church revitalization Archives - Page 3 of 5

GHOST TOWN CHURCH SEES HOLY GHOST REVIVAL

March 29, 2017

By David Roach
Baptist Press

Faith Christian Fellowship in Organ, N.M., has seen 500 percent growth over the past four years despite its location in an area classified as a ghost town.
-Photo by Joe Seale

ORGAN, N.M. (BP) — With numerous dilapidated buildings and only 323 residents according to the 2010 U.S. census, Organ, N.M., appears on at least one website listing American ghost towns. But Pastor Mitch Newton prefers to think of it as a Holy Ghost town because of the surprising work God has done through the town’s Baptist church.

Over the past three years, Faith Christian Fellowship has grown from five worship attendees to more than 25. The congregation has baptized six people over that span, with three more baptisms scheduled for the coming weeks.

On one occasion, a man jumped in the baptistery while his 80-year-old parents were being baptized, professed that he also wanted to be saved and was baptized with them.

“God is so faithful,” Newton, 71, told Baptist Press. “… He is doing the whole work. I don’t do anything. I just open my mouth” after a week of study and preparation, “and we let the Lord take it from there.” [Read more…]

CHURCH GIVES FACILITY TO CHURCH PLANT

March 14, 2017

By Connie Davis Bushey
News Editor, Baptist and Reflector

Phil Young, left, director of missions, Knox County Association of Baptists, based in Knoxville, visits with Jim Florea, church planter, Forward Church, Knoxville, in the church’s new sanctuary, which formerly was Gayland Heights Baptist Church, Knoxville.

KNOXVILLE — Phil Young hoped the meeting would go well. He was going to meet with Gayland Heights Baptist Church members to discuss options. The congregation had declined to a very small group of older members.

Young, director of missions, Knox County Association of Baptists, proposed several revitalization ideas, including sharing their facility with a church plant or beginning church. Of course, the church could close and give its property to the association.

Thankfully, the meeting went very well, he recalled. The small group was very open minded, said Young. [Read more…]

NASHVILLE NATIVE PENS AUTOBIOGRAPHY

March 13, 2017

By David Dawson
Contributing Writer, B&R

NASHVILLE — As those who have spent their lives in the ministry can attest, the phrase “retired pastor” is often a misnomer, perhaps even an oxymoron.

That is certainly the case for Nashville native and former Tennessee Baptist pastor (Two Rivers Baptist Church, Nashville) Jim Henry.

The former president of the Southern Baptist Convention and pastor of First Baptist Church, Orlando, Henry definitely hasn’t been sitting around with his feet propped up since his retirement in 2006 — unless it was sitting in airports or vehicles getting to his next assignment. [Read more…]

CHURCHES EXEMPLIFY RACE RELATIONS

January 27, 2017

By Lonnie Wilkey
Editor, Baptist and Reflector

Lonnie Wilkey

They stood together at the pulpit of Rialto Baptist Church in Covington on Sunday, Jan. 15 — Thomas Bester, a 63-year-old African-American pastor, and Carl Funderburk, an almost 80-year-old Anglo pastor.

As I watched them I could only imagine the stories they could tell from having witnessed first hand the racial strife of the civil rights movement in the 1960s-70s. On this occasion, however, these two pastors were united under the spirit of the God that both have faithfully served for decades. [Read more…]

CHURCH DISPLAYS KINGDOM VISION

January 27, 2017

Forerunner Baptist to open Covington campus at Rialto Baptist

By Lonnie Wilkey
Editor, Baptist and Reflector

Participating in a joint worship service of Rialto Baptist Church, Covington, and Forerunner Baptist Church, Ripley, were, from left, Thomas Bester, pastor, Forerunner Baptist; Carl Funderburk, pastor, Rialto Baptist; and Clay Gilbreath, director of missions, Big Hatchie Baptist Association.

COVINGTON — The handwriting has been on the wall for years at Rialto Baptist Church in Covington.

The almost 100-year-old church once was a vibrant congregation with more than 200 members. But as the community transitioned, many members moved away. Many of those who stayed have since died.

