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Here are Phil's remarks from the 2022 Annual Meeting in case you missed it!


There is a popular diagnostic question that churches are encouraged to use to evaluate

their effectiveness in living out God’s mission. The question goes something like this: “If

your church no longer existed, would anyone notice or care?” I once had someone

respond to that question with an honest answer. She thought for a minute and replied,

“Only the people who are already a part of our church.” Her admission was that most of

the people outside their church members and regular attenders, no one in the community around them would notice or care if their church no longer existed.

I know that recently, one of the pastors in our Association was brave enough to ask that

question – not only of his church members – but outside the walls of the church and into the streets of his local community. It was astounding what he discovered. Along the main street where his church is located, many of those who were asked if, and what, they knew about this church, responded with little or no knowledge whatsoever of the church or its ministries. (And this church is doing a great ministry)

This question was brought to light for me again just a couple of weeks ago. I received a

text from a pastor in one of our Association churches with the following message:

Had a great discussion last night with a group of guys . . . We asked the question,

if (our church) was removed from our community, would there be any upset people? We

all agreed that it would be minimal at best. We are a good church for the people in the

inside, but we don’t do good with truly being an element of change for our community.

On a bigger scale, if all SBC churches were removed from Knoxville, would there be an

impact? (Outside of church people being upset.) Do we make an impact on the city that is equivalent to the resources and number of churches we have? This is not a reflection on any church or leader . . . (we all have our challenges). I am just (wondering) if we are

doing the best we can.


These are challenging questions that demand thoughtful and courageous answers.

Just a few minutes ago as we began our meeting tonight, you watched a video

highlighting some of the significant challenges we face in Knox County. Add to this list

the results of a recent Pew research study that reported that 45% of American adults say

they attend religious services monthly or more. In Knoxville, 65% of people surveyed

identified as “Christian”, yet earlier research revealed that less than 20% are actively

involved in a Christian church. This same Pew Research predicts that Christians will

make up less than half of our population by the year 2050 – less than 28 years from now.


We have to ask the difficult question: Are we doing the best we can? Do people outside

our churches care, or even notice, what the church is doing to impact our communities?

Let me assure you that churches within the Knox County Association of Baptists are

impacting our communities in significant ways. As a network of churches:


 We partner together to meet the physical, emotional and spiritual needs of

people in two of the most underserved communities of Knox County. Our

Compassion Ministry Centers, recently renamed as The Center @ Western

Heights, and The Center @ Montgomery Village, provide pathways for KCAB

churches to make a significant impact in our city. This past year alone through

these two ministry centers, churches have participated in almost 37,000 hunger

relief opportunities through emergency food distribution, weekly meals and

free-food markets. Over 600 people in the two combined locations were

engaged in weekly Bible studies for youth and adults. Educational assistance

and after-school programming for over 200 children continues to be provided

on a daily basis. And 12 inner city youth have gone on to graduate from college

through the scholarship program at The Center @ Western Heights. Our

presence in both of these communities provides an even greater impact in

assisting residents through the disruptive tension and divide brought on by

social challenges in our culture. Our ministry is more urgent than ever before.



 As an Association of churches, we partner together to resource and help

mobilize churches through church and community engagement. Through our

Engage 10/10 Initiative, we have prioritized 10 pockets of lostness and 10

people groups across Knox County for the purpose of connecting KCAB churches

toward intentional evangelistic outreach and potential church planting. Just a

few weeks ago, we launched the 2nd Home initiative (in partnership with

Knoxville Internationals Network) to connect KCAB churches with

International Students and families that have come to Knoxville. We currently

have matched 13 international students with families from our churches, with

5 families in the process to be matched, and we still need 15 more families to

ensure that the remaining international students that have signed up are

matched with a family to show them the love of Christ over the course of a year.

These initiatives allow churches in the Association to live out our Acts 1:8

commission right here at home.


 As an Association of churches, Camp Ba Yo Ca ministered to over 1200 children

and youth in Camp ministry this year and over 2300 people through retreats.

These opportunities saw 14 people become followers of Jesus Christ in addition

to numerous others who made new or renewed commitments through their

local church. through Camp ministry. With the significant increase in anxiety

and depression among young people, the ministry of Camp Ba Yo Ca is more

significant than ever.


