By Lonnie Wilkey Editor, Baptist and Reflector WTVF (Channel 5 in Nashville) reported on Oct. 15 that Greater Tabernacle Missionary Baptist Church in Lawrenceburg has been “kicked out” of the Lawrence County Association of Baptists. While that sounds good on a newscast and immediately draws the attention of viewers, “kicked out” is not the proper term in this case. I have umpired baseball for more than 30 years and there

By David Evans TBC Evangelism Specialist Steve Parr and Tom Crites surveyed around 1,200 Millennials to find out why they continue to attend church. Out of the 15 factors that they identified, one was viewing their pastor in a loving manner. They found that the children/youth that viewed with affection their pastor were 70 percent more likely to attend church as a young adult as compared to those that did

By Johnnie Godwin Contributing Columnist, B&R When I was in high school at a missions meeting, I felt God’s call to foreign missions. The missionary who spoke actually pled for volunteers and said that we had more money available to send missionaries than we had candidates. He told heart-moving stories of those still waiting to hear the gospel for the first time. I was ready to go then even though

By Randy C. Davis TBC Executive Director Looking across the field at the opponent, it was easy to feel confident. After all, the advance scouts had done their homework, assessed the opposing side’s strengths and weaknesses, and determined this was victory for the taking. Show up, execute the plan, and walk away with the usual rout. Only problem was, this time it wasn’t the underestimation of the opponent’s ability that

By Lonnie Wilkey Editor, Baptist and Reflector One of the reasons the Southern Baptist International Mission Board may be cutting its missionary force is Southern Baptists’ lack of support for missions education for its children over the past two decades. That’s the sentiment of Wanda S. Lee, executive director of Southern Baptist Woman’s Missionary Union, based in Birmingham, Ala. Lee was one of several Southern Baptist leaders who expressed dismay

By Josh Creason Family and Community Life Pastor at Germantown Baptist Church, Germantown When creating a list of “life-changing experiences,” most people probably wouldn’t put, “visiting the optometrist” very high on the list. But I would. I had gone through my early life not realizing that how I saw the world wasn’t normal. When I walked out of the doctor’s office with a new pair of glasses on for the

By Renae Adelsberger Freelance Writer in Jackson Fall has arrived, bringing with it football on all levels. We’re an NFL household, fans of the Minnesota Vikings. As I wrote these words a few weeks ago, I was wearing a purple Vikings scarf to work to celebrate the fact that we are driving to Nashville that evening to watch the Vikings play the Titans in a preseason game. I also packed

By Mark Wingfield Associate Pastor, Wilshire Baptist Church, Dallas, Texas One of the hardest jobs in a church these days is that of youth minister. Not just because the schedule of activities can be grueling or the work can be physically demanding. The reason, instead, is ever-increasing demands placed on churches and pastors for what youth ministry should look like and feel like. The days of the one-size-fits-all, “y’all come”