Baptist & Reflector

Telling the Story of Tennessee Baptists Since 1835

LOOKING BACK ON BIRMINGHAM

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

SBC president J.D. Greear adresses the crowd at the 2019 SBC annual meeting in Birmingham.
— Photo by Kathleen Murray

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — Tennessee Baptists were well represented among the 8,183 messengers who registered for the annual meeting of the Southern Baptist Convention, held June 11-12, in Birmingham.

The Tennessee Baptist Convention ranked third among Baptist state conventions with 738 messengers. The Alabama Baptist Convention had 1,366 messengers while the Georgia Baptist Convention was represented with 834 messengers.

Prior to the start of the annual meeting, Southern Baptists knocked on the doors of 10,409 homes, had 1,817 gospel conversations, prayed with 2,251 people and saw 364 people place their faith in Jesus, according to organizers of the annual Crossover evangelism outreach. [Read more…]

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REASONS FOR OPTIMISM ABOUT THE SBC’S FUTURE

By Randy C. Davis
TBMB President & Executive Director

President George W. Bush once stood in front of a group of people trying to make sense of the world that seemed to be coming undone around them. “One thing is for certain,” he said. “We did not ask for these challenges, but we will meet them. I say that with certainty because this nation has strong foundations and won’t be shaken. In this hour of our country’s history we stand in the need of prayer.”

That comment was made at the first post-9/11 National Prayer Breakfast and prior to the beginning of the longest war, the war on terrorism, in our nation’s history. I was at that prayer breakfast. I saw the resolute courage in our president’s eyes; I heard it in the tone of his voice. [Read more…]

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COVERAGE OF THE SBC ANNUAL MEETING

The 2019 Southern Baptist Convention will take place on June 11-12 in Birmingham, Ala., — and the Baptist and Reflector staff will be providing coverage in multiple ways.

Breaking news from the convention can found throughout the two days at baptistandreflector.org. Also, the next print edition of the Baptist and Reflector (dated June 26) will include stories and photos from the event.

This year’s annual meeting, being held at the Birmingham-Jefferson Convention Complex, has been themed: “Gospel Above All.”

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SBC 2019 HOTEL SHUTTLES, PARKING OPTIONS SET

By Diana Chandler
Baptist Press

Photo of the Birmingham-Jefferson Convention Complex.

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — Free hotel shuttles and park and ride services are among conveniences available to attendees of the Southern Baptist Convention 2019 Annual Meeting and related events June 9-12 in Birmingham, Ala.

Fifteen free shuttle routes will service hotels contracted for SBC attendees, and park and ride services with free parking will include three locations, convention manager Bill Townes told Baptist Press. [Read more…]

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MEETING TO FOCUS ON ‘GOSPEL ABOVE ALL’

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…]

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UNION TRUSTEE TO BE NOMINATED FOR SBC OFFICE

By Art Toalston
Baptist Press

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — Union University trustee Noe Garcia, senior pastor of North Phoenix Baptist Church, will be nominated as second vice president of the Southern Baptist Convention during the SBC’s June 11-12 annual meeting, Tennessee pastor Micah Fries has announced.

Fries, senior pastor of Brainerd Baptist Church in Chattanooga, said Garcia can be “a tremendous asset to the SBC” at a time “when Southern Baptists are struggling with questions like how we can see more people trust Christ, how to reach our increasingly diverse communities, and how we can continue to see our influence spread far beyond the Southeastern United States.” [Read more…]

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REMAINING UNCHANGED DURING A SEASON OF TRANSITION

By Randy C. Davis
TBMB President & Executive Director

Transitions and changes are not the same. That’s important to keep in mind when considering the Southern Baptist Convention.

The 2018 SBC was a watershed convention for Southern Baptists. Most of the national news related to Southern Baptists was not good prior to the convention. It would be easy to gravitate toward the negatives, but I choose to focus on the positives.

And that’s where transition and change come in. [Read more…]

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PANEL TAKES STOCK OF SOUTHERN BAPTISTS’ UNITY IN DALLAS

Baptist Press

Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary hosted a micro-conference June 12 featuring eight panelists discussing contemporary challenges facing Southern Baptist churches. Panelists included (left to right): Thom Rainer, H.B Charles Jr., Mark Dever, Micah Fries, Noe Garcia, J.D. Greear, Vance Pitman and Jason Allen.
-Photo by Matt Miller

DALLAS —  Engaging the topic of unity within the Southern Baptist Convention, Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary President Jason Allen moderated a panel discussion during the fourth annual For the Church Regional Conference June 12.

More than 1,000 people filled the room to hear a discussion by J.D. Greear, Thom Rainer, Mark Dever, H.B. Charles Jr., Vance Pitman, Noe Garcia and Micah Fries during the SBC annual meeting at the Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center. [Read more…]

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