FRANKLIN — The future looks bright for Tennessee Baptists, said Randy C. Davis, president and executive director of the Tennessee Baptist Mission Board.
In a video released to Tennessee Baptists on June 28 (click below to view the video), Davis observed that while “we live with cultural uncertainty and uncertainty even with the Southern Baptist Convention, there is good news.
“God is on the move in Tennessee and that’s why I believe it is a great day to be a Tennessee Baptist.”
From Memphis to Mountain City and from Dyersburg to Ducktown, God is working in the lives of people and churches in Tennessee, Davis observed.
International children are accepting Christ at All Nations Camp, 25 incarcerated men and women recently accepted Christ and were baptized behind prison walls and unborn babies are being rescued by the work of crisis pregnancy centers, he noted.
“Across the state, God is writing a chapter of hope on the hearts of people through the work of Tennessee Baptists and it’s a joy for your Tennessee Baptist Mission Board to serve you in making Christ known,” Davis said.
Yet, there is still much to be done, Davis continued.
“Any way you slice it, Tennessee is a mission field, and increasingly so. Our population is exploding and the needs are great,” he said.
Davis noted there are four million unchurched and spiritually lost people in Tennessee — and that number continues to grow.
“As a network of churches, we are completing the 10-year journey of the Five Objectives. These objectives were affirmed in 2014 and have compelled Tennessee Baptists forward in evangelism, church planting, church revitalization, stewardship and generosity,” he said.
With one year to go in the Five Objectives journey, it is imperative to “fight mission drift. In any great mission endeavor, you cannot allow distractions to hold your attention too long.
“We must maintain a laser focus and finish strong. God is doing some amazing things right now. Let’s be a part of that,” Davis challenged.
At the same time, Tennessee Baptists must look beyond 2024, he continued.
Davis reminded Tennessee Baptists of the Acts 2:17 listening sessions held late last year and in the early months of 2023 “to discover God’s preferable future for Tennessee Baptists.”
Opportunities are already emerging, he said, especially in the cotton fields of West Tennessee where Ford is building the largest automotive assembly plant in the nation.
More than 10,000 employees will work at the plant and experts predict a increase of 90,000 people in the area’s population over the next 10 years, he continued.
“Most are coming from across the country and around the world, and many are unchurched and have never heard a clear presentation of the gospel.
“This is not just West Tennessee’s mission field. This is Tennessee Baptists’ mission field,” Davis stressed.
“Churches from across our state are answering the ‘Macedonian call” to come over and help plant at least 40 churches over the next decade. Your churches send people to serve, evangelize and plant churches in other countries, but what can your church do to send people to West Tennessee?” he asked.
Davis added, however, that the western part of the state is not the only area that is growing. “The entire state is expected to grow by more than a half million people over the next decade. These newcomers need to hear the gospel. Will they hear it from Tennessee Baptists?”
The TBMB leader is confident that they will. “For a century and a half, Tennessee Baptists have faithfully taken the gospel throughout our state, across our nation and around the world. I believe we will be faithful to our Great Commission calling,” he affirmed.
As the convention celebrates its 150th anniversary next year in Murfreesboro, Davis promised Tennessee Baptists that their TBMB staff “will walk with you in partnership. That’s what we do. We serve churches.
“I believe the greatest, most fruitful days of our convention lie ahead,” Davis continued. “There is no doubt in my mind that this is a great day to be a Tennessee Baptist.” B&R
