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CROSSOVER CAN HAVE ‘ETERNAL IMPACT’

June 4, 2021

By David Dawson
ddawson@tnbaptist.org

FRANKLIN — Although “Crossover Nashville” will operate slightly differently than some of its forerunners, it still can make an impact on Music City, said Roc Collins, director of strategic objectives for the Tennessee Baptist Mission Board.

“Crossover is an opportunity to share Jesus prior to the meeting of the Southern Baptist Convention, thus revealing to the city of Nashville that Southern Baptists are most interested in the gospel of Jesus Christ,” said Collins. “It has made an eternal impact on countless lives and numerous cities through the years, and can do so again this year.”

The evangelistic event — held each year in the SBC’s host city for the past 30 years — will take place June 7-13 in the Nashville area. Due to COVID-19 protocols and precautions, some of the activities have been tweaked, but churches are still being encouraged to host gospel-sharing events during that week, with a special emphasis being put on the weekend of June 12-13.

Several organizations, including SBC, NAMB, TBMB, and the local associations, partner together to host the event.  [Read more…]

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Filed Under: Featured, News, Tennessee Tagged With: evangelism

WE MUST REACH TENNESSEE TODAY!

April 30, 2021

By Steve Pearson
Tennessee Baptist Mission Board Evangelism Specialist

The state of lostness in Tennessee is increasing. Tennessee’s population is close to seven million people. It is estimated that the amount of that population which is lost is around four million. In other words, it is estimated that around 58 percent of Tennesseans are lost without Christ.

When talking about a church’s area of influence or harvest field, the average number of lost people in that area is about 1,000-3,000 people per church. If your church is in a rural setting that means, there are about 1,000 lost people on average in that area. That number increases to about 3,000 when you are talking about major metropolitan areas. 

The yearly death rate in Tennessee is 919 per 100,000 residents. With nearly seven million people, that means every year there are about 64,000 people who die in Tennessee. If about 58 percent are lost that means that approximately 38,000 Tennesseans are dying each year without Christ. It also means that every day approximately 105 people in our state die without Christ. [Read more…]

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Filed Under: Featured, Opinion Column Tagged With: evangelism

WHERE HAVE ALL THE CHURCHES GONE?

March 20, 2021

By Nan Corbitt Allen
Freelance writer

church, structure, construction, sky, building, security“Where have all the flowers gone/Long time passing/
Where have all the flowers gone/Long time ago?”

Remember this protest song recorded by the trio Peter, Paul and Mary in the 1960s? Its lyrics describe a sort of cycle of life … of flowers … picked by young girls … who take husbands … who become soldiers … whose bodies go to graveyards … that are eventually covered in flowers.

Occasionally I’m asked similar questions about the church. “What’s happened to the church? Where has it gone? Will the church as we once knew it ever return?” 

These questions are usually referring to music and worship styles and are often asked by those who prefer the more traditional ways — of which they are more familiar. My answer is usually some mumbo-jumbo about trends, and relevance, and post-modernism and such. But in reality I have no idea what’s happening in the worldwide church. 

Through my six decades on the planet as a “church girl,” I’ve seen the Body struggle with itself (or against itself), in an attempt to make it more relevant. I am just now starting to see a pattern and trying to make sense of it all. [Read more…]

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Filed Under: Featured, Opinion Column Tagged With: evangelism

STARTED ON FAITH, SUSTAINED BY FAITH

February 11, 2021

Two-year-old church plant baptizes 45 people during pandemic

By Lonnie Wilkey
Editor, Baptist and Reflector
lwilkey@tnbaptist.org

Joel Kirk, pastor of Realife Church in Bristol, delivers his message.

BRISTOL — Pastor Joel Kirk has a simple formula for planting a church: “It’s impossible to please God without faith.”

So far, that formula has produced miracle after miracle for Realife Church in Bristol, a congregation that will not be three years old until the Sunday after Easter this year.

Kirk recalled that on Palm Sunday in 2018 he and his wife, Angela, met with about 20 people at a coffee shop in Bristol and he laid out a vision for a church that didn’t even have a name yet. [Read more…]

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Filed Under: Featured, News, Tennessee Tagged With: coronavirus, evangelism

THIS TIME, IT’S COMING TO YOU

February 9, 2021

Churches invited to host watch parties for YEC this year

By David Dawson
Baptist and Reflector
ddawson@tnbaptist.org

Long Hollow Baptist Church pastor Robby Gallaty tapes a segment for the 2021 Youth Evangelism Conference. Gallaty is the featured speaker for this year’s conference, which will be streamed to churches across the state.

FRANKLIN — For more than two years, Tennessee Baptist Mission Board youth specialist Jay Barbier has been thinking about the possibility of restructuring the annual Youth Evangelism Conference.

The COVID-19 pandemic opened the door for those changes to be made.

The conference, which has been a popular event for more than 50 years, will have a much different look and feel this year. Instead of being hosted at a central location, the conference will be streamed to churches all across Tennessee on the night of March 13.

