Telling the Story of Tennessee Baptists Since 1835
By Tim Ellsworth
Contributing Writer, B&R
MILAN — When Dinah Hufstedler of Milan heard about the Tennessee Baptist Mission Board’s “Bless Every Home” initiative, she was quick to sign up.
She began praying for her neighbors. But that was just the start.
“After approximately six or seven months of praying for them, I thought, ‘I want to do something where they know there’s somebody there for them,’ ” said Hufstedler, a member of Chapel Hill Baptist Church in Milan. [Read more…]
Baptist Press
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — Keeping the focus on the “Gospel Above All” theme is Southern Baptist Convention President J.D. Greear’s main goal going into SBC’s annual meeting in Birmingham, Ala., June 11-12.
But following a year of transition among five SBC entities searching for new leadership and the convention responding to reports of sexual abuse, Greear noted there will be other issues demanding attention.
Greear, who is expected to be reelected SBC president without opposition, acknowledged that confronting sexual abuse is among them. [Read more…]
By David Dawson
Baptist and Reflector
ddawson@tnbaptist.org
SPRING HILL — Relationship experts often say that the ability to “speak someone’s language” is a crucial component in making a connection.
Jason Davis, pastor at Grace Park Baptist Church, Spring Hill, is using that philosophy in a unique way. He is forming relations and building bonds — and even evangelizing — through his knowledge of, and interest in, video games. [Read more…]
By David Dawson
Baptist and Reflector
ddawson@tnbaptist.org
Dean Haun
WHITE PINE — According to the flyers, the Go Tell Lakeway Area Crusade started on April 28.
But the crusade’s chairman, Dean Haun, says it might have actually started long before that.
Haun, pastor of First Baptist Church, Morristown, said the crusade — which resulted in more than 340 professions of faith and drew a four-day attendance total of roughly 17,500 at the Walters State Community College Great Smoky Mountains Expo Center — may have begun to take shape more than a decade ago. [Read more…]
By David Dawson
Baptist and Reflector
ddawson@tnbaptist.org
Evangelist Rick Gage leads a prayer at the Go Tell crusade at the Walters State Community College Great Smoky Mountains Expo Center in White Pine.
— Photos by Brooks Gray
WHITE PINE — During his years of ministry, Dean Haun, pastor of First Baptist Church, Morristown, has experienced both ends of the “success spectrum” in regard to certain events and projects. He has seen some that fall flat and some that surpass all expectations.
So, when he was asked to serve as chairman of the Go Tell America Lakeway Area Crusade, Haun prepared himself — and his team — for what might lie ahead. [Read more…]
By Aaron Earls
LifeWay Research
NASHVILLE — Building relationships with other believers seems to come naturally to Protestant churchgoers, however, for many, those relationships are built apart from Bible study and spiritual growth.
The 2019 Discipleship Pathway Assessment study from Nashville-based LifeWay Research found 78 percent of Protestant churchgoers say they have developed significant relationships with people at their church, including 43 percent who strongly agree. Fewer than 1 in 10 disagree (8 percent), while 14 percent neither agree nor disagree. [Read more…]
Baptist and Reflector
Randy C. Davis, president and executive director of the Tennessee Baptist Mission Board, said one reason that many churchgoers fail to share the gospel is because, “We are driven by our own preferences instead of the Great Commission.”
FRANKLIN — A LifeWay Christian Resources study that finds more Christians have a passion for evangelism than those who actually tell others about Jesus “is an indication of the average Christian not understanding the heart of God,” observed Randy C. Davis, president and executive director of the Tennessee Baptist Mission Board.
Davis was one of three TBMB staff members who opined on the LifeWay study. [Read more…]
By Aaron Earls
Writer, LifeWay Christian Resources
NASHVILLE — The 2019 Discipleship Pathway Assessment study from Nashville-based LifeWay Research found excitement and eagerness about the idea of evangelism, but few Protestant churchgoers actually engaged in the practice on a regular basis.
More than half (55 percent) of those who attend church at least once a month say they have not shared with someone how to become a Christian in the past six months. [Read more…]
By Jay Barbier,
Evangelism Event Specialist, TBMB
Have you ever thought about this question: Should a church or even a parent send their student to camp? The answer is yes! The bigger question is why? Why should a person go to camp?
The answer: Camp changes everything. I wholeheartedly believe in the benefit of camp! Camp experiences change lives. I’m talking about camps that focus on Jesus; this changes the what and the why. Jesus-focused camps help develop students for the rest of their lives.
Let’s break this down into three main issues: foundation of faith, fellowship and community, and accountability. These, I believe, are the key factors that set camp apart. [Read more…]
By Randy C. Davis
TBMB President & Executive Director
Everyone likes to win. Even the most non-competitive people prefer winning to losing. Losing is a momentum killer. It’s a drain. It puts people on edge. Winning, however, builds momentum and breeds more winning. We don’t have to look any further than the University of Tennessee men’s basketball team to see the effects of winning.
Through the years, the Vols have had spotty success, but when they weren’t winning, there was criticism of underachieving. Fans, coaches, administrators — everyone — would get tense which was usually followed by a blame-game and a coaching change. [Read more…]
