By Connie Davis Bushey
News Editor, Baptist and Reflector
SEVIERVILLE — Steve Freeman, pastor, Grace Baptist Church, Springfield, was elected president without opposition during Summit, which includes the annual meeting of the Tennessee Baptist Convention. Summit is meeting Nov. 13-17.
Michael Crandall, pastor, Hillcrest Baptist Church, Dyersburg, was elected vice president over Kylan Mann, pastor, Central Baptist Church, Martin. Crandall received 363 votes (64 percent) over 205 votes for Mann (36 percent).
Finally, Todd Stinnett, pastor, Black Oak Heights Baptist Church, Knoxville, was elected second vice president without opposition.
Freeman was nominated by Eric Stitts, pastor, Bayside Baptist Church, Harrison.
Stitts reported that during the past nine years of Freeman’s leadership of Grace, 1,108 people have joined of which 539 have been baptized.
Grace gives nine percent of its gifts through the Cooperative Program and recently assisted a church in Italy which has grown and even joined the TBC. The effort supported the Tennessee/Italy Baptist Partnership, continued Stitts.
Freeman mentors younger pastors, added Stitts. In the denomination, Freeman has been chair of the TBC Executive Board (now Tennessee Baptist Mission Board), vice president and second vice president of the TBC, and president of the TBC Pastors Conference.
Michael Crandall was nominated by Mike Hickman, pastor, First Baptist Church, Dyersburg, and Mann was nominated by Danny Sinquefield, pastor, Faith Baptist Church, Bartlett.
Crandall is a graduate of New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary where he is working on his doctorate, noted Hickman.
Crandall has led Hillcrest to increase its giving through the Cooperative Program to 15 percent of its budget and 25 percent to missions.
In the denomination, Crandall was secretary-treasurer for the 2016 Pastors Conference and is currently serving as the 2016 second vice president of the TBC, said Hickman. He previously was vice president of the TBC Executive Board (now Tennessee Baptist Mission Board).
Locally, Crandall is chaplain of the local fire department, engages young families since he has young children, and relates well to the 43 other pastors of Dyer Baptist Association, said Hickman.
Todd Stinnett was nominated as second vice president by Dean Haun, pastor, First Baptist Church, Morristown.
Stinnett is a graduate of the University of Tennessee, Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary, Wake Forest, N.C., and Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, Louisville, Ky., from which he earned a doctorate, said Haun.
At Black Oak Heights, which Stinnett has served for 15 months, 180 people have joined the church of which 50 were baptized.
In the denomination Stinnett has been a member of the TBC Executive Board (now Tennessee Baptist Mission Board) for six years and just completed service as president of the Pastors Conference, said Haun.