As of Jan. 15, Rialto Baptist had about five members plus pastor Carl Funderburk and his wife Jane. Funderburk, 79, has been pastor of Rialto for 14 years. In 2005 Funderburk led his then congregation of 13 members to make plans should the church eventually have to close its doors. [Read more…]

REVITALIZATION CAN MEAN ASSIMILATION

November 11, 2016

By Lonnie Wilkey
Editor, Baptist and Reflector

The staff of the Cumberland Church community campus of Wallace Memorial Baptist Church includes, from left, Ruth Patraw, secretary; Chad Crawford, pastor; and Steven Hoover, worship pastor.

KNOXVILLE — Once a strong, vibrant congregation, Cumberland Baptist Church here had fallen into hard times over recent years as attendance had dwindled from nearly 400 in its heyday to between 70-100 people.

Two issues were readily seen — the church had few young families and those who attended no longer reflected the neighborhood.

Bob Brown, church revitalization specialist for the Tennessee Baptist Convention, began working with the congregation about two years ago. Brown was very familiar with the church, having grown up in the congregation. [Read more…]

CHURCH REVITALIZATION MORE THAN NUMBERS

November 10, 2016

80-year-old pastor proves age is not a factor in reaching younger families

By Lonnie Wilkey
Editor, Baptist and Reflector

Jerry Heflin

SPRINGFIELD – The numbers may not reflect it, but Eastland Heights Baptist Church in Springfield is truly being revitalized, says Pastor Jerry Heflin.

And, what’s more, the church is being revitalized by an 80-year-old pastor who has a knack for connecting with people of all ages.

After Heflin retired in 2006 as associate pastor of First Baptist Church, Goodlettsville, he became pastor at Eastland Heights the following year. [Read more…]

AVOIDING THE DEADLY SIN OF COMPLACENCY

November 9, 2016

By Lonnie Wilkey
Editor, Baptist and Reflector

The Cambridge Academic Content Dictionary defines “complacency” as “a feeling of calm satisfaction with your own abilities or situation that prevents you from trying harder.”

Complacency can apply to individuals or organizations, including the church.

I found the word “complacency” in the Bible only once in Proverbs 1:32, HCBS: “For the waywardness of the inexperienced will kill them, and the complacency of fools will destroy them.” There may be other verses that actually use the word itself, but there are many verses throughout Scripture that refer to the meaning of complacency. [Read more…]

CHURCHES WANT REVITALIZATION

November 8, 2016

By Lonnie Wilkey
Editor, Baptist and Reflector

BRENTWOOD — This year’s annual Summit, scheduled for Nov. 13-17 at the Sevierville Convention Center, will mark the second anniversary of the adoption of the Five Objectives that were approved by messengers at the 2014 Summit at Brentwood Baptist Church in Brentwood.

The Five Objectives are long-range goals for the Tennessee Baptist Convention. They are: [Read more…]

CHURCH REVITALIZATION TAKES HARD WORK

September 19, 2016

By Lonnie Wilkey
Editor, Baptist and Reflector

Bob Brown, far right, TBC church revitalization specialist, moderates a panel discussion with leaders of the church revitalization conference. From left, are John Mark Clifton, Tom Cheyney, Steve Holt, and Don Pierson.

KNOXVILLE — Revitalizing plateaued and declining churches in America takes hard work and requires a willingness to change, agreed speakers at a church revitalization conference held Sept. 1 at Wallace Memorial Baptist Church.

“Churches don’t like change,” observed Tom Cheyney, executive director of missions for the Greater Orlando (Fla.) Baptist Association and founder of the RENOVATE National Church Revitalization Conference.

Churches get locked into things that keep them in a rut and keep them from reaching their communities and people who need to know Christ, he said.

As a result there are church behaviors that must be changed in order to reach those communities, Cheyney continued.

“As church revitalizers, we are called to bring change to the church,” he stressed, adding that only 32 percent of churches that are revitalized are done by the present pastor. [Read more…]

Forerunner Baptist to open Covington campus at Rialto Baptist

80-year-old pastor proves age is not a factor in reaching younger families

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