Tennessee Baptist and Reflector

Telling the Story of Tennessee Baptists Since 1835

ROC COLLINS ELECTED TBC PRESIDENT

Messengers celebrate heritage of partnership missions, approve new partnership

By Lonnie Wilkey
Editor, Baptist and Reflector

Elected as new officers of the Tennessee Baptist Convention were, from left, Michael Crandall, pastor of Hillcrest Baptist Church, Dyersburg, second vice president; James Noble, pastor of Grace Fellowship Church, Memphis, vice president; and Roc Collins, pastor of Indian Springs Baptist Church, Kingsport, president. — Photo by Corinne Williams

Elected as new officers of the Tennessee Baptist Convention were, from left, Michael Crandall, pastor of Hillcrest Baptist Church, Dyersburg, second vice president; James Noble, pastor of Grace Fellowship Church, Memphis, vice president; and Roc Collins, pastor of Indian Springs Baptist Church, Kingsport, president. — Photo by Corinne Williams

MILLINGTON — Messengers to the 141st annual meeting of the Tennessee Baptist Convention elected a new slate of officers and celebrated 35 years of partnership missions during the Summit held Nov. 9-11 at First Baptist Church, Millington.

The Summit drew 953 messengers from about 322 churches (unofficial total). Last year’s Summit at Brentwood Baptist Church, Brentwood, drew 1,172 messengers. Messengers were welcomed by Mark Luttrell, mayor of Shelby County; Terry Jones, mayor of Millington; and David Leavell, host pastor.

The attendance in Millington exceeded the 926 messengers registered at Faith Baptist Church, Bartlett, three years ago, the last time the annual meeting was held in West Tennessee. “The attendance is a tremendous indicator of the health of where we (the convention) are,” observed Randy C. Davis, executive director/treasurer of the TBC. [Read more…]

A PAUSE TO CELEBRATE; THEN ON TO SEVIERVILLE

By Randy C. Davis
TBC Executive Director

Randy C. Davis

Randy C. Davis

I love family reunions. It’s a chance to gather with folks who share a bond and for whom (hopefully) you care a great deal about. That, to me, is what the annual gathering of Tennessee Baptists feels like.

This year’s Summit was held at First Baptist Church, Millington, and in his words of welcome, FBC Pastor David Leavell referred to the gathering as a family reunion. I couldn’t agree more. Tennessee Baptists share a bond in the Lord Jesus Christ, and are a people about whom I care a great deal.

Our theme this year was, “Reach NOW … Whatever It Takes.” It is based on the first of the Five Objectives adopted and affirmed at last year’s Summit. As I hope you are becoming more aware, that objective is to see at least 50,000 Tennesseans annually saved, baptized, and set on the road to discipleship by 2024. [Read more…]

CONFERENCE SPEAKERS CHALLENGE TENNESSEANS

Randy C. Davis, executive director/treasurer of the Tennessee Baptist Convention, recognized new and outgoing officers during the final session of the 2015 Pastors Conference held Nov. 9 at First Baptist Church, Millington. From left are Jim Collier, Kirby Woods Baptist Church, Memphis, 2017 president-elect; Todd Stinnett, Black Oak Heights Baptist Church, Knoxville, 2016 president; Michael Crandall, Hillcrest Baptist Church, Dyersburg, secretary-treasurer; Steve Gaines, Bellevue Baptist Church, Cordova outgoing president; and Davis. — Photo by Corinne Williams

Randy C. Davis, executive director/treasurer of the Tennessee Baptist Convention, recognized new and outgoing officers during the final session of the 2015 Pastors Conference held Nov. 9 at First Baptist Church, Millington. From left are Jim Collier, Kirby Woods Baptist Church, Memphis, 2017 president-elect; Todd Stinnett, Black Oak Heights Baptist Church, Knoxville, 2016 president; Michael Crandall, Hillcrest Baptist Church, Dyersburg, secretary-treasurer; Steve Gaines, Bellevue Baptist Church, Cordova outgoing president; and Davis. — Photo by Corinne Williams

MILLINGTON — Focusing on the theme from Isaiah 64:1 of “Rend the Heavens and Come Down,” speakers at the 2015 Tennessee Baptist Pastors Conference at First Baptist Church in Millington addressed a number of topics related to revival.
Grant Gaines, senior pastor of Calvary Baptist Church, Jackson, emphasized the need for sound doctrine in churches as the basis for revival and for the well-being of believers.

Preaching from I Timothy 1: 3-4, Gaines said if churches are to be healthy, sound teaching must be established and false teaching must be stopped.
A revival of sound teaching, Gaines said, requires the care of church leaders, the rebuke of false teachers, an understanding of false teaching, and order in God’s house.

“If we are going to experience revival, it’s not going to be because we have discovered some new revelation,” Gaines said. “If we are going to experience revival, it’s going to be because we have rediscovered some very ancient revelation.”
Ted Traylor, senior pastor of Olive Baptist Church in Pensacola, Fla., reminded pastors that when they preach the gospel and during times when they struggle, God is their helper. [Read more…]

KINGSPORT PASTOR ELECTED PRESIDENT OF TENNESSEE BAPTIST CONVENTION

Editor’s Note: This is the final version of the officer’s story.

By Lonnie Wilkey, editor
Baptist and Reflector

ROC COLLINS

ROC COLLINS

MILLINGTON – Messengers to the annual meeting of the Tennessee Baptist Convention unanimously elected Roc Collins, pastor of Indian Springs Baptist Church, Kingsport, as president.