Churches are invited to hold “YEC watch parties” on their church campus. Churches can register for the event at yectn.org, and can view the stream, for free, through the Tennessee Baptist Mission Board. Churches can also hold breakout sessions on campus. [Read more…]

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Filed Under: Featured, News, Tennessee Tagged With: coronavirus, evangelism

NO PAUSE FOR THE PANDEMIC

January 27, 2021

FBC McMinnville sees surge in baptisms despite COVID

By David Dawson
Baptist and Reflector
ddawson@tnbaptist.org

Jeff Owens, pastor of First Baptist Church, McMinnville, left, baptizies Morgan West, a 19-year-old college student. West came to the church through FBC’s new college/career ministry called “The Bridge.”

McMINNVILLE — Although the COVID-19 pandemic has caused a tidal wave of cancelations and postponements over the past 10 months, the virus certainly hasn’t canceled the evangelism efforts at First Baptist Church, McMinnville.

It has only reshaped them.

When the virus first took hold last spring, the church staff at FBC began examining some of its outreach strategies — and began moving in a new direction with several of its ministries.

Those efforts, coupled with the church’s ability to adapt and adjust, led to a surge in baptisms in 2020.  [Read more…]

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Filed Under: Featured, News, Tennessee Tagged With: coronavirus, evangelism

‘BIGGEST MOVEMENT OF GOD I’VE SEEN’

January 13, 2021

Tragedies lead to salvations, baptisms in Hendersonville

By Scott Barkley
National Correspondent, Baptist Press

Andrei Iacob was baptized by Long Hollow Baptist Church pastor Robby Gallaty on Dec. 20, just days after Iacob’s wife and son were murdered.

HENDERSONVILLE — Noah Iacob lived for only a week two years ago. But his story is interwoven with other stories as part of a revival taking place at Long Hollow Baptist Church.

Noah’s underdeveloped lungs became too much for his body to overcome. But after his death, his mother Jessie realized she needed the healing power of Christ in her life and, after becoming a Christian, was baptized at Long Hollow. Jessie, her son Zeke and husband Andrei began attending the church.

But Jessie’s earthly life ended Dec. 11 when she and her son were murdered by an intruder when Andrei wasn’t home. The suspect, identified as a former employee of the excavating business the couple founded, took his own life Dec. 13 after police had determined his location. [Read more…]

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Filed Under: Featured, News, Tennessee Tagged With: evangelism

PERSONAL EVANGELISM: DON’T LET COVID-19 BECOME AN EXCUSE

December 9, 2020

By Lonnie Wilkey
Editor, Baptist and Reflector
lwilkey@tnbaptist.org

FRANKLIN — Evangelism leaders for the Tennessee Baptist Mission Board agree COVID-19 has impacted personal evangelism, but they also strongly affirm that Christians should not use it as an excuse to not witness.

“The fact social distancing has been in place for months has certainly impacted our ability to communicate with others,” said Roc Collins, director of strategic objectives for the TBMB. 

It is hard to create relationships and even communicate with social distancing. Plus, he added, people are leery of everybody and afraid they may catch this virus.”

Jay Barbier, youth evangelism specialist for the TBMB, noted there is “no doubt that personal evangelism has been impacted because of COVID. 

“We as a people like to find excuses and I think this pandemic has entertained us in a way like never before to give in to evangelistic laziness. We need to stop saying why we can’t tell others about Jesus because of COVID and look at all the new, old and amazing opportunities we have to communicate the greatest news ever, the gospel of Jesus,” he said. [Read more…]

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Filed Under: Featured, News, Tennessee Tagged With: coronavirus, COVID-19, evangelism

HENNING CHURCH REACHES THOSE SEEKING HELP

November 26, 2020

Baptist & Reflector 

Pastor Wade Wallace baptizes a new believer at Victory Baptist Church in Henning.

HENNING — Pastor Wade Wallace of Victory Baptist Church in Henning readily admits that his congregation is not for everyone.

“This church is for people who are wanting help, who are seeking help, who realize that they need God but don’t feel like they fit into the average Baptist church,” he said.

The West Tennessee church was featured on one of four “Good News Videos” featured during Virtual Summit on Nov. 10. See this video and others online at TBCSummit.org. [Read more…]

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Filed Under: News, Tennessee Tagged With: evangelism, Summit

CHESSER: NOW MORE THAN EVER, PEOPLE ARE IN NEED OF THE LORD

November 18, 2020

By Lonnie Wilkey
Editor, Baptist and Reflector
lwilkey@tnbaptist.org

Bruce Chesser delivers an abbreviated president’s address during the Tennessee Baptist Convention’s first Virtual Summit.

FRANKLIN — Even during a worldwide pandemic, God has done and “will continue to do wonders among us,” affirmed Bruce Chesser, pastor of First Baptist Church, Hendersonville, and president of the Tennessee Baptist Convention.

Due to the cancelation of the in-person Summit originally scheduled for Brentwood Baptist Church, Chesser gave an abbreviated message during the Virtual Summit.

“I had expected to share a message at Summit and preach in a more traditional way,” he noted, “but it’s an honor to be able to come to you in this way.” Chesser, who will serve another year as president, said he planned to present his original message at next year’s convention. [Read more…]

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Filed Under: Featured, News, Tennessee Tagged With: coronavirus, evangelism, Summit

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