GRATEFUL FOR ALL CHEERFUL GIVERS
By Randy C. Davis TBMB Executive Director God loves a cheerful giver. Chances are you’ve heard that phrase from your pastor, or maybe from your momma or grandmother. We often share that verse with children when we teach them about stewardship. Well, last week I assume God was extremely pleased, and I was pleasantly surprised. […]
PASTOR: NINE STEPS TO RECOVERING YOUR JOY
By Randy C. Davis TBMB Executive Director It’s right there in the red letters: “That my joy may be in you …” This is a statement of fact made by Jesus Himself, and yet I’ve encountered so many pastors who haven’t experienced joy in a long time. The man behind the pulpit carries both pastoral […]
A PLEA FOR UNITY AND COOPERATION
By Randy C. Davis TBMB Executive Director There is a fog of divisiveness settling across the Southern Baptist Convention and it is spreading like a poisonous gas, and we must address it rather than allow it to linger and destroy our Great Commission calling. There is a litany of issues causing the increasing tension that […]
KEEP YOUR EYE ON THE BALL
By Randy C. Davis TBMB Executive Director It’s been said the hardest thing to do in sports is to hit a baseball. It’s a tough point to argue. Take a guy like Nolan Ryan, one of the greatest fastball pitchers to ever play the game. Ryan unbelievably had a 27-year career and was still throwing […]
STILL ANSWERING THE CALL IN TIME OF NEED
By Randy C. Davis TBMB Executive Director The news media may have moved on, and that’s okay. As we say, Tennessee Baptist Disaster Relief volunteers get there when the disaster hits and stay long after the media has left. And that’s definitely the case in Sevier County where November’s wildfires devastated countless homes, businesses, and […]
IF YOU COULD ASK GOD ONE QUESTION …
By Randy C. Davis TBC Executive Director There are millions of spiritually lost people in Tennessee. That is an obvious statement, but that reality grabbed me again in recent weeks. This time, the faceless mass got personal as spiritual lostness introduced itself with a person’s name. In preparing for our annual Summit, we sent thousands […]
TENNESSEE BAPTIST MISSION BOARD
Messengers approve new name for Executive Board, elect Freeman By Lonnie Wilkey Editor, Baptist and Reflector SEVIERVILLE — Messengers to the annual meeting of the Tennessee Baptist Convention approved a new name for the Executive Board and elected Springfield pastor Steve Freeman as their new president. The two actions were among many that took place […]
A STRATEGIC MOVE TOWARD A 50/50 DISTRIBUTION
By Randy C. Davis TBC Executive Director You are familiar with the story. Two mothers came before King Solomon with a baby, each claiming to be the mother. An argument ensued; accusations flew, and Solomon decided to divide the baby, thereby revealing the identity of the true mother. Somewhere along the way, the Cooperative Program […]
DO YOU ‘GET’ THE COOPERATIVE PROGRAM?
By Randy C. Davis TBC Executive Director James Suggs gets it. Suggs, 72, is the pastor of Cave Hill Baptist Church in Newport. He’s lived in Cocke County his entire life — Cocke County, total population of about 35,000. Suggs shares the story of when he was a young pastor in his early 20s and […]
EXECUTIVE BOARD ADOPTS $35 MILLION BUDGET
By Lonnie Wilkey Editor, Baptist and Reflector BRENTWOOD — The Executive Board of the Tennessee Baptist Convention adopted two recommendations during its Sept. 14 meeting at Brentwood Baptist Church in Brentwood. Board members approved a budget of $35 million for 2016-17. The proposed budget, which must be approved by messengers to the annual meeting during […]