 to 2013,” said Nicki Brooks, TBC staff member who led the study. “The survey was conducted in March and was completely anonymous because we wanted people to offer candid responses. A main goal in conducting the survey was to gain a better understanding of people’s level of awareness, and their overall perception of, the Cooperative Program.” [Read more…]

By Lonnie Wilkey
Editor, Baptist and Reflector

STRAWBERRY PLAINS — Matt Giles, pastor of Lyons Creek Baptist Church here, can affirm what a good transitional pastor can do for a transitioning church.
Seven years ago, Giles came to Lyons Creek, his first pastorate, after serving as youth pastor at Broadway Baptist Church in Maryville for five years.

When he arrived, longtime Knoxville pastor and former Tennessee Baptist Convention president Jim McCluskey was leaving after serving as a transitional interim pastor.

“He did a great job in preparing the church,” Giles recalled. “They were ready to engage in a great work for the Lord.”

Giles was called to the church already knowing that it needed to be “revitalized.” He acknowledged the church had some division in the past, attendance had declined, giving had decreased, and the church had building debt.

“They were in a survival mentality. We need to get back to having a missional mentality,” he said. [Read more…]

By Lonnie Wilkey
Editor, Baptist and Reflector

KNOXVILLE — Interest in the topic of church revitalization is gaining momentum across Tennessee — and with good reason.

Statistics reveal that 90 percent of the churches in the Southern Baptist Convention are plateaued or declining.

John Mark Clifton, church revitalization team leader for the North American Mission Board, notes that on any given Sunday, Southern Baptists will start 20 churches.

On the other end of the spectrum however, 17 Southern Baptist churches will close their doors for good on that same Sunday, Clifton said. [Read more…]

By Baptist and Reflector

BRENTWOOD — C. Kenny Cooper, president/treasurer of Tennessee Baptist Adult Homes, will retire Dec. 31.

Cooper announced his plans April 15 in a letter mailed to trustees of Tennessee Baptist Adult Homes based in Brentwood.

Cooper, who will be 65 in December, said his retirement comes at an “opportune” time for TBAH. [Read more…]

By Baptist and Reflector

BRENTWOOD — Giving from Tennessee Baptist Convention churches through the Cooperative Program saw a large increase in April.

Churches gave $3,466,390 through the Cooperative Program giving channel. The amount was more than $900,000 over each of the previous two months.

After six months of the current fiscal year, Tennessee Baptists have given $17,076,840. The amount is $149,052 or 0.9 percent below what was given after six months last year. The total thus far also is $48,160 or 0.28 below current budget needs.

“We are very thankful to the Lord and appreciative to Tennessee Baptist churches that our Cooperative Program giving to financially support Great Commission work is right on target halfway through the budget year,” said Randy C. Davis, TBC executive director/treasurer.

“And the Golden Offering for Tennessee Missions is almost 9 percent ahead of last year’s giving,” he added.
“There is much to celebrate.

By Connie Davis Bushey
News Editor, Baptist and Reflector

CROSSVILLE — “Sixty-five percent of all Christian men look at pornography weekly. This is an epidemic in the church,” said Andy Loomis, a therapist of Cumberland Plateau Baptist Association based here.

“And it’s hard to approach because most men will not tell their pastors because they’re afraid of how they’ll be looked at. … Nobody wants to talk about it.”

Of course, the main person they are hiding it from is their wife and then their family and God, he reported.

Many men are leading two separate lives, said Loomis. And even Christian men can do this because viewing pornography is “minimized” by society though they are living a life filled with sexual fantasies and lust. Porn also is readily available, just “one or two clicks away on the computer” in every home, he added. [Read more…]