SOMEBODY TELL THE PASTOR HE’S NO COWBOY

By Randy C. Davis TBMB President & Executive Director Too often pastors develop an “old cowboy” mentality where they feel they need to “stay in the saddle” at all costs. Unfortunately, too many church goers feel their pastors should be old cowboys. That notion of pastoral “toughness” may sound romantic, but it rarely – if […]

SAFE AND SECURE FROM ALL ALARMS

Examining the most important elements that keep your church safe By David Dawson Baptist and Reflector [email protected] FRANKLIN — When addressing church leaders on the keys to making their facilities safe and secure, Tennessee Baptist Mission Board risk management specialist Mark LeMay often uses an old TV advertisement as a reference point. “You remember the […]

FIVE THINGS I LEARNED FROM PASTOR VIC WALLACE

J. Travis Tyler Pastor, Grace Baptist Church, Elizabethton On Sunday morning, Jan. 13, Pastor Vic Wallace preached his last sermon as pastor of Oak Hill Baptist Church in Jonesborough. Beginning in the mid-1950s, Pastor Wallace began a ministry lasting over six decades of pastoral ministry including Flag Pond, Mosheim, Mountain City, Kingsport, and Fall Branch.  […]

RETIREE FOLLOWS GOD’S CALL TO PASTOR HIS FIRST CHURCH

Four Mile Baptist, a congregation of 28, had five baptisms in 2018 By Lonnie Wilkey Editor, Baptist and Reflector [email protected] PIGEON FORGE — At an age when most pastors are stepping away from the ministry or moving into interim or supply work, David Oliver did just the opposite. At the age of 68, Oliver became […]

TESTIMONY OF A BIVOCATIONAL PASTOR

By Roger Britton Pastor, Whites Creek Baptist Church, Rockwood On Jan. 12, 1997, my wife Kathy, daughter Kacie and son Cody and I began our ministry when I became the pastor of Whites Creek Baptist Church in Rockwood. Kathy and I were married in 1979 and had been in ministry from day one of our […]

UNSUNG HEROES: MEET SOME OF TENNESSEE’S BIVOCATIONAL PASTORS

[one_half padding=”0 8px 0 8px”] Pastor’s name: Jose Armenta Wife’s name: Carolyn Church: Rio Grande Mission Church City (of church): Church Hill Other profession (in addition to pastor): Carpenter What is your favorite part about being a pastor? Sharing God’s Word with lost people. How do you juggle the role of being a pastor along […]

SERVING THE GROWING NUMBER OF BIVO HEROES

By Randy C. Davis TBMB President & Executive Director Here’s a riddle for you. What do a banker, a contractor, an elementary teacher, a chemist, an engineering professor and a farmer all have in common? Answer: They are all faithful pastors. Unbelievably, approximately 60 percent of the pastors in Tennessee are bivocational. Let that sink […]

BIVOCATIONAL PASTORS ARE THE ‘IRON MEN OF MINISTRY’

By Lonnie Wilkey Editor, Baptist and Reflector [email protected] PIGEON FORGE — They’re machinists, salesmen, police officers, bankers, teachers, college professors, retirees, electricians, plumbers and the list goes on, but they all have one thing in common — they are dedicated servants of God devoted to spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ. One hundred and twenty-one […]

PASTORS: OFFERINGS SEE BOOST IN 2018

By Aaron Earls LifeWay Christian Resources NASHVILLE — The economic recovery has reached the offering plate, according to a study from Nashville-based LifeWay Research. Today, eight in 10 Protestant pastors (79 percent) say the total offerings at their church this year are at or above last year’s levels, including 42 percent who say this year is […]