 As an Association of churches, we continue to welcome new churches into the

network, with the United Awakening Baptist Church being the first Congolese

Church in Knox County, and the Knoxville Deaf Church being the first

autonomous deaf congregation in our area. We currently connect over 80

church leaders in Learning Communities to help develop stronger and healthier

churches and church leaders.


 This has resulted in 8 intentional partnerships that have helped to revitalize

struggling churches. In addition to these partnerships, 12 other churches are

participating in an intentional revitalization process, and we have assisted over

80 churches in developing a Community Profile for the purpose of engaging

their community. Your partnership through the years has enabled these

ministries to make a significant impact upon the lives of people in the greater

Knox County area, and especially these past few years amid challenges related

to the global pandemic, economic challenges, and social issues impacting the

lives of people across our ministry area.


 As an Association of churches, we reported 1,275 baptisms in 2021, with almost

half (75) of our 165 churches not submitting a report. What separates our

Association of churches from other groups in Knox County doing good work is

the gospel. And people across our county are connecting to Christ and His

Church.


We are having an impact upon our city. Yet we still must face the question: Are we

living out God’s mission in a way that people outside the walls of our churches care . . .

or even notice? At the risk of being repetitive, I want to take us back to a passage of scripture that I shared in our Annual Meeting last year. The passage is found in 2 Corinthians 5:11-21.


The Apostle Paul writes to the church in Corinth:

11  Therefore, knowing the fear of the Lord, we persuade others. But what we are is known to God, and I hope it is known also to your conscience.  12  We are not commending ourselves to you again but giving you cause to boast about us, so that you may be able to answer those who boast about outward appearance and not about what is in the heart.  13  For if we are beside ourselves, it is for God; if we are in our right mind, it is for you.  14  For the love of Christ compels us, because we have concluded this: that one has died for all, therefore all have died;  15  and he died for all, that those who live might no longer live for themselves but for him who for their sake died and was raised.16  From now on, therefore, we regard no one according to the flesh. Even though we once regarded Christ according to the flesh, we regard him thus no longer.  17  Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.  18  All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation;  19  that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation.  20  Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God.  21  For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.


The penetrating question about our relevance; the stunning statistics about our current

condition; and this compelling challenge to be ambassadors for Christ in His ministry of

reconciliation all point to a heightened sense of urgency and intentionality. You have

seen and heard tonight that we are focused on our purpose to champion churches to live out God’s mission everywhere, everyday. That is basically what Paul is presenting to the church in Corinth.


We believe the impact of our Association of churches will become greater as we work

together toward key outcomes such as Equipped Leaders, Enriched Churches, and

Engaged Communities. To remain true to our purpose we must be guided by deeply held core values such as being Church Focused, Gospel Centered, and Mission Intentional.


For this purpose to become a reality, we must be Spirit-Empowered and strategically

missional . . . totally dependent upon God to pour out His Spirit upon His Church, while

providing practical and helpful resources for churches to Discover their Missional Profile,

Develop their Missional Leaders, and ultimately Design their Missional Journey.

Our purpose as an Association is well-grounded; and our outcomes, values and strategic

steps are clearly defined. But I want to take a moment and share my heart with you. Our

culture has shifted significantly and rapidly in recent years. We live in a culture where

competing narratives are shouting for attention, the message of the gospel is considered irrelevant, and the impact of the church goes mostly unnoticed.

Having a clearly defined purpose, goals, values, and strategy is important. Yet being

Spirit-Empowered as we live out God’s mission is essential. The challenges before us

have perhaps never been greater. That simply means that the opportunities before us are greater than ever!


 The opportunity is greater than ever for us to become more dependent upon

God. The Apostle Paul began by proclaiming his reverent fear of the Lord. My

heart yearns more deeply than ever to see a mighty movement of his Spirit among

us. God is raising up individuals and churches across our county that have a

strong desire to see a spiritual awakening take place in our churches, across Knox

County, and throughout our country. I am convinced that if we return to a greater

dependence upon God, the world will notice.


 The opportunity is greater than ever for us to become more unified in our

ministry as the church. Paul made it clear that he was not commending himself

in any way. He desired that all the glory would be given to God. The divide that is

growing deeper each day in our country is making its way into our churches. And

the division among our churches always makes its way into the public arena. I am

convinced that if we partner with one another more than we compete against one

another, the world will notice.


