ON THE ‘FRONT PORCH’
Baptists prepare for massive opportunities at plant By Lonnie Wilkey Editor, Baptist and Reflector [email protected] BROWNSVILLE — Tennessee Baptists are on “the front porch” of a population explosion in West Tennessee that will bring thousands of people to the Volunteer State, said Danny Sinquefield, Harvest Field 1 team leader for the Tennessee Baptist Mission Board. […]
NINE GAME-CHANGERS FOR YOUR CHURCH
By Matt Tullos Special assistant to the executive director, Tennessee Baptist Mission Board Everybody loves a good comeback story and game-changing plays. If you enjoy sports, you can certainly remember an alley-oop, a trick play, an interception, a home run or a steal that changed the momentum of a particular game. We call them game-changers. […]
WE CAN’T BE REMINDED ABOUT EVANGELISM ‘TOO MUCH’
By Lonnie Wilkey Editor, Baptist and Reflector [email protected] As I approach my 34th year with the Baptist and Reflector, I can’t even begin to count how many sermons and messages I have listened to in more than three decades. A good number of those messages were preached during the State Evangelism Conference which at one […]
PEOPLE NEED NEW — NOT BETTER!
By Roc Collins Director of strategic objectives, Tennessee Baptist Mission Board What do we really need? Some would offer social reform and that would be the fix-all for society. I would contend that we need spiritual regeneration! What’s the difference? Social reform is making changes to improve something or some situation. Often social reform is […]
EVANS: GOSPEL CONVERSATIONS DON’T HAPPEN BY ACCIDENT
By Timothy Cockes Baptist Press SPRINGFIELD — Many Christians spend time thinking about ways to start gospel conversations, but pastor David Evans says evangelism starts “way before” the actual in-person conversation. Evans, senior pastor at Springfield Baptist Church in Springfield, said talk around evangelism often deals with what should be said during a conversation but […]
ARDMORE CHURCH JOURNEYS FROM COVID-19 TO CHAOS TO SALVATIONS
By Lonnie Wilkey Editor, Baptist and Reflector [email protected] ARDMORE — A small country church “in the middle of nowhere” is doing quite well as it continues to rebound from an off year due to COVID-19, says pastor Michael Cothren of Kelly’s Creek Baptist Church. This summer, Kelly’s Creek held camps for youth and children and […]
SIX WAYS TO INVEST IN THE LIVES OF OTHERS
By Matt Tullos Special assistant to the executive director I don’t think he’d ever remember this, but a man changed my life in a very intentional way. His name was Phillip Willis. Every Tuesday, Bro Phil would pick me up after school to take me to visit and evangelize other students. To this day, I […]
VBS BECOMES ANCHOR FOR OUTREACH AT SPRINGFIELD BAPTIST
By David Dawson [email protected] SPRINGFIELD — The staff at Springfield Baptist Church wasn’t trying to reinvent the wheel. They were just trying to find a way — or more accurately, several ways — to improve an already-successful event: Vacation Bible School. Three weeks after the fact, it’s clear to see that they met their objective. […]
PERSISTENT PRAYERS FUEL GROWTH AT OAK GROVE
By David Dawson Baptist and Reflector [email protected] COVINGTON — Oak Grove Baptist Church, Covington, has seen a sizable increase in professions of faith and baptisms over the past year, with 13 new members joining the church and four additional individuals committed to joining in the coming weeks. These praise-worthy numbers would be impressive at any […]
PAST PRESIDENTS DISCUSS FUTURE OF DENOMINATION
Baptist Press NASHVILLE (BP) – The SBC’s future hinges on a reemphasis on evangelism and missions, four former presidents agreed during a panel discussion before the 2021 SBC Annual Meeting. Former SBC presidents Steve Gaines, Johnny Hunt, James Merritt and Fred Luter, who gathered for a session on the Vision Stage in the exhibit hall […]