News

SBC EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE SEARCH TEAM ELECTS OFFICERS

The Southern Baptist Convention Executive Committee presidential search team met June 1 to elect officers and establish organizational plans for the group. Neal Hughes of Alabama was named chair and Nick Sandefur of Kentucky was named vice chair. Nancy Spaulding of Michigan will serve as secretary. Other members of the search team are Corey Cain of Tennessee, Drew Landry of Virginia, Sarah Rogers of South Carolina and David Sons, who

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GOING ON A PRAYERWALK ACROSS THE STATE

DAYTON — Kelly Metts and a group of women, primarily from New Union Baptist Church in Dayton, are serious about prayer. Metts recalled the effort has been in the making for six years since she first felt God leading her to walk across Tennessee to pray. A number of factors put her plans on hold for a few years before she looked at it again. When she did, she did

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GOSPEL CONVERSATION SEMINARS HELPING PAVE WAY FOR EVANGELISM

FRANKLIN — For many believers, the biggest pothole on the road to evangelistic success is the fear that they won’t know the right words to say. Preston Condra is trying to help them avoid those hazards.  Condra, a renowned author and founder of Sufficient Word ministries, has been serving as the featured speaker at the Gospel Conversation Workshops being held at various places around the state.  The workshops, sponsored by

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PREGNANCY CENTER PROVIDES ‘HOPE, HELP AND HEALING’ IN LAWRENCE COUNTY

LAWRENCEBURG  — Hope Haven Pregnancy Center in Lawrenceburg is appropriately named. As the pregnancy center approaches its first anniversary on Aug. 1, Hope Haven is living up to its mission of removing the need for abortion by “providing hope, help and healing” by meeting “the practical, emotional and spiritual needs of families facing an unplanned pregnancy crisis” in Lawrence County and surrounding communities. Tiffany Huskey, director of Hope Haven and

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TENNESCENE: MAY 24

LEADERS Matthew “Matt” Ledbetter has been called as director of missions for Duck River Baptist Association, based in Tullahoma. He previously served as pastor of Creeksville Baptist Church in Conway, N.C. He has also been serving as the interim director of missions for the West Chowan Baptist Association in North Carolina. In addition to 25 years pastoral experience, he has served two terms as the second vice president of the

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SOUTHERN BAPTISTS GROW IN ATTENDANCE, BAPTISMS IN 2022

BRENTWOOD — For the second straight year, baptisms and giving increased among Southern Baptist congregations. In-person worship service and small group attendance also rebounded, but total membership and the number of congregations slid. The Annual Church Profile (ACP) compiled by Lifeway Christian Resources in cooperation with Baptist state conventions paints a complicated picture for the Southern Baptist Convention but contains some positive news.  In 2022, baptisms increased by more than

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NEW WRITERS CHOSEN FOR SUNDAY SCHOOL COMMENTARIES

FRANKLIN — Tennessee Baptist pastors Travis Tyler and Andrew Bosak will write Sunday School commentaries for the June-August quarter. Travis Tyler, pastor of Grace Baptist Church in Elizabethton,  will write the Explore the Bible series. Tyler began his ministry in 2001, serving in various states, including Kentucky, Indiana and Tennessee. 

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COWELL EXCITED ABOUT BLUEOVAL OPPORTUNITIES

BROWNSVILLE — Rather than simply praying for the pastors in the Stanton area, Ben Cowell felt called to become one.  In the spring of 2022, Cowell read a story in the Baptist and Reflector about the potential impact that BlueOval City — the massive Ford Motor plant being built in West Tennessee — could have on the city of Stanton and the surrounding communities. The article not only piqued Cowell’s

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IMB TRUSTEES APPOINT 92 MISSIONARIES, STAY FOCUSED ON GOSPEL ADVANCE

RICHMOND — International Mission Board trustees approved 92 fully funded missionaries for appointment during their May 17-18 meeting in Richmond, Va. Missionaries approved for appointment will be recognized during a Sending Celebration on Tuesday, June 13, at 9:50 a.m. CDT in conjunction with the Southern Baptist Convention annual meeting in New Orleans, Louisiana. The event will be livestreamed on sbcannualmeeting.net.  Trustees gave a warm welcome to IMB president-emeritus Jerry Rankin,

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THREE CHURCHES DEEMED ‘NOT IN FRIENDLY COOPERATION’ PLAN TO APPEAL

NEW ORLEANS — Three churches that were deemed not to be in friendly cooperation with the Southern Baptist Convention by the SBC Executive Committee at its February meeting will be appealing that decision, it was announced Tuesday (May 16). In total, eight churches have been deemed not in friendly cooperation with the SBC since the 2022 SBC Annual Meeting in Anaheim – two at the SBC EC’s meeting last September

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TENNESCENE: MAY 24

LEADERS Matthew “Matt” Ledbetter has been called as director of missions for Duck River Baptist Association, based in Tullahoma. He previously served as pastor of

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