BILL EDMONDS CELEBRATES 61 YEARS OF MINISTRY

By Lonnie Wilkey Editor, Baptist and Reflector [email protected] OLIVER SPRINGS —  Tennessee Baptist pastor and evangelist Bill Edmonds preached his first sermon at the age of 24 at Meadowview Baptist Church in Wartburg. Sixty-one years later, on the same day and time (June 27 at 6 p.m.), Edmonds preached again, this time at First Baptist […]

SHOWING THE WAY TO FINISHING WELL

By Randy C. Davis TBMB President & Executive Director One of the mixed blessings of being a pastor is presiding or participating in funerals, especially those of Christian friends. On the one hand there is sadness for the loss of family members and friends; on the other there is the celebration knowing those individuals “see […]

EVERYBODY NEEDS A PASTOR — EVEN THE PASTOR

By Johnnie Godwin Contributing Columnist, B&R Everybody needs a pastor! Even a pastor needs one. But just what is a pastor to be and do to meet our needs? Today we use so many words to describe the role of pastor that I feel the need to put a laser focus on why I say […]

IN PURSUIT OF THE PERFECT PASTOR

By Randy C. Davis TBMB President & Executive Director Let me go ahead and say it: Pastors aren’t perfect. Surely that isn’t new information for anyone, but I can almost hear you saying, “Well thanks for that news flash Captain Obvious.” But let me ask, if we already know that why do we expect different […]

TENNESSEE PASTORS ‘PAID A BIG PRICE’

By David Roach Baptist Press NASHVILLE — Striving for racial reconciliation was costly for some Southern Baptist pastors, (including two who served in Tennessee) in the 1950s through the 1970s. It cost Jack Kwok his property and Paul Turner a beating by angry segregationists. But Kwok, who has served as executive director of the State […]

‘RENEGADE’ PASTOR FINDS PEACE IN JESUS

By Lonnie Wilkey Editor, Baptist and Reflector MADISONVILLE — Morgan Clough would be the first to admit he did not take the traditional path to becoming a Southern Baptist pastor. In fact, he was well off the path for most of his first 35 or so years of life — having been raped 52 times […]

AN INCREDIBLE CHRISTMAS PRESENT

By Lonnie Wilkey Editor, Baptist and Reflector Last year the Baptist and Reflector told the story of Tiffany Bowen, a pastor’s wife in West Tennessee, who was a self-described “atheist, feminist bartender.” Tiffany candidly shared her story of her journey from someone who denied God to becoming the wife of Jason Bowen, who would later […]

HICKS CELEBRATES 35 YEARS IN MADISONVILLE

By David Dawson Baptist and Reflector MADISONVILLE — Frank Hicks says it feels like yesterday that he began his pastorship at Bethlehem Baptist Church in Madisonville. In actuality, it was more than 12,500 yesterdays ago. Displaying loyalty and longevity, Hicks has served as the senior pastor at Bethlehem Baptist for three and half decades. Last […]

MINISTRY COMES FULL CIRCLE FOR PASTORS

By Lonnie Wilkey Editor, Baptist and Reflector KNOXVILLE — Larry Fields, pastor emeritus at the Central Baptist Church, Bearden, in Knoxville, has served as interim pastor at Smithwood Baptist Church in Knoxville since January. When the pastor search committee at Smithwood recently recommended that Jeff Lane, associate pastor at Bethany Baptist Church in Louisville, Ky., […]

‘UNLOCK THE DOOR’ AND SHARE THE GOSPEL

By Tim Ellsworth Union University News Office HENDERSONVILLE — A sick church in today’s culture is likely the result of ineffective and ailing leaders and ministers, David Platt said Nov. 13 at the Tennessee Baptist Pastors Conference. Platt, president of the Southern Baptist Convention’s International Mission Board, was the final speaker for the conference at […]