LEADERS

Mike Burns has been called as pastor of First Baptist Church, Watertown, effective July 17. A native of Tennessee, Burns was reared in Nashville and served for four years as youth and children’s ministry director at Riverside Baptist Church. For the past 20 years an associate pastor/students at a church in Louisiana and as pastor of a church in Mississippi. He earned his master of divinity degree from New Orleans (La.) Baptist Theological Seminary in 2007. He and his wife, Misty, have three children.

Clyde Fitzgerald recently was called as pastor of Clear Creek Baptist Church, Dayton.

Jimmy Nave retired as pastor of Meadow View Baptist Church, Lawrenceburg, effective July 31. [Read more…]

LEADERS

Joe Lovell joined the staff of the Tennessee Baptist Mission Board July 8 as chief financial officer. He formerly served at the International Mission Board  where he has spent the last 23-plus years. Most recently he served as senior finance director where he was responsible for accounting, investments, payroll, tax and treasury functions. Lovell was reared in Knoxville and graduated from Carson-Newman University. After passing the CPA exam, Joe worked as tax accountant, auditor and budgeting specialist before being appointed as a missionary with the IMB in 1998.  He served with the IMB in the Philippines, South Korea and Thailand before moving to the home office in Richmond. Joe and his wife, Ann, have two adult daughters. [Read more…]

LEADERS

Pastor Juan Natal joined the New Churches Team of the Tennessee Baptist Mission Board June 13 as a part-time new church catalyst. Juan is church planter and pastor of Renovacion Church in Nashville and is married to Marybel Sotomayor.

Cross Roads Baptist Church, Greenbrier, called Al Hodges as pastor on June 12. He had been serving as interim pastor since November of 2020. [Read more…]

LEADERS

Roger Stacy will retire June 30 after 15 years as director of missions for Gibson Baptist Association. Prior to Gibson Association, he served as director of missions for Central Baptist Association, based in McMinnville, for 10 years. He and his wife, Penny, also were the first International Mission Board missionaries to serve in western Ukraine in 1993 after the fall of communism. The association will hold a retirement reception for Stacy and his wife on June 26 from 2-5 p.m. The Stacys are moving to New Albany, Miss., to be near grandchildren. He plans to continue serving as an interim pastor and supply preacher as well as continuing to lead mission teams to Brazil where he also served as a missionary. [Read more…]

LEADERS

Jason Hartley has been called as pastor of Biltmore Baptist Church, Elizabethton. He had been serving as interim pastor.

Steve Evans has been called as pastor of Pilgrim New Covenant Baptist Church in Maryville.

Five retirees of Carson-Newman University are inaugural members of the Robert Reedy Bryan Society. The recognition took place during C-N’s May 6 spring undergraduate commencement featuring 303 graduates. Those honored were Vickie Butler, Mark Heinrich, Mary Phipps, Frank Pinkerton and Joe Bill Sloan. Named after the university’s second president, the society honors the dedicated and selfless service of retired faculty, staff and others whose service to the university is exceptional and meritorious. The society is named for Robert Reedy Bryan, who in 1849 joined four other men under an oak tree and discussed the need for a Baptist college in East Tennessee. His vision, along with that of the other four, forever etched them into Carson-Newman lore as “The Oak Tree Five.” Bryan served as primary professor of what began as Mossy Creek Missionary Baptist Seminary, as well as its second and sixth president. He provided extensive fundraising and bold leadership to the school devastated by the Civil War. [Read more…]

CHURCHES

Willie McLaurin, interim CEO of the Southern Baptist Executive Committee, will be at First Baptist Church, Somerville, on May 22 from 2-4 p.m. to meet with pastors, staff and directors of mission in West Tennessee to answer questions about the upcoming Southern Baptist Convention annual meeting in Anaheim, Calif. It is an open meeting to ask questions about leadership issues.

Pleasant View Baptist Church, Martin, will hold revival services May 15-18 with a different speaker each night. Phil Mitchell will preach at 11 a.m. on Sunday and Donald Doster will preach at 5 p.m.  Services begin at 7 p.m. during the week with Rick Walker (Monday), Gene Price (Tuesday) and Kenneth Williams (Wednesday).

LEADERS

Adams Chapel Baptist Church, Dresden, recently called Brent Davidson as pastor.

Jeff Stricklin was ordained as a deacon May 1 at Ruthville Baptist Church, Martin. [Read more…]

CHURCHES

Fall Creek Baptist Church, Norene, will celebrate 200 years of proclaiming the gospel on Sunday, May 1, at 10 a.m. with Dave Shelley, director of missions for the Wilson County Baptist Association, delivering the anniversary sermon. The church was organized at the Copelands Meeting House in southeastern Wilson County on the first Saturday in May, 1822 with 21 constituent members. A fellowship meal and a time of remembrance featuring former pastors and leaders of the church will follow the service, according to Pastor James Yates. The public is invited. [Read more…]

LEADERS

After 49 years in ministry, Jerry Winfield has retired as pastor of Oak Valley Baptist Church in Franklin. Previously he was pastor of Forest Hills Baptist Church in Nashville and First Baptist Church in Bolivar as well as churches in Mississippi, Texas and Arkansas. He also served as vice president of development and communications for the Tennessee Baptist Children’s Homes. Denominational service included two terms as trustee of Union University and two terms on the TBMB board of directors. Winfield is available for supply preaching and interim pastorates. He can be reached at [email protected]. [Read more…]

Enon Baptist Church, Halls, called Phillip Senn as pastor on March 13. The church also named retired pastor William P. “Bill” Oakley as pastor emeritus.

Susan Mason recently was recognized by the Tennessee Baptist Mission Board for 25 years of service. She has been the administrative assistant at Carson Springs Baptist Conference Center in Newport for 25 years. She is a member of  First Baptist Church, Newport. Mason and her husband, Pat, have a daughter and two grandsons.

Phil Taylor recently was recognized by the Tennessee Baptist Mission Board for five years of service as part-time church revitalization specialist. He also serves as associational missions strategist/director of missions for CrossNet Baptist Network, based in Cleveland. He and his wife Becky have two children and three grandchildren. [Read more…]