By Chris Turner
Director of Communications, TBMB
FRANKLIN — The Tennessee Baptist Convention’s annual Summit: The Gathering of Tennessee Baptists is rapidly approaching and once again kicks off with a worship celebration.
After being held at a convention center last year, First Baptist Church Hendersonville will host the Summit Nov. 12-16. The Summit was expanded last year to include a Sunday evening community worship service, and also includes the Tennessee Baptist Pastors Conference, the annual business meeting and a golf tournament Thursday, Nov. 16.
The Summit 2017 theme is “Rescue Now … Whatever It Takes.” The theme is born out of an increasing emphasis on the need to reach the spiritually lost people of Tennessee with the gospel.
“I love coming together in our annual meeting,” said TBMB Executive Director Randy C. Davis. “It is like a family reunion. It is also a time for us to refocus on our calling as Christians and our mission as Tennessee Baptists. Any way you slice it, our state is a mission field, and if the spiritually lost people of Tennessee are going to be rescued, then Tennessee Baptists must deliver the life preserver of the gospel.”
Bartholomew Orr, pastor of Brown Missionary Baptist Church, Southaven, Miss., will be the Sunday worship speaker with the service to begin at 6:15 p.m. The Tennessee Mens Chorale will precede the service with a concert beginning at 5:30 p.m. TBC church members are asked to consider attending the service and post-service fellowship. There is no cost to attend the community worship service or fellowship, and those attending do not have to be registered messengers for the convention.
An All-Nations worship celebration is schedule for 7 p.m. that evening at Long Hollow Baptist Church, Hendersonville. It is anticipated that as many as seven different language groups will participate.
“Our worship time at last year’s Summit set the tone for our entire time together,” Davis said. “It was a huge blessing. We began the week by focusing on God with our worship and concluded by honoring God with the way we handled the business related to Tennessee Baptist churches.”
In addition to the Pastors Conference on Monday, breakout sessions on a variety of topics will be available that morning. Pastors Conference begins after lunch. Breakout sessions will also be offered during the annual business meeting on Tuesday.
Leaders are: Stan May, pastor of Immanuel Baptist Church, Olive Branch, Miss.; Tim McGehee (TBC Pastors Conference President-Elect), pastor, Grace Baptist Church, Tullahoma; Bartholomew Orr, pastor, Brown Missionary Baptist Church, Southaven, Miss.; David Platt, President, The International Mission Board; Todd Stinnett, pastor, Black Oak Heights Baptist Church, Knoxville; Afshin Ziafat, pastor, Providence Church, Frisco, Texas. The music leader is John Wells, Worship Pastor and Evangelist, Crystal Springs, Miss. The theme of the Pastors Conference is, “To All the World …” There are two sessions: 1:00 – 4:15 p.m. and 6:00 – 9:30 p.m.
The Summit Leader Development Breakouts include: Navigating Healthy Change, led by Mike Bonem leadership coach and author of In Pursuit of Great and Godly Leadership; City Reach, led by Directors of Missions Phil Young and Rusty Sumrall, and Church Planter Gary Morgan; Seven Steps to Planting A Church that Impacts Spiritual Lostness, led by Lewis McMullen, TBMB Church Planting Specialist; God in the Home: Leading Our Families in Worship, led by Scott Shepherd, TBMB Worship and Music Specialist; Growing A Generous Church, led by Randy C. Davis, TBMB Executive Director; Church Legacy Ministries, led by Tennessee Baptist Foundation President Bill Gruenewald, TBF Vice President and Legal Counsel Chris Kelly, and TBMB Stewardship Specialist Billy Hoffman; New Horizons for Disaster Relief, led by Wes Jones, TBMB Disaster Relief Specialist; Reaching Young Adults at Your Local Community College, led by Bill Choate, TBMB Collegiate Ministries Specialist; Why They Stay – Updated Edition, led by David Evans, TBMB Evangelism Strategist; Learning from Evangelistic Churches, led by Roc Collins, TBMB Director of Strategic Initiatives and Steve Pearson, TBMB Evangelism Specialist; Transforming Benevolent Ministry, led by Randy Pool, TBMB Compassion Ministry Specialist; How Camp Can Transform Your Church, led by Tim Bearden and Kevin Perrigan, TBMB Conference Centers managers; and Engaging the Media Without Regretting It, led by Chris Turner, TBMB Communications Director.
In addition to Platt, other Summit program personalities will include past SBC President Ronnie Floyd and LifeWay Christian Resources Vice-President of Church Resources Eric Geiger. TBC President Steve Freeman, pastor, Grace Baptist Church, Springfield, will preside over the annual meeting.
This issue of the Baptist and Reflector contains reports from the Committee on Boards, the Committee on Committees, and the Constitution and Bylaws Committee. TBC bylaws require these reports be published 60 days prior to the annual meeting.
Messengers interested in presenting a resolution during the annual meeting are encouraged to submit resolutions in advance. They can be mailed to: Resolutions Committee, Tennessee Baptist Mission Board, P.O. Box 682789, Franklin, TN 37068. Even if a resolution is presented in advance, it must still be presented from the floor during the annual meeting.
Online registration for Summit began Sept. 5 and continues through Nov. 8. Prospective messengers are encouraged to pre-register online, said TBC Registration Secretary Dan Ferrell. Messengers who do not pre-register can register in person beginning on Sunday, Nov. 12, from 5-8 p.m. at Hendersonville First Baptist Church.
Registration also will be open on Monday, Nov. 13, from 8 a.m.-7 p.m.; Tuesday, Nov. 14, from 7 a.m.-8 p.m.; and on Wednesday, Nov 15, from 8-11 a.m. For more information about registration, contact Ferrell at [email protected] or 615-371-7910.
Childcare, provided by the trained childcare workers at FBC Hendersonville, is available for babies-pre-K. Register online at www.tnbaptist.org and find the link for Summit.
The Summit officially concludes on Thursday, Nov. 16, with a golf tournament. Check www.tbcsummit.org for more details and updated information.