Telling the Story of Tennessee Baptists Since 1835
By Tim Ellsworth
Associate VP for Communications, Union University
Steve Gaines
JACKSON, Tenn. — Southern Baptist Convention President Steve Gaines will be the keynote speaker at the second annual West Tennessee Evangelism Rally March 5 at Union University.
Ernest Easley, professor of evangelism at Union, said last year’s rally was much more successful than he had hoped, with more than 800 people attending.
He said the need for such an event is clear. [Read more…]
By Connie Davis Bushey
News Editor, Baptist and Reflector
Editor’s note: You can hear William Burton discuss ethnic ministries during Episode 4 of Radio B&R,the official news podcast of the Tennessee Baptist Mission Board.
Arabic and ethnic Baptist leaders in Tennessee pause during a leadership conference for Arabic Baptist churches in Middle Tennessee on Jan. 21 in Murfreesboro. From left are Maged Boles, pastor, Arabic Baptist Church, Murfreesboro; Anderow Shafik, member, Arabic Baptist Church of Tusculum Hills Baptist, Nashville; William Burton, ethnic evangelism/church planting specialist, Tennessee Baptist Mission Board; and Nathan Awad, pastor, Arabic Baptist Church of Tusculum Hills Baptist.
MURFREESBORO — Muslims do become Christians, said Maged Boles, pastor of the Arabic Baptist Church here. He should know. He lived in Egypt all of his life until four years ago when he immigrated to the United States. Egypt has a majority of Muslim residents. Boles was a Christian missionary there.
William Burton, ethnic evangelism/church planting specialist for the Tennessee Baptist Mission Board, agreed, noting this is occurring in Tennessee mainly because of Arab Baptists.
“These guys are very, very evangelistic,” said Burton. [Read more…]
By Connie Davis Bushey
News Editor, Baptist and Reflector
Editor’s note: You can hear William Burton discuss ethnic ministries during Episode 4 of Radio B&R, the official news podcast of the Tennessee Baptist Mission Board.
Jana Guy of the Arabic Baptist Church, Murfreesboro, participates in an activity of a children’s Sunday School training conference on Jan. 21 in Murfreesboro. The conference was led by Vicki Hulsey, right, of the Tennessee Baptist Mission Board staff. Looking on is Amira Abdul-Sayed of the Arabic Baptist Church of Tusculum Hills Baptist, Nashville.
BRENTWOOD — Ethnic Baptist churches associated with the Tennessee Baptist Convention have nearly doubled in number — to about 200 — in the last 18 months.
One of the most important groups being reached by the new churches are Arabic speakers, said William Burton, ethnic evangelism/church planting specialist for the Tennessee Baptist Mission Board. Currently there are five Arabic Baptist churches in Tennessee.
“For me, that’s one of the most exciting things that we’re doing because that’s a group that’s obviously in the news. There’s a lot of fear, concern.” [Read more…]
Editor’s note: You can listen to Roc Collins discuss evangelism during Episode 3 of Radio B&R, the official news podcast of the Tennessee Baptist Mission Board. That podcast can be found here.
By Lonnie Wilkey
Editor, Baptist and Reflector
Roc Collins delivers his president’s address at the Summit last November.
BRENTWOOD — “It’s later than you think, but it’s not too late.”
That phrase, uttered during his president’s address at the annual meeting of the Tennessee Baptist Convention, has become the signature statement for Roc Collins, past president of the convention and former pastor of Indian Springs Baptist Church in Kingsport.
In December, Collins was announced as the director of evangelism for the Tennessee Baptist Mission Board. In an interview with the Baptist and Reflector in early January, Collins offered his candid views on “the state of evangelism in Tennessee.” [Read more…]
By Ernest L. Easley
Evangelism Professor, Union University, Jackson
A busy pastor recently asked me how to keep the main focus on evangelism while meeting all the other demands and distractions of church life.
Having served as a lead pastor for more than 30 years, I understand that frustration. I sometimes struggled to have any energy or drive left for evangelism after seemingly giving it all toward shepherding the flock.
So how do busy pastors and church leaders keep evangelism a priority with all the challenges and distractions? I have found these four ways helpful: [Read more…]
By Lonnie Wilkey
Editor, Baptist and Reflector
Jason and Tiffany Bowen of Trenton attended the Summit in Sevierville with their children, from left, Evangeline, Charlotte Jean, and Samuel. — Photo by Corinne Williams
SEVIERVILLE — During the The Good Cup event for ministers’ wives held at The Summit in November, the question was posed to those wives who attended, “Did you think you would ever marry a minister?”
