Traci Jefferson, a member of First Baptist Church, Morristown, stands in front of the Eiffle Tower in Paris, France, during her mission trip this summer. She said the Lord opened the door for many gospel conversations during her trip.

MORRISTOWN — One week as a missions volunteer during the 2024 Summer Olympics has provided Traci Jefferson with a lifetime of memories.

Jefferson, a member of First Baptist Church, Morristown, served July 22-29 as a volunteer with the International Mission Board in Paris. Though she had been to France many times, this was her first mission trip to the country.

Jefferson, who is an assistant principal at East High School in Morristown, learned about the missions opportunities available at the Olympics in January. “I love Paris and I thought it would be cool to serve during the Olympics,” she said. 

One of her primary reasons for applying was that she can speak French. She taught French at East High School for 16 years before moving into an assistant principal’s role at a nearby middle school 13 years ago. She is in her first year at East High. [Read more…]

Pastor Chuck Workman of Crossroads Church, Westmoreland, speaks prior to breaking ground for a new interactive church playground that can be enjoyed by children with special needs. — Photo courtesy of EnVision Drone & Media Studios

WESTMORELAND — Families of special needs children in Westmoreland and surrounding communities will soon have an interactive playground to enjoy.

CrossRoads Church broke ground on the new adaptive playground on Aug. 4 in Westmoreland

Mayor David Leath and other city officials attended the community celebration. The church provided free hamburgers, hotdogs and ice cream to those in attendance.  [Read more…]

FRANKLIN — The next 10 weeks will have a significant impact in the work of Tennessee Baptists for the next 10 years.

 Next month, TBMB Board of Directors will gather for their semiannual meeting and one of the items on their agenda will be to review a report on the Acts 2:17 Initiative. The Board will also consider a recommendation from the Budget Committee that will reflect the needed investment in the plan from Convention churches.’

If the report is affirmed by the board, it will then be presented to TBC messengers in November at the 2024 Summit. 

Randy C. Davis, president and executive director of the TBMB, has said he believes the Acts 2:17 Initiative “could become the most consequential process in the Tennessee Baptist Convention’s history. ” [Read more…]

FRANKLIN — The question is not what to do if a crisis strikes, it is being prepared when your church faces a crisis, said Chris Turner, director of communications for the Tennessee Baptist Mission Board.

“There are two types of organizations — those that have had a crisis and those whose crisis hasn’t hit yet,” Turner said.

Turner was featured recently on the “Tennessee Golden Hour,” a podcast produced by the Tennessee Baptist Mission Board and hosted by TBMB staff members Matt Tullos and Beth Moore. 

Turner noted there are two types of crises — those that are sudden and those that are smoldering. A sudden crisis is one that is totally unexpected such as a tornado destroying the church building, he said.  [Read more…]

Longtime friends and Tennessee Baptist pastors Larry Robertson, left, and Steve Freeman share a passion for mentoring younger pastors.

CLARKSVILLE — Mentoring young ministers is a passion for longtime friends and former Tennessee Baptist Convention presidents Larry Robertson and Steve Freeman.

Robertson and Freeman recently shared in an interview with the Baptist and Reflector how  their ministries were impacted through mentoring. Freeman, pastor of Grace Baptist Church, Springfield, acknowledges that Robertson has been one of his primary mentors throughout his ministry.

Robertson, pastor of Hilldale Baptist Church, Clarksville, felt God calling him into ministry in 1982 while he was attending the Tennessee Baptist Youth Evangelism Conference in Nashville. Though he already had accepted Christ, Robertson admitted, “I was not walking with the Lord.”

On the opening night of the YEC Robertson recalled that “God got my attention.” The following morning former Tennessee pastor and Southern Baptist Convention president Jim Henry challenged those who might be considering God’s call into some form of ministry to stand up.

“I found myself standing up,” Robertson said. “I sensed very strongly that God was calling me into ministry.” [Read more…]

Tennessee Baptist leaders, from left, Micah Stephens, Jonathan Chapman,
Cole Rogers and Chad Mize discuss the importance of a ministry
pipeline during a recent video shoot.

FRANKLIN — Chad Mize and Jonathan Chapman are doing their part to ensure that the circle remains unbroken.

Mize, associate pastor of missions and mobilization at Forest Hills Baptist Church, and Chapman, collegiate ministry specialist at East Tennessee State University, are both passionate and committed to helping aspiring church leaders find reliable and godly “ministry mentors.” 

Eventually, if all goes according to plan, those same students will then help others follow that path. 

It’s a cycle of events that is crucial to the future of student ministry, said Chapman. With the pipeline of rising ministry leaders slowing almost to a trickle in recent years, this is a vital time for new leaders to emerge. 

Chapman said Tennessee Baptists can aid the process, and infuse the cycle, by supporting the BCMs in Tennessee, both with prayer and financial resources.  [Read more…]