Officers for the pastors’ conference were elected on Monday at the conclusion of the morning session.  Grant Gaines, pastor of Belle Aire Baptist Church in Murfreesboro, was elected as president-elect. Gaines was nominated by Fred Schakelford of Ellendale Baptist Church, Bartlet. Gaines ran unopposed.

CORDOVA — The Tennessee Baptist’s Convention’s annual Summit meeting opened on Sunday night with a blend of praise, prayer and power at Bellevue Baptist Church, Cordova. The night included two worship gatherings  — the All Nations Worship Service (see story HERE) and the annual Sunday night “Tennessee Reunion” service — held at different locations on the Bellevue campus.  Evangelist Bob Pittman, who has preached over 1,000 revival meetings and Bible

Former NFL quarterback answers call, prepares to move to Kenya  FRANKLIN — Rusty Smith has spent most of his life on the football field. Now, he’s headed to a different field: The mission field.  Smith, a former NFL quarterback who played with the Tennessee Titans and New York Giants, will leave next summer with his family to begin serving a two-year commitment in Kijabe, Kenya, as part of the Africa

WAIKIKI, Hawaii — Hawaii is almost certainly not what you think. Go ahead, give it a try. Close your eyes and picutre it. Chances are, right now in your mind, you are probably seeing hula dancers adorned in colorful flowery leis and swishing grass skirts.  Or possibly you see lush green islands, hidden waterfalls and large waves crashing over volcanic rock reefs before rolling gently onto pristine beaches.  And surely

FRANKLIN — Tennessee Baptists gave a record 6,440 backpacks to the Christmas Backpacks ministry, which provides backpacks filled with toys, clothing, hygiene items, food and other items to children in low-income families.  It also serves as a means of outreach and evangelism for participating churches, said Beth Moore, compassion ministry specialist for the Tennessee Baptist Mission Board. Tennessee Baptists joined Christmas Backpacks (a nationwide ministry) in 2018. That year, roughly

JEFFERSON CITY — Classrooms were empty on Carson-Newman University’s campus on Sept. 28, but it was not a holiday. More than 550 members of the Carson-Newman community took part in the university’s annual Operation Inasmuch (OI). Teams of students, faculty and staff banded together to help at 38 service project sites across Jefferson, Hamblen, Knox and Grainger counties.  The intentional decisions to not hold classes provided time for students to

Nashville Baptist Association NASHVILLE — The Nashville Baptist Association recognized Rusty Sumrall’s 30 years of faithful service during its annual meeting on Sept. 25.  Sumrall stepped down as executive director, handing the reigns of the association to Michael Kelley. Sumrall took his first position with the NBA as Church Development Director in 1993. In that time, he grew the Ska-Mo-Bow Youth lock-in, expanded the Disaster Relief and Missions programs, led

ROGERSVILLE — More than 350 commitments, including 160 professions of faith, were recorded during the Upper East Tennessee Go Tell Crusade in late August at Cherokee High School football stadium in Rogersville. The event, which included 25 participating churches, reached nearly 5,000 students through Go Tell’s On Track school assemblies. Each night before the crusade, free meals were served to educators and their spouses (on Aug. 28), first responders and

The election is upon us and important decisions to be made. As a pastor leading a church that is IRS categorized as a non-profit, what can you legally say regarding candidates. Click the graphic to use this Alliance Defending Freedom Guide to help you speak wisely. The TBMB has a partnership with ADF which can help you navigate religious liberty issues just like this. As a TBC church, you can