pastors Archives - Baptist & Reflector

MOST-READ STORIES OF 2019 COVER WIDE RANGE OF TOPICS

January 7, 2020

Stories about Lifeway’s change to pension plan and the “I Stand for Life” initiative had the most views on the B&R website

Baptist & Reflector Staff

FRANKLIN — The Baptist and Reflector website serves multiple purposes for the newspaper.

The website not only runs stories that are published in the print edition of the B&R, but also is the go-to place for breaking news pertaining to Tennessee Baptists.

This past year, the B&R website experienced several significant increases in readership (see chart). In looking at the year-ending numbers, it is interesting to note that the most-read stories of 2019 involved a wide range of topics, from economics to abortion to elections.

Listed below is a look at the most-read stories (based on website views) from the past year:

1. Lifeway to freeze pension plan for pension-eligible employees

• Date posted: July 31, 2019 • Written by: Lonnie Wilkey • Position: B&R editor

This story focused on LifeWay Christian Resources announcing changes to its retiree life insurance and pre-65 retiree medical benefits, including freezing its LifeWay Pension Plan (effective Jan. 1, 2020) for current pension-eligible employees. LifeWay shared the changes in letters to current and future retirees on June 29. The changes were approved by LifeWay trustees at their February meeting. [Read more…]

PASTORS LESS OPTIMISTIC ABOUT ECONOMY’S IMPACT

December 11, 2019

By Aaron Earls
LifeWay News Office

NASHVILLE — As retail stores hope the holiday shopping season gives their bottom line a lift, American Protestant pastors are less sure the economy is helping their congregations this year.

Around two in five pastors of Protestant churches in the United States (41 percent) say the economy is having no impact on their church, according to a new survey from Nashville-based LifeWay Research.

The rest are nearly split on whether the effect is positive (30 percent) or negative (26 percent).

“Fundamentally, the U.S. economy is in a similar place that it was a year ago,” said Scott McConnell, executive director of LifeWay Research. “Yet pastors are less optimistic about this outside influence on their church than they were in 2018.” [Read more…]

SUMMIT SUMMARY: EVANGELISM AT FOREFRONT

November 26, 2019

TBC leaders, messengers focus on how to ‘Win TN, by all means’ during 145th annual meeting

Randy C. Davis, president and executive director of the Tennessee Baptist Mission Board, preached the final message of the Tennessee Baptist Pastors Conference on Nov. 18. He encouraged pastors to gather at the altar for prayer for each other and their churches.
– Photo by James Wilson

Editor’s Note: See stories from the 2019 Summit in Knoxville throughout this issue.

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

KNOXVILLE — Tennessee Baptist Convention messengers gathered at First Baptist Concord, Nov. 17-20 for four days of inspirational worship, fellowship and to conduct business during the 145th annual meeting held during The Summit: A Gathering of Tennessee Baptists.

The Summit drew 998 registered messengers from 444 churches and 117 registered guests. The total is the highest since 2016 when 1,228 messengers from 501 churches gathered at the Sevierville Convention Center. Last year’s Summit drew 994 messengers from 409 churches to West Jackson Baptist Church, Jackson.

Convention messengers demonstrated focus, excellence and unity, observed Randy C. Davis, president and executive director of the Tennessee Baptist Mission Board. [Read more…]

IT’S ALMOST GATHERING TIME

October 31, 2019

Tennessee Baptists will meet in Knoxville for Summit in mid-November

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

FRANKLIN — In less than three weeks, Tennessee Baptists will descend upon Knoxville to attend the Summit which includes the 145th annual meeting of the Tennessee Baptist Convention. The theme of Summit is “By All Means, Win TN.”

The week begins on Sunday, Nov. 17, at 6 p.m. at First Baptist Church, Concord, in Knoxville with a “Tennessee Reunion.” The evening worship service features Rick Barnes, head basketball coach at the University of Tennessee who is known for his Christian testimony and witness. [Read more…]

RETIRED PASTORS SATISFIED, SEE ROOM FOR IMPROVEMENT

October 31, 2019

By Aaron Earls
LifeWay News Office

NASHVILLE — Most retirement age pastors and missionaries say their current life is close to ideal, but some who have entered retirement say they could’ve been better prepared.

In a survey sponsored by Shepherd’s Fold Ministries, Nashville-based LifeWay Research asked 2,451 pastors, ministers and missionaries who were retired or at least 67 years old about their life, health, relationships, reflections on ministry, and how they’ve adjusted to their current life stage.

