Tennessee Baptist and Reflector

Telling the Story of Tennessee Baptists Since 1835

TBMB DIRECTORS HOLD FIRST VIRTUAL MEETING

By Lonnie Wilkey
[email protected]

FRANKLIN — The board of directors of the Tennessee Baptist Mission Board made history April 21 — and they didn’t even have to leave home.

Thanks to technology, COVID-19 did not wipe out the scheduled April meeting of the TBMB as an overwhelming majority of the board member joined a Zoom broadcast.

“This is a historical moment,” acknowledged Randy C. Davis, president and executive director of the TBMB.

Davis informed the board members that the meeting was primarily an informational meeting and that no action would be taken at this time. “We didn’t want to bring anything to the board to vote on at this time simply because we want to make sure that we have the capability electronically to do it in a manner that is in order.” [Read more…]

MORE CHANGE — BUT THE MISSION REMAINS

By Randy C. Davis
TBMB President & Executive Director

There are two things about which we can be certain in these uncertain days: God is on His throne sovereignly ruling over the universe, and change seems to be a regular occurrence and comes quickly.

About a year ago I wrote about a change that few Southern Baptists would have ever anticipated. LifeWay Christian Resources sent ripples through denominational life when it announced the closing of its 170 LifeWay Christian Stores and shifting exclusively to online sales.  [Read more…]

PASTORAL LEADERSHIP IN THE COVID-19 STORM

By Randy C. Davis
TBMB President & Executive Director

I loved being a pastor. It was my joy and honor to spend 34 years as a pastor in a local church, so obviously I have a special place in my heart for the men who faithfully labor behind the pulpit serving God and His people.

I never saw myself in any other vocational capacity this side of heaven other than in a pastorate serving churches. God had other plans and serving churches has taken a different look. For almost 10 years, it’s been my privilege to lead the Tennessee Baptist Mission Board to serve the 3,200 churches that are part of the network of churches that comprise the Tennessee Baptist Convention. [Read more…]

PANDEMIC PROVIDES OPPORTUNITY TO ‘THRIVE ON OUR MISSION’

By Lonnie Wilkey
[email protected]

Randy C. Davis, president and executive director of the Tennessee Baptist Mission Board, speaks to the TBMB staff on March 16 regarding adjustments to upcoming events and meetings.

FRANKLIN — As the coronavirus pandemic continues to spread, Christians can draw encouragement from Scripture and the history of the church, said Randy C. Davis, president and executive director of the Tennessee Baptist Mission Board.

In comments March 16 to a group of pastors across the state via a conference call and later to TBMB staff, Davis said the church has always faced “the most difficult moments with courage, hope and help. Both our character and Christ will be revealed by our response to this crisis.”

Davis challenged the pastors and TBMB staff to “look at this moment as the greatest opportunity in our lifetimes to do something great for God. We will not simply do the best we can and we will not simply survive. … Our goal is more than just surviving as a ministry, but to thrive on our mission. [Read more…]

DAVIS OFFERS INSIGHTS ON SBC HAPPENINGS

Baptist and Reflector

FRANKLIN — A number of issues have risen to the surface across the Southern Baptist Convention and following the recent Southern Baptist Convention Executive Committee Board of Directors meeting held in Nashville, Feb. 17-18, 2020. 

The issues have ranged from the 2020 SBC Pastors’ Conference lineup, to the Ethics and Religious Liberties Commission, to the formation of the Conservative Baptist Network, and many more. Overlooked to some degree has been Executive Committee (EC) President and CEO Ronnie Floyd’s Vision 2025 delivered to the EC on the opening night of its meeting.  

Opinions across the SBC are flying, and many of them are not positive or constructive. The Baptist and Reflector sat down with Randy C. Davis, executive director of the Tennessee Baptist Convention, to gain his insight related to the array of issues. The following is an excerpt from that Radio B&R podcast. You can find the full podcast (Episode 39) with Davis’ extended responses at RadioBR.org and you can subscribe to the Radio B&R podcast on iTunes and GooglePlay.  [Read more…]

WHERE ARE RECRUITS FOR WORLD CONQUEST?

