MESSENGERS AFFIRM COMMITTEE DECISION

By Lonnie Wilkey Editor, Baptist and Reflector HENDERSONVILLE — Messengers to the annual meeting of the Tennessee Baptist Convention voted overwhelmingly during the opening session on Nov. 14 to not seat messengers from First Baptist Church, Jefferson City. First Baptist attempted to register seven messengers, including new pastor Ellen Di Giosia, who has been in […]

FIND TIME FOR REST

By Larry Robertson Pastor, Hilldale Baptist Church, Clarksville  “And he said to them, ‘Come away by yourselves to a desolate place and rest a while.’ For many were coming and going, and they had no leisure even to eat” (Mark 6:31). A lady I once pastored in a church in a place in “a galaxy […]

CONGRESS SHOULD END IRS OVERSIGHT OF SERMONS, SAY PROTESTANT PASTORS

By Bob Smietana LifeWay Research NASHVILLE, Tenn.—In the 1950s, Congress banned charitable nonprofits—including churches—from endorsing candidates or otherwise intervening in elections. Any nonprofit that violated the ban could run afoul of the IRS. Churches risked losing their tax-exempt status if the preacher endorsed a candidate in a sermon. It’s time for that to change, most […]

CONGREGATIONAL SINGING ALIVE AND WELL AT ‘SING!’ CONF.

Baptist Press BRENTWOOD, Tenn. (BP) — The first time Keith Getty sat down to write the melody for a new hymn, he penned the now-classic tune for “In Christ Alone.” It’s been all downhill from there, Getty said with a wry smile at the recent “Sing!” conference in Nashville. A few of his friends may […]

PASTORS’ SPOUSES EXPERIENCE MIXED BLESSINGS

By Bob Smietana LifeWay Research NASHVILLE, Tenn.— Being married to a pastor means a life filled with joy, purpose and a lot of headaches. Most pastors’ spouses feel a call to ministry and enjoy their roles inside and outside their church. Many also have few friends, think they yell at their kids too much, and […]

CLARKSVILLE PASTOR JIMMY TERRY DIES

By Lonnie Wilkey Editor, Baptist and Reflector CLARKSVILLE — Jimmy Terry, founding pastor of Tabernacle Missionary Baptist Church and Tabernacle Christian School in Clarksville, died June 21 after a battle with cancer. He was 79. Terry was well respected in the Clarksville community and the Tennessee Baptist Convention. The African-American leader served on the Vision […]

H.B. CHARLES JR. ELECTED PRESIDENT

Baptist Press PHOENIX — The 2017 SBC Pastors Conference proved historic on many levels including the unanimous election of H.B. Charles Jr., pastor of Shiloh Metropolitan Baptist Church in Jacksonville, Fla., as the conference’s first black president. The election took place during the afternoon session of the conference at the Phoenix Convention Center, June 12. […]

’10 QUESTIONS’: PAGE’S GUIDE FOR PASTOR SEARCHES

By Diana Chandler Baptist Press NASHVILLE (BP) — “Pastor Searches for Dummies” would have been a fitting title for the latest book from Frank S. Page, he wrote in the book’s introduction. Instead, the Southern Baptist Convention Executive Committee President and CEO chose “Looking for a New Pastor” as the title of his new guidebook. […]

SMALL CHURCHES CAN MAKE BIG DIFFERENCE

By Lonnie Wilkey Editor, Baptist and Reflector VONORE – Former Tennessee Baptist Convention president Doug Sager is the first to admit that he has never been a person to “stay inside the box.” And neither have most of the churches he served during his 62-year ministry. Upon retiring as pastor of First Baptist Church, Concord, […]

75-YEAR-OLD FORMER COP ORDAINED TO MINISTRY

By Connie Davis Bushey News Editor, Baptist and Reflector HENDERSON — Being a Marine, a cop, and then a Sheriff’s Department supervisor isn’t easy, said Larry Rose. Then there was the burden of being a Christian who felt called by God to the ministry. Thankfully, he did experience satisfaction “serving the public” and helping desperate […]