 The opportunity is greater than ever for us to become more like Jesus in the

way we live out God’s mission. Paul emphasized, All this is from God, who

through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of

reconciliation;  19  that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not

counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of

reconciliation.  20  Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his

appeal through us. The more we become like the world, the less the world will

take notice. It is well documented that Mahatma Ghandi was drawn to the life of

Jesus Christ, but frequently pointed to the life of Christians as his reason for

rejecting Christianity. At one point in his life Ghandi is quoted as saying; “Live

like Jesus. The world will listen.” I believe he is right. I am convinced that if we

live like Jesus, the world will notice.


Almost 12 years ago when Dr. Randy Davis became the Executive Director of the

Tennessee Baptist Convention, he wrote: “Indeed, we must give our attention to vision,

realignment and strategic planning. But the fuel and fire for all we do must come from a

brokenness of our hearts so that we might know His heart.”

We have a greater opportunity than ever to know His heart!

It is time for us to Know His Mission

It’s time for us to Be His Church

It's time for us to Live it Out. Everywhere. Everyday.


Thank you for the privilege of serving as your Director of Missions for the Knox

County Association of Baptists. It is truly a joy to serve you!

I want to extend a big “Thank You” to the people of Sevier Heights Church for being such gracious hosts for our Annual Meeting of the Knox County Association of Baptists. Our KCAB Annual Meeting continues to be a meaningful time of encouragement and inspiration. One of the reasons I look forward to the Annual Meeting each year is because it gives us an opportunity to share what God is doing among the churches of our Network. Another reason is because it provides an opportunity to share the possibilities of what God will do when His people are united around a common purpose.


The focus of this year’s meeting emphasized the importance and urgency of what it means to be Ekklesia-Missio Dei: The Church on God’s Mission. As an Association, we champion churches to live out God’s mission everywhere, everyday. Throughout the Annual Meeting, we shared what that looks like in terms of our purpose, values, and strategy.


With the challenges and opportunities before us, we must be Spirit-empowered and strategically missional – totally dependent upon God to pour out His Spirit upon His Church, while providing practical and helpful resources for churches to live out God’s mission. If you missed the Annual Meeting, please check out the videos on our website.


I must also mention that one of my favorite things about our Annual Meeting is getting to see so many of you. Your partnership and friendship are both inspiring and encouraging. Thank you for the privilege and honor to serve as your Director of Missions.


With even greater intentionality, it’s time for us to Live it Out – Everywhere.Everyday.


Grace and Peace!





God is doing great things across Knoxville. In transitioning to Director of MVBC, Tom informed me of an issue that the building had downstairs. There was a wall that with every hard rain would flood the floor in our clothing room. Tom had been trying to find someone to fix the issue, but the cost he was being quoted was tens of thousands of dollars. We began praying about the problem and had others pray as well, and what happened next was God’s hand moving Knox County Baptists to come together to meet and conquer the challenge that was before us. God put it on my heart to call Mark Hammond, a friend and pastor of House Mountain Baptist Church. Mark is a Co-Vocational pastor and thus a hero of mine. His second job is for a foundation repair company. Mark was able to provide us with a solution to our problem at a reasonable price. What I did not anticipate in the repair process was the amount of dust that would occur due to having to cut out a large section of concrete. The dust covered the clothes in the room. We tried to clean it ourselves and quickly realized it would take us a minimum of 6 months to do it alone.


Once again, we got quotes to clean and they were well out of our price range. But then God... you see, Tom was able to get Sevier Heights' disaster relief team to bring the laundry trailer and a crew to wash every piece of clothing. What Tom didn’t know was that I had scheduled Wallace Memorial’s high school youth to be here those same three days. Between the two teams they cleaned not only the clothes but the entire room and its contents. It only took a group of cooperating Christ followers three days to do what would have taken my team at the center six months to a year. This is a living testament to the great things that God’s people can do when we come together in association and cooperation. You also participated in this. It was through your faithful giving to KCAB that we could afford to make the repair. Thank You. Thank you for giving, thank you for serving, and thank you for praying. Eccles. 4:9 “Two are better than one because they have a good return for their labor.” P.S. Thank you for the prayers for my wife and family.


Travis Henderson

mvbaptistcenter@gmail.com



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