By Randy C. Davis
TBMB President & Executive Director

There is a growing reality that causes me great concern. I’m scanning the horizon looking for the billowing dust of reinforcements charging toward the spiritual battle, but all I see are wisps from the few. Where are the supply of recruits enlisted for world conquest?

Where are the pastors and ministers to shepherd Christ’s bride during these most desperate of days?

Where are the missionaries to carry the gospel to faraway lands?

Increasingly, too many of our pulpits stand vacant rather than filled by a God-called man filled with biblical authority proclaiming Jesus’ all-sufficient death, burial and resurrection on behalf of sinful humanity. [Read more…]

THE QUIET HEROES OF THE TBC AND SBC

By Randy C. Davis
TBMB President & Executive Director

Randy C. Davis

Let me tell you about my friend Scott Helton.

Scott is a schoolteacher. He is also a pastor. He isn’t “part time” at either.

I’ve known Scott since he was a teenager and I was honored to be his pastor. He’s had a heart for ministry for a long time. He first served as a worship leader, then a few years ago, he served in his first pastorate. The entire time he’s also been teaching. It isn’t necessarily an easy road he chose, but then again, God chose it for him. I’ll let Scott tell the story.

“I was scared to death to begin pastoring. Moses had a burning bush experience, but I had my own bush experience while sitting on my back deck and praying about accepting the call to pastor. God drew my attention to a beautiful bush that was taller than the deck, and I felt God reminding me of how that bush began. It was a gift from my father-in-law. It was an old, dried-up and withered shrub from the woods behind his house. He handed it to me in a five gallon bucket where it had obviously been for days. I planted it, and now here it was flourishing just a few years later. [Read more…]

STAYING FOCUSED ON OUR PASSIONATE PRIORITY

By Randy C. Davis
TBMB President & Executive Director

Randy C. Davis

There are two distinctives that bind Southern Baptists together. The first is our shared biblical belief system. Unfortunately, the Bible can be mishandled in many ways and our Southern Baptist forefathers recognized that, so in 1925, they took the providential step to clearly define what Southern Baptists believe about the Bible.

That document is known as the Baptist Faith and Message (BF&M) and became our “statement of the historic Baptist conception of the nature and foundation of confessions of faith in our religious and denominational life.” The BF&M was updated in 2000 and reaffirms what we believe theologically and why we believe it.

The second distinctive that binds Southern Baptists together is our Great Commission calling to missions, and specifically our historic commitment to rally around international missions. We have always been, and we must always be, a “going” people. [Read more…]

SUMMIT SUMMARY: EVANGELISM AT FOREFRONT

TBC leaders, messengers focus on how to ‘Win TN, by all means’ during 145th annual meeting

Randy C. Davis, president and executive director of the Tennessee Baptist Mission Board, preached the final message of the Tennessee Baptist Pastors Conference on Nov. 18. He encouraged pastors to gather at the altar for prayer for each other and their churches.
– Photo by James Wilson

Editor’s Note: See stories from the 2019 Summit in Knoxville throughout this issue.

By Lonnie Wilkey
Editor, Baptist and Reflector
[email protected]

KNOXVILLE — Tennessee Baptist Convention messengers gathered at First Baptist Concord, Nov. 17-20 for four days of inspirational worship, fellowship and to conduct business during the 145th annual meeting held during The Summit: A Gathering of Tennessee Baptists.

The Summit drew 998 registered messengers from 444 churches and 117 registered guests. The total is the highest since 2016 when 1,228 messengers from 501 churches gathered at the Sevierville Convention Center. Last year’s Summit drew 994 messengers from 409 churches to West Jackson Baptist Church, Jackson.

Convention messengers demonstrated focus, excellence and unity, observed Randy C. Davis, president and executive director of the Tennessee Baptist Mission Board. [Read more…]

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