SPENCER TO RUN FOR TBC PRESIDENT

FRANKLIN — Dan Spencer, senior pastor of First Baptist Church, Sevierville, will be nominated for the presidency of the Tennessee Baptist Convention when the annual meeting convenes at West Jackson Baptist Church on Nov. 10-11.

Chris Kendall, senior pastor of Oak City Baptist Church, Seymour, informed the Baptist and Reflector on Aug. 14 of his intention to nominate Spencer, who has been the pastor at First Baptist since 2011.

“Dan is the right man to lead our incredible network of Tennessee Baptist churches onward toward Great Commission cooperation and collaboration,” said Kendall. “His heart beats for reaching our neighbors and the nations with the gospel of Jesus. With years of state convention experience coupled with his pastor’s heart, Dan brings the leadership necessary to champion the convention’s strategic initiatives.”

During his tenure at First Baptist, Spencer has led the church in annually being one of the TBC’s leading churches in number of baptisms and giving through the Cooperative Program.

In 2024, First Baptist gave $560,626 through the Cooperative Program, or 9.09% of its undesignated gifts.

In other 2024 missions giving, FBC contributed $685,205 through the Lottie Moon Christmas Offering. Adding together CP, LMCO, Annie Armstrong Easter Offering, Golden Offering for Tennessee Missions, and associational support, FBC contributed more than $2 million to missions in 2024, and has totaled more than $22 million in missions giving during Spencer’s tenure as pastor.

Spencer has a strong Southern Baptist heritage.

He is the great-great-nephew of M.E. Dodd, known to many as “the Father of the Cooperative Program,” and is the great-great-grandson of George Martin Savage, former president of Union University and Dodd’s father-in-law.

Spencer’s father, Jerry, has been a Southern Baptist evangelist and pastor since 1957.

Spencer graduated from Haywood High School, Brownsville, and holds degrees from Hannibal-LaGrange University; Troy University; and Liberty Baptist Theological Seminary.

He served churches in Missouri, Alabama and Georgia before becoming pastor of FBC Sevierville.

Spencer was president of the Georgia Baptist Convention (2009-2011), has been a member of the Tennessee Baptist Mission Board’s Board of Directors (2015-2019) and currently sits on Carson-Newman University’s Board of Trustees (2022-present).

Spencer and wife Tresa have two grown sons and five grandchildren. Both sons are pastors and serve churches in Georgia. B&R