Tennessee Baptist and Reflector

Telling the Story of Tennessee Baptists Since 1835

MOTION FOR SOUL-WINNING TASK FORCE AFFIRMED AT SBC

By Seth Brown
Baptist Press

Phoenix, AZ.

PHOENIX — Messengers to the Southern Baptist Convention proposed 11 motions during two 15-minute scheduled segments of the 2017 annual meeting in Phoenix.

Messengers voted affirmatively on one of the motions, submitted by Kevin Ezell, president of the North American Mission Board and member of First Baptist Church in Alpharetta, Ga., to authorize the convention’s president to appoint a task force to study how Southern Baptists “could be more effective in personal soul-winning and evangelistic preaching.”

Ezell, acting on behalf of SBC President Steve Gaines, commented to Gaines in making the motion, “We must be about sharing our faith.” Ezell added, “You do that. I’m grateful for your heart and I join you in wanting to mobilize pastors to lead their people to have gospel conversations.” [Read more…]

MESSENGERS OK 9 RESOLUTIONS, TO VOTE ON ‘ALT-RIGHT’ PROPOSAL

By Tom Strode
Baptist Press

Messengers raise their ballots Tuesday, June 13, to approve a request by the Resolutions Committee to present a resolution on “the anti-Gospel alt-right white supremacy movement” at 2:45 p.m. Wednesday, June 14, on the last day of the Southern Baptist Convention annual meeting at the Phoenix Convention Center.
-Photo by Philip Bethancourt

PHOENIX (BP) — Messengers to the 2017 Southern Baptist Convention passed resolutions Tuesday (June 13) repenting of prayerlessness and calling for leaders to practice biblical morality before deciding late at night to vote Wednesday on a previously rejected proposal denouncing the “alt-right.”

The approved resolutions covered some hot-button theological and moral issues, but the proposed resolution on the “alt-right” — a movement that supports white nationalism — gained the most attention.

The Resolutions Committee chose not to report out the proposal to messengers. An effort by the resolution’s author to bring the “alt-right” measure to the floor failed in the afternoon session, and a motion by another messenger in the evening session also fell short. Each motion required a two-thirds majority, and the evening vote received only 58 percent approval. [Read more…]

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. In addition to the historic nature of the officer elections, this year’s lineup of speakers included pastors of smaller to average-size Southern Baptist churches preaching through the book of Philippians. [Read more…]

GAINES REELECTED AS SBC PRESIDENT, LEADS DIVERSE SLATE OF OFFICERS

Baptist Press

Newly elected officers of the Southern Baptist Convention, left to right: Steve Gaines, president; John Yeats, recording secretary, back; Jose Abella, second vice president, front right; and Don Currence, registration secretary. Not pictured is Walter Strickland, first vice president.
— Photo by Adam Covington

PHOENIX (BP) — Tennessee pastor Steve Gaines was reelected by acclamation to a second term as president of the Southern Baptist Convention during the June 13-14 SBC annual meeting in Phoenix.

He will lead a diverse slate of officers including Walter Strickland, an African American leader of Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary’s Kingdom Diversity Initiative, first vice president; Jose Abella, a bilingual church planter from Miami, second vice president; John Yeats, who has served as recording secretary for the past two decades; and Don Currence, pastor of First Baptist Church in Ozark, Mo., registration secretary.

Gaines was nominated by his son Grant Gaines, pastor of Calvary Baptist Church in Jackson, Tenn., who noted his father’s first year in office had been marked by wise leadership, personal prayer and personal evangelism. [Read more…]

SEND LUNCHEON: ‘EVANGELIZE OR FOSSILIZE’

Baptist Press

Las Vegas church planter Vance Pittman, right, encourages pastors toward evangelism and to be disciple-making churches during the North American Mission Board (NAMB) Send Luncheon Monday, June 12. Pastors Greg Laurie, second from left, and James Merritt added examples from their experience while NAMB President Kevin Ezell, left, moderated the discussion at the Phoenix Convention Center.
-Photo by Marc Hooks

PHOENIX (BP) — A full-capacity audience gathered at the Phoenix Convention Center Monday (June 12) for a discussion about evangelism at the North American Mission Board’s 2017 Send Luncheon which coincided with the Southern Baptist Convention Pastors’ Conference.