Pardon Tiffany Bowen for laughing. The question often reminds her of God’s wonderful sense of humor.
At the time she met her future husband Jason Bowen, now pastor of First Baptist Church, Trenton, Tiffany was a self-professed “atheist, feminist bartender.”
Tiffany was working her way through the University of Tennessee in Knoxville when she met Jason, then a self-described “lukewarm” Christian who was working at the same restaurant. He asked her out three times before she agreed to date him and it was only going to be for one hour, she recalled. [Read more…]
By Connie Davis Bushey
News Editor, Baptist and Reflector
Tennessee Baptists visit with leaders of a breakout session of Summit on Christian schools. From left are Walter Grubb, president, Harrison-Chilhowee Baptist Academy, Seymour; Wesley Scott, Southern Baptist Association of Christian Schools; Larry Reagan, pastor, Adams Chapel Missionary Baptist Church, Dresden, and headmaster, Central Christian Academy, Martin; and Ed Gamble, SBACS.
SEVIERVILLE — “Ninety percent of America’s evangelical kids attend a school where it is illegal to teach the full truth, ” said Ed Gamble in a breakout session of Summit which includes the annual meeting of the Tennessee Baptist Convention.
“Why is it so important that the church take ownership of the weekday?” he asked in the Nov. 14 session, “Christian Schools and Beyond: Capturing the Next Generation.”
Christians should be “passing our faith from one generation to the next,” however “in America we’re not getting it done.” said Gamble, retired executive director, Southern Baptist Association of Christian Schools. [Read more…]
By Lonnie Wilkey
Editor, Baptist and Reflector
New TBC President Steve Freeman was joined by his wife Leigh Ann, right, and daughter Katie following his election. His son Cole was unable to be present due to work and school obligations.
SPRINGFIELD — Just like his predecessor, new Tennessee Baptist Convention President Steve Freeman has a heart and passion for evangelism.
Freeman, pastor of Grace Baptist Church, Springfield, was elected by acclamation at The Summit in November to succeed Roc Collins as convention president. Collins has since resigned as pastor of Indian Springs Baptist Church to become director of evangelism for the Tennessee Baptist Mission Board, effective in January. See story. [Read more…]
Editor’s Note: In September, the International Mission Board hosted Baptist state paper editors in London to introduce its new media network and to explore its Global Cities Initiative, a part of IMB President David Platt’s desire to introduce a “limitless” missionary force of Southern Baptists. In December, Southern Baptists are observing a Week of Prayer for International Missions and are collecting the Lottie Moon Christmas Offering which supports missionaries around the world.
According to missionary Ben Armacost, right, there are only two types of people in London — those who are saved and those who are lost. He shares the gospel with James, a man he met recently in the West Norwood section of London.
By Lonnie Wilkey
Editor, Baptist and Reflector
LONDON — The statistics on London, the self-proclaimed “Capital of the World,” are staggering.
London is home to about 270 nationalities with 300 spoken languages. The city is home to 66 unreached people groups (second highest in the world). In a city with an estimated population of 6.83 million (12 million in the greater London area), only 1 percent of the city is considered to be “reached” with the gospel of Jesus Christ.
What’s more, statistics reveal that there is a 97 percent likelihood that a young person in their 20s in the United Kingdom has never met a follower of Jesus Christ. [Read more…]
By Lonnie Wilkey
Editor, Baptist and Reflector
Roc Collins
BRENTWOOD – Kingsport pastor Roc Collins, immediate past president of the Tennessee Baptist Convention, has been named director of evangelism for the Tennessee Baptist Mission Board (TBMB).
Collins has been senior pastor of Indian Springs Baptist Church in Kingsport for the past 11 years. He informed his congregation Nov. 27 of his decision to join the TBMB staff in January.
In his new role, Collins will direct all efforts in achieving Objective 1 of the Five Objectives that Tennessee Baptist Convention messengers adopted as their long-range goal in 2014. Objective 1 is to see at least 50,000 Tennesseans saved, baptized, and set on the road to discipleship annually by 2024. [Read more…]
