Telling the Story of Tennessee Baptists Since 1835
August 15, 2024
By Lonnie WilkeyEditor, Baptist & ReflectorBaptist churches typically always are eager to welcome any and all people who walk into their church on any given Sunday. Last year, Southern Baptist churches reported increased worship and small group attendance, with in-person worship attendance topping four million people for the first time in three years, according to […]
August 14, 2024
By Sandra PeoplesDisability ministry consultant • Southern Baptists of Texas ConventionWe walked up to the registration area for the children’s classes one Sunday at the church we were visiting in North Carolina while staying with family. The woman we met there asked questions to figure out where the boys should go and typed the answers […]
July 31, 2024
By Adam B. DooleyPastor, Englewood Baptist Church, JacksonDo you have someone you hope to meet again in heaven? Several friends and loved ones come to mind as I think about the place Jesus referred to as Paradise. Great-grandparents, grandparents, church members, and a childhood hero that I admired are just a few of the friendly […]
July 30, 2024
By Larry RobertsonPastor, Hilldale Baptist Church, ClarksvilleWe ask God to bless America. But in all seriousness, why would He? We’ve chosen happiness over holiness, pleasure over purity, politics over prayer, and earth over heaven. Why would God bless America? We’ve forsaken the Golden Rule and replaced it with the rule of gold. We’ve sought power […]
July 29, 2024
By Kevin Shrum Pastor, Inglewood Baptist Church, NashvilleLoneliness and isolation are endemic to the ministry. Ministry isolation and loneliness is partly self-imposed and is partly imposed by the ministry itself. Let’s examine the life of the Prophet Elijah (see I Kings 19:10). In his life and ministry we see the anatomy of loneliness and its […]
July 26, 2024
Editor’s note: In order to protect the privacy of this family, the names have been withheld. I personally know this wonderful family and the writer is a pastor of a Tennessee Baptist church. Due to the negative publicity this resolution generated in June, I wanted to give Tennessee Baptists a perspective from a family who […]
July 25, 2024
By Christy TeeterGuideStone Financial ResourcesIs your pastor making a living wage? Our pastors willingly carry many burdens on their congregation’s behalf, but financial hardship should not be one of them. When they answered the call to ministry, they didn’t go in with the expectation of building wealth but they did hope to earn a solid […]
July 24, 2024
By Lonnie WilkeyEditor, Baptist & ReflectorThe last two weeks seem like a blur with all that has happened in our nation. On July 13, a 20-year-old Pennsylvanian attempted to assassinate former president and current presidential candidate Donald Trump while he was speaking at a rally in Pennsylvania. An assassination attempt on a president or candidate […]
July 18, 2024
By Adam DooleyPastor, Englewood Baptist ChurchIn the aftermath of the attempted assassination of former President Donald Trump, Americans are left wanting answers surrounding the tragedy. One brave father present at the rally, Corey Comperatore, died protecting his family from a stray bullet. Two other attendees, James Copenhaver and David Dutch, suffered critical injuries but are […]
July 18, 2024
By Rob BurdetteAssociational Missionary, Robertson County Baptist AssociationRevitalization of our churches is one of the core goals of our association. I was recently speaking on revitalization and there was a lady in the group who I could tell was not on board with what I was saying. She raised her hand and in a very […]
July 17, 2024
By Melita ThomasVBS ministry specialist, Lifeway Christian ResourcesThe days and weeks immediately following Vacation Bible School are the most crucial for outreach. But so often this critical element seems to fall through the cracks. We all have good intentions for connecting with children and families again after VBS, but then the aftermath of VBS kicks […]
July 16, 2024
By Eric CopassPastor, First Baptist Church, CelinaAs the walls of our beloved church, which have stood proudly since January 1936, are being dismantled to pave the way for a new chapter, it’s crucial to reminisce about the rich history that has shaped our community. Each brick, each pew and each glass window hold within it […]