“Our number one goal is to provide relevant resources to help retired ministers,” said Brent Van Hook, director of Shepherd’s Fold Ministries. “The results of this study show specific ways retired ministers can experience genuine higher well-being related to social, spiritual, physical and financial health.” [Read more…]

REMEMBERING YOUR LEADERS: A BIBLICAL MANDATE

October 14, 2019

By Steve Holt
Church Services Director, TBMB

Remember your leaders who have spoken God’s word to you. As you carefully observe the outcome of their lives, imitate their faith. (Hebrews 13:7, CSB)

October is Pastor Appreciation Month. Since the early 1990s, church members have been encouraged to recognize the sacrificial service of their pastors in some tangible way during the month. While we should always seek to encourage and pray for our pastors, Pastor Appreciation Month is a great reminder to let our leaders know how much we love them. [Read more…]

DOVER PASTOR NOT ‘PRONE TO WANDER’

October 11, 2019

By David Dawson
Baptist and Reflector
ddawson@tnbaptist.org

Melvin Dunaway delivers a message at Pleasant Grove Baptist Church, where he served as pastor for 45 years. The church, which recently held a special service to celebrate its 100-year anniversary, called Dunaway as pastor when he was a young preacher who had only preached about a dozen sermons.

DOVER — Melvin Dunaway initially assumed he would only last about seven days at Pleasant Grove Baptist Church in Dover.

Turns out, his estimate was a little off — by about 16,500 days.

Dunaway recently announced his retirement after serving as Pleasant Grove’s pastor for 45 years — a tenure that spans nearly half of the church’s 100-year history.

“After I preached that first Sunday, I thought, well, they won’t want me back any more,” said Dunaway with a little laugh.

The church did indeed want him back the following Sunday … and the one after that … and ultimately, for the next half-century.

“Every member (at Pleasant Grove) has done nothing but love me,” said Dunaway. “And I loved them right back.” [Read more…]

SERMON OR SOLILOQUY? THOUGHTS ABOUT PREACHING

September 25, 2019

By Larry Robertson
Pastor, Hilldale Baptist Church, Clarksville

Larry Robertson

I love to hear Shakespeare filtered through the story-telling flair of Andy Griffith. In his rendition of Romeo and Juliet, he paused to explain the meaning of a soliloquy. He said, “A soliloquy is where you kinda look a way off and kinda talk to yourself. They used to do that a whole lot back then …”

Honestly — and I’m a little embarrassed to admit this to you — I learned the meaning of soliloquy from Andy Griffith. But, hey, I’ve never forgotten it!

As a preacher, I need to ask myself every time I preach whether I’m giving a sermon or a soliloquy. Am I talking to someone or to no one? Do I envision an audience on the other end of my words or do I “kinda look a way off and kinda talk to” myself? [Read more…]

PASTORS, WIVES LEARN ABOUT BALANCING MINISTRY, MARRIAGE AT CONFERENCE

September 10, 2019

By Diana Chandler
Baptist Press

Joe and Pennie Wright lead a conference for pastors and wives through their ministry with the Bivocational and Small Church Leadership Network.

NASHVILLE — Happily wed to his new bride Pennie, Joe Wright didn’t want to travel without her in his role as executive director of the Bivocational and Small Church Leadership Network (BSCLN).

“When I interviewed with the BSCLN and they offered me the position, I shared with them, ‘This is a burden on my heart. A lot of ministers are struggling. I’m a newlywed, I’m happy and I want my wife to go with me, ’ ” Wright told Baptist Press in describing a new BSCLN conference for pastors and their wives.

“And they said, ‘Joe, will you buy her plane ticket?’ ” Wright recounted. “And I said, ‘I will, I will.’ They said, ‘Then she goes with you wherever you go.’ ”

The Wrights’ story segues into “The Pastor’s Wife and The Other Woman: Balancing Your Marriage with Your Ministry,” a conference available at no fee to Southern Baptist churches, associations and conventions. The conference, adaptable to a single evening or two days, is designed to encourage and equip pastors and their wives to manage their ministerial and personal lives in harmony.

“I believe the greatest vulnerability for the modern minister is not in his church work, but in his home life,” said Wright, a former Tennessee Baptist pastor and director of missions for Dyer Baptist Association, based in Dyersburg. “And if Satan can injure him at home, he will cripple him at work. [Read more…]

Stories about Lifeway’s change to pension plan and the “I Stand for Life” initiative had the most views on the B&R website

TBC leaders, messengers focus on how to ‘Win TN, by all means’ during 145th annual meeting

Tennessee Baptists will meet in Knoxville for Summit in mid-November

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