By Lonnie Wilkey Editor, Baptist and Reflector It’s that time of the year that causes church and associational secretaries to cringe. Budget planning? Well, that too, but primarily this is the time of the year when the Annual Church Profile is promoted and collected by Baptist state conventions across the nation, including the Tennessee Baptist Convention. Reports are then forwarded on to the Southern Baptist Convention to LifeWay Research which

By Randy C. Davis TBC Executive Director I can’t think of a single good reason why anybody would want to be in pastoral ministry if God hasn’t called him. But if God has called, I can’t think of any vocation more rewarding.

By Johnnie Godwin Contributing Columnist, B&R “I’m ready for football; I’m tired of baseball,” said my brother Bill in the San Juan Mountains of Colorado as we watched a football replay instead of a live baseball game. He and I like all sports to one degree or another, but there is a significant difference between football and baseball: Football games are timed for 60 minutes of actual play; baseball is

By Vickie Anderson Executive Director of Tennessee Woman’s Missionary Union According to www.nationaldaycalender.com, September has a variety of things to observe or celebrate during the month: classical music, fall hats, baby safety, self-improvement, better breakfast, whole grains, square dancing, blueberry popsicles, chicken, courtesy, honey, mushrooms, the piano, rice, and more. For Tennessee Baptists, September brings the opportunity to observe and participate in the season of prayer for state missions and

By Chris Turner Director of Communications, TBC The proverbial elephant in the room is quickly growing, so let’s talk about it. There is a conversational crescendo regarding our historical Cooperative Program giving model in the wake of the International Mission Board’s shocking announcement that it will downsize by 600 to 800 people, this despite giving increases to the Cooperative Program and Lottie Moon Christmas Offering over the past few years.

By Lonnie Wilkey Editor, Baptist and Reflector The choices we make as individuals have consequences. Refer to Adam and Eve in Genesis 1. Life is full of choices. Do I eat the double scoop of chocolate peanut butter ice cream on half price scoop night at Baskin-Robbins or do I skip it? Eat it and I gain five pounds. Skip it and I miss a wonderful treat. Denominational entities and

By Randy C. Davis TBC Executive Director When Eric Watkins strides into one of the most dangerous housing projects in Memphis to take the light of Christ, Tennessee Baptists go with him. When Kent Hightower stands in the loose dirt of a rodeo arena in Morristown and preaches the gospel, Tennessee Baptists are with him. When Doylene and Ritchie Farley distribute food to hundreds of families in one of Tennessee’s

By Michael Ellis TBC President & Pastor, Impact Baptist Church, Memphis In 1968 Philip Knight, a former track athlete at the University of Oregon, and his college coach, William Bowerman, each invested $500 to form and stock their own shoe company, Blue Ribbon Sports. They later had their logo designed by a college student for $35. As a result of Knight and Bowerman’s “just do it” attitude their company, which