Allan Lovelace, pastor of Waterville Baptist Church, Cleveland, nominated Collins for the position.

He noted that during the 10 years Collins has served as pastor of Indian Springs the church has doubled in almost every statistical category. The church gives 10 percent of its undesignated receipts through the Cooperative Program. Last year the church baptized 82 people, Lovelace reported.

Collins has served as president of the Tennessee Baptist Pastors Conference, vice president of the TBC, and served as chair of the TBC Executive Board this past year. [Read more…]

PASTORS CONFERENCE ELECTS OFFICERS

Baptist and Reflector

20151110pastors-conf-officers

Randy C. Davis, executive director/treasurer of the Tennessee Baptist Convention recognized new and outgoing officers during the final session of the 2015 Pastors Conference held Nov. 9 at First Baptist Church, Millington. From left are Jim Collier, Kirby Woods Baptist Church, Memphis, 2017 president-elect; Todd Stinnett, Black Oak Heights Baptist Church, Knoxville, 2016 president; Michael Crandall, Hillcrest Baptist Church, Dyersburg, secretary-treasurer; Steve Gaines, Bellevue Baptist Church, Cordova outgoing president; and Davis. -Photo by Corinne Williams

MILLINGTON – Todd Stinnett, senior pastor of Black Oak Heights Baptist Church, Knoxville, will serve as president of the 2016 Tennessee Baptist Pastors Conference.

Stinnett served this past year as president-elect with 2015 Pastors Conference president Steve Gaines, senior pastor of Bellevue Baptist Church, Cordova. [Read more…]

WHY I LOVE THE SUMMIT

By Randy C. Davis
TBC Executive Director

Randy C. Davis

Randy C. Davis

I travel – a lot. I’ve made my way back and forth across Tennessee this year several times and then some. Most often those trips are made to preach in your churches or associational meetings, to stop and have lunch with a pastor or church member just to visit, or to attend a meeting where small groups of people are gathered to discuss Kingdom work. I enjoy all these opportunities to connect with brothers and sisters in Christ who share an identity as Tennessee Baptists. But as much as I enjoy connecting with you out across our state one-on-one or in small groups, I love when we all come together in one place for our annual Summit. That’s why I’m excited about next week and the 141st gathering of the Tennessee Baptist Convention taking place at First Baptist Church, Millington. [Read more…]

SUMMIT BEGINS NEXT WEEK IN MILLINGTON

By Chris Turner
Director of Communications, TBC

151103ReachNOW_LogoBRENTWOOD — It will be a convention of milestones when Tennessee Baptists gather for the annual Summit next week at First Baptist Church, Millington.

This year is the 180th anniversary of the Baptist an­d ­Ref­lector, the convention’s newspaper and one of the oldest continuously published newspapers in the country; it is the 90th anniversary of the Cooperative Program, which was created in 1924 in Memphis (and launched in 1925) at the annual meeting of Southern Baptists; and it is the Tennessee Baptist Convention’s 35th anniversary of partnership missions. It also brings to a conclusion the term of Michael Ellis, the TBC’s first-ever African-American president.

“It has been an amazing year of traveling across our state, preaching and seeing God at work,” Ellis said. “It is a real privilege and a joy to be serving as president as Tennessee Baptists come to West Tennessee for the Summit. It is going to be a great meeting and I look forward to the Pastors Conference speakers and then being together with our larger Tennessee Baptist family.” [Read more…]

Registration Underway for Summit

Baptist and Reflector

summit-logoBRENTWOOD — Registration is underway for The Summit which will be held Nov. 10-12 at Brentwood Baptist Church here.

The Summit includes the annual meeting of the Tennessee Baptist Convention, the Tennessee Baptist Pastors Conference, WMU’s Missions Extravaganza, and other related meetings and events.

As of Oct. 20, 545 messengers from 188 churches have pre-registered. Randy C. Davis, TBC executive director/treasurer, observed that convention saw its largest increase of messengers since 2007 at last year’s meeting in Chattanooga.

“Our 2014 Summit will be important, urgent, and historical for several reasons,” he noted. [Read more…]

Summit Begins Next Week

Baptist and Reflector

summit-logoBRENTWOOD — The Summit: The Gathering of Tennessee Baptists kicks off next week on Monday, Nov. 10, at Brentwood Baptist Church.

The first day of Summit features the Tennessee Baptist Convention Pastors Conference with sessions beginning at 1 and 5:45 p.m. Other meetings on Monday include Hispanic pastors gathering, the Good Cup (a meeting for ministers’ wives), the Black Church Pastors luncheon, Tennessee Baptist Religious Educators Association, and a host of TBC committee meetings. [Read more…]

When We All Get Together

By Randy C. Davis
TBC Executive Director

Randy C. Davis

Randy C. Davis

There are those people who touch your life and have an impact that shapes who you become. Charlie was one of those for me.

I’ll never forget Charlie. Charlie died in his mid-90s. He served as treasurer of Little Escambia Baptist Church for well over 40 years. Every year on the Sunday closest to the birthday of this faithful Baptist layman, more than 100 of his family and friends gathered for worship and then headed to Charlie and Essie’s house on Upper Creek Road to enjoy the world’s biggest “dinner-on-the-grounds” under the trees for the annual grand celebration gathering. [Read more…]

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