FRANKLIN — Longtime Tennessee Baptist pastor Gene Nelson has been chosen as Harvest Field 6 team leader for the Tennessee Baptist Mission Board, effective July 15.
Nelson succeeds Randy Pressnell who retired from that role in May.
A native of Knoxville, Nelson was ordained to the gospel ministry in 1996 at Wallace Memorial Baptist Church in Knoxville. He earned degrees from Carson-Newman University in Jefferson City and Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Fort Worth, Texas.
Nelson has served three Tennessee Baptist churches as pastor over the last 25 years — Russellville Baptist Church, Russellville (2012-2024), Trenton Street Baptist Church, Harriman (2006-2012), and Cherokee Hills Baptist Church, Morristown (1999-2006). He also served as minister of education/youth at First Baptist Church, Rogersville, from 1994-99.
He has been active in each association where he has served — Nolachucky Baptist Association, Big Emory Baptist Association and Holston Valley Baptist Association.
Nelson has been active in the life of the Tennessee Baptist Convention. He served on the Executive Board of the TBC (now Tennessee Baptist Mission Board) and the Committee on Committees from 2018-21. He was chairman of the committee in his last year.
In 2022, he was elected second vice president of the Tennessee Baptist Convention.
Nelson said he has long desired to serve multiple churches through denominational work. “It has been a process,” he observed. “God has prepared me over the last two to three years for this transition.”
His immediate goals as Harvest Field 6 team leader is to meet as many pastors as possible in the 10 associations that comprise the harvest field. He hopes to be able to increase the awareness of the number of lost people in the harvest field and show how the TBMB can assist the pastors and the churches in their efforts to share the gospel in their communities.
“I want to come alongside them and provide whatever assistance I can,” he said.
He acknowledged that it will take time to transition from 30 years of church ministry to his new role, “I look forward to serving the Church instead of a church,” he said.
Joe Sorah, harvest field ministry team leader for TBMB, noted that Nelson “brings a wealth of pastoral experience and local knowledge as he has served several churches in the East Tennessee region.
“He understands the day-to-day challenges and issues that pastors face. Gene has a servant’s heart and will serve our pastors and churches well,” Sorah said. B&R — Lonnie Wilkey


