I read a lot of news these days from a variety of sources. Hopefully, you do too. How can we not? These are complex and important times and staying informed matters.
Newspapers still serve an important purpose in our society. Famous playwriter Arthur Miller once observed, “A good newspaper is a nation talking to itself.” Unfortunately, these days, the conversation — and the news itself — often aren’t that encouraging.
That’s why I’m grateful for a different kind of news — the kind found in the Baptist and Reflector. For 191 years, this paper has helped Tennessee Baