Featured HPBC Relocates, Drops Baptist from Name

This is big news, but it's not really surprising. When we visited not too long ago I counted only about 150 people in the crowd, though there could have a junior church somewhere. The black church and Spanish speaking church started by HPBC and still there are apparently doing quite well, so the demographics of the area may not favor a church like HPBC anymore. Plus, the new pastor, Dr. Jeremy Roberts, hinted at something big coming up in the fall.

By the way, Jerome, thanks for the heads up on this.

 

Probably long overdue. Finally they have some leadership that is willing to move on from the past. Eccl. 7:10

 

He's very young, only 28, but he seems to have his head on straight (though I wish they wouldn't take Baptist out of the name!) and I enjoyed getting to know him a little. One positive thing he's done: the former pastor usually only gave missionaries 5 minutes, but Dr. Roberts will give missoinaries the full message, like most churches. And HPBC still supports many independent missionaries. (I have no idea what they are doing with the Cooperative Program.)

 

While it may be a small amount in the overall scope of "SBC-dom" there appears to be a number of SBC churches that support both the CP and independent missionaries. May their tribe increase.

 

We do.

Lengthen to 10 characters.

 

According to The World's 20 Largest Churches (by John Vaughan, 1984, there were 57,322 members at that time. My memory says they were running 6,000-8,000 when I was there '72 to '76, and in 1976 there was a push to have 10,000 in SS.

As for the school, Vaughn says it had 3,500 students in 1984 then.

This past Sunday Pastor Jeremy presented the whole thing in his message, "Casting the Vision," available on the church website. I didn't listen to the whole thing, but he said the deacons and planning committee were 100% behind the whole thing. I don't know that they've had a vote of the membership yet, but I think everyone there knows there have to be changes.

 

While on furlough we visited the church twice. The first time the music was completely loud rock (as opposed to other kinds of CCM). I noticed a lot of old folk were not singing at all, and that's a large per cent of the congregation.

One thing Pastor Jeremy did that impressed me was he went to every SS class asking for input. So I think probably as a result of that input, the second time we were there the choir sang a loud rock 7/11 song, but the congregational numbers were traditional except for one chorus, which the song leader taught the congregation. According to Pastor Jeremy in a video on the website, after the move the intent is to have two services, a modern and a trarditional.

 

Years ago Dr. Monroe Parker sent me to an SBC church "because they are coming out." :smilewinkgrin: I never thought I'd see HPBC go back into the convention, but at least they are not dropping their independent missionaries like one church I know did that left the IFB movement.

 

The school will stay where it is. The church wants to sell the old church buildings and rebuild, either on the Camp Joy property (where they will meet temporarily) or near there, I'm not clear which.

 

NICE......can I wear my kilt?

 

Good news. I hope they find a buyer and can move. The old location, although it holds many, many memories for me and thousands of other alumni, needs a lot of work. A new campus would be much less overhead, as well as being more attractive for prospective students.

 

It's not quite what you're thinking here- LOL! Tennessee highlands is more "bib overall" country.:laugh:

 

I agree. They have fenced in the campus. I graduated in 1981, but the neighborhod had changed since then. Trying to attract students was getting harder and harder. It was made harder still because of the switch to being affiliated with the SBC. The IFB churches had dropped them. And the SBC crowd doesn't have any ties to it.

 

Tom, you and I were there at the same time. I graduated in 1982. I arrived in 1976. Those were the glory years for TTU. Maybe it will happen again.

 

Iwas there from 78-81. They were the glory years. Remember the championhips?

I pray so. I contacted them about an opening we are looking to fill here at the church. They were just beginning a placement kind of service.

 

Yes I do. I wonder what happened to Danny Smith? I often wonder where many of the people are who were there back then. I know some have sadly "dropped out" of Christianity. But thank God for those who have "kept on keeping on".

My oldest son graduated from TTU back in 2006 or 2007, and my youngest son is there now.