“NAMB exists to come alongside churches and help them be on mission,” NAMB president Kevin Ezell told pastors. “The mission of sharing the Gospel of Jesus Christ. To push back lostness in North America. To see that every man, woman, boy and girl can hear the Gospel. Everything we do is about evangelism. We as a convention need to focus on having gospel conversations.” [Read more…]

CROSSOVER & HARVEST AMERICA SHARE TIMELESS GOSPEL MESSAGE

Baptist Press

Brandon Kiesling, left, instructor of evangelism at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, prays with Shane, center, during the conclusion of Harvest America June 11 at the University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale, Ariz. Shane came forward to rededicate his life to Christ and was moved to tears during their prayer time on the field.
-Photo by Adam Covington

PHOENIX (BP) — It started Friday, June 9 — the rumblings of an awakening. More than 700 voices worshiped at North Phoenix Baptist Church in Phoenix, Ariz., kicking off the weekend’s Crossover Arizona and Harvest America events.

The North American Mission Board’s (NAMB) Crossover Arizona and Greg Laurie’s Harvest America joined forces to host a three-day evangelistic outreach involving training, street evangelism and service projects before culminating in Harvest America’s Sunday night crusade.

By the end of that evening, Harvest reported 2,904 salvation decisions at the event with another 494 indicating decisions online.

The events were held in conjunction with this year’s Southern Baptist Convention annual meeting in Phoenix. [Read more…]

PIPES TO LEAD EPA

Baptist Press

Carol Pipes

NASHVILLE — Tennessee native Carol Pipes, director of communications at LifeWay Christian Resources, is the new president-elect of the Evangelical Press Association, a professional organization of Christian publications and websites.

Pipes, who was serving as secretary of the board, was elected president-elect during EPA’s annual business meeting at its Chicago convention on April 11.

Pipes is a member of Friendship Community Church in Mount Juliet, where her husband Keith serves as director of worship ministries.

2018 VBS AIMS TO HELP KIDS GET THEIR ‘GAME ON!’

Baptist Press

NASHVILLE, Tenn. — As fans across the nation celebrate the NBA and NHL finals this week, LifeWay Christian Resources is adding to the sports enthusiasm by announcing “Game On!” as its 2018 Vacation Bible School theme.

The theme is designed to help kids gear up for life’s big game by teaching them Jesus has provided all they need for the journey to which God calls them, LifeWay VBS specialist Melita Thomas said.

“Kids are under so much pressure — to perform well, to be the best, to balance schedules that are full to the brim, to excel in every arena,” she said. “From that vantage point, life’s big game can seem like no fun. But when we step back, we realize the goal is not competing in our own strength. God has already given us everything we need.” [Read more…]

BUSINESS CASUAL, NO TIES RECOMMENDED FOR PHOENIX

By Diana Chandler
Baptist Press

Those attending the Southern Baptist Convention’s annual meeting in Phoenix are encouraged to dress appropriately for the heat. Highs between 102 and 105 are expected that week, according to weather.com.

PHOENIX (BP) — Messengers and speakers attending the Southern Baptist Convention 2017 Annual Meeting in Phoenix are encouraged to dress appropriately for daily temperatures surpassing 100 degrees.

“Because of the severe heat in Phoenix during the summer months, I encourage all messengers to the 2017 Southern Baptist Convention Annual Meeting to dress casually,” SBC President Steve Gaines told Baptist Press. “Men should feel free not to wear a necktie. Speakers on the platform are encouraged to dress in business casual attire without a necktie.

“I hope this will make our annual meeting more enjoyable for all,” said Gaines, senior pastor of Bellevue Baptist Church near Memphis, Tenn. [Read more…]

’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. The book released today (June 1) from B&H Publishing shares biblical instruction and practical insights gleaned from Page’s 34 years in the pastorate and additional, ongoing denominational service.

“I was inspired to write this book out of a deep sense of need. Having been a pastor a long time and now helping churches across our convention, I found that many churches, if not most, struggle when it comes to finding a new pastor,” Page told Baptist Press. “In almost every situation, laypersons are charged with seeking a new pastor and many of them are unprepared to ask the right questions. Thus the subtitle of the book, ’10 Questions Every Church Should Ask.'” [Read more…]

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