Telling the Story of Tennessee Baptists Since 1835
By David Dawson
Baptist and Reflector
KNOXVILLE — As he nears his retirement after spending much of his adult life serving God in Africa, John McPherson has an interesting take on his career as a missionary.
“I don’t think what I have done should be seen as a sacrifice,” said McPherson. “Doing what you love to do is not a sacrifice. The sacrifice was really made by my parents. It’s a sacrifice for those who love the person (who has been called).” [Read more…]
Baptist and Reflector
BRENTWOOD — Tennessee Baptist Convention churches contributed $2,852,274 through the Cooperative Program in November.
After one month of the 2017-18 fiscal year, Cooperative Program gifts are $71,989 or 2.5 percent below what was given after one month in the last fiscal year.
Gifts also are $22,726 or 0.79 percent below budget needs. [Read more…]
By Lonnie Wilkey
Editor, Baptist and Reflector
Tennessee Baptist Convention President Steve Freeman, pastor of Grace Baptist Church, Springfield, delivers the annual president’s address during the Tuesday (Nov. 14) session of Summit.
— Photo by Corinne Rochotte
HENDERSONVILLE — Messengers to the annual meeting of the Tennessee Baptist Convention overwhelmingly spoke against racism and elected David Leavell, pastor of First Baptist Church, Millington, as president.
The annual meeting, held during The Summit Nov. 12-16 at First Baptist Church, Hendersonville, drew 993 messengers from 422 churches. Attendance was down from the 1,228 who attended last year’s sessions in Sevierville but was up from the 984 who registered for the 2015 Summit in Millington. The messenger count did not include messengers from First Baptist Church, Jefferson City. Messengers voted overwhelmingly to not seat the eight messengers from First Baptist which called a woman senior pastor earlier this year (see story). [Read more…]
Baptist and Reflector
FRANKLIN — Tennessee Baptist Convention churches gave $2,719,942 through the Cooperative Program in October.
For the 2016-17 fiscal year Tennessee Baptists provided $33,859,359 through the Cooperative Program giving channel to meet ministry and missions needs in the state, nationally, and around the world. [Read more…]
By Lonnie Wilkey
Editor, Baptist and Reflector
Photo: Facebook / First Baptist Church, Morristown
MORRISTOWN – A Tennessee Baptist church that announced in January that it would escrow Cooperative Program funds in response to a decision by two Southern Baptist Convention entities last year to sign an amicus brief in support of a New Jersey mosque has developed a plan to continue financially supporting worldwide missions.
First Baptist Church, Morristown, held a called business meeting Sept. 17 to consider two motions, said Pastor Dean Haun, who resigned in January as a trustee of the SBC’s International Mission Board in protest of its decision to sign the amicus brief along with the SBC’s Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission. [Read more…]
Baptist and Reflector
FRANKLIN — Tennessee Baptist Convention churches gave $2,648,026 through the Cooperative Program in September.
For the year-to-date, Tennessee Baptists have given $31,139,417 through the Cooperative Program which funds missions and ministries in Tennessee, the nation, and the world.
The amount is $828,320 or 2.6 percent below what was given during the same time frame last year. With one month to go in the 2016-17 fiscal year, gifts are $943,916 or 2.94 percent below budget needs. [Read more…]
By Randy C. Davis
TBMB President & Executive Director
It’s time.
I’m ready for Tennessee to beat ’Bama.
Wow. I can practically hear a resounding, “AMEN!” from across the state. And I hate to say it, but it’s been a while since the Vols beat the Tide and that’s a streak I know Vol fans would love to see come to an end.
However, I’m ready for Tennessee Baptists to beat ’Bama Baptists in something more important than football: Cooperative Program giving. A couple of years ago, Bob Terry, editor of the Alabama Baptist newspaper, wrote a column touting the incredible and generous Cooperative Program Giving of Alabama Baptist churches. They are the leaders in the SBC in missions support. Tennessee isn’t far behind. [Read more…]
By David Dawson
Baptist and Reflector
JACKSON — Jordan Easley, the senior pastor at Englewood Baptist Church in Jackson, has a simple philosophy when it comes to missions: Teamwork makes the dream work.
Guided by that belief, Easley is leading his church into a new era in regard to its commitment to giving through the Cooperative Program. He plans to exponentially increase the church’s yearly Cooperative Program giving over the next several years, and he hopes to reach this goal with large incremental increases each year. [Read more…]
Baptist Press
SBC Executive Committee President and CEO Frank S. Page leads the committee in a special prayer recognizing God’s power to overcome obstacles too great for mankind. Intercessory prayer and special disaster recovery funding topped the committee’s agenda at its Nashville meeting Sept. 18–19, which marked the group’s centennial.
-Photo by Morris Abernathy
NASHVILLE — Intercessory prayer and special disaster recovery funding topped the Southern Baptist Convention Executive Committee agenda during its Sept. 18–19 meeting, which marked the group’s centennial.
The Executive Committee unanimously approved a resolution calling Southern Baptists and other Christians to prevailing prayer in the midst of “racial unrest, cataclysmic storms, raging wildfires, political strife, daily shootings in cities across the land, and rampant disregard for the commands and teachings of God’s Word.”
EC President Frank S. Page led those in attendance in a special prayer, recognizing God’s power to overcome obstacles too great for mankind. [Read more…]
By Lonnie Wilkey
Editor, Baptist and Reflector
Mike Kemper, center, interim pastor of Smyrna Baptist Church, Humboldt, was elected chair-elect of the Tennessee Baptist Mission Board. With him are current chair Mike Sams, right, pastor of First Baptist Church, Martin, and Cal Hampton, senior associate pastor of preaching and evangelism at First Baptist Church, Clarksville, who will serve as chair in 2018 following The Summit in Hendersonville.
FRANKLIN — The board of directors of the Tennessee Baptist Mission Board have approved expanding the definition of a cooperating Baptist church to include those churches that give through the Tennessee Baptist Convention portion of the Cooperative Program budget without restriction or designation.
The action was one of several recommendations adopted by the TBMB directors during their meeting Sept. 12 in Franklin. [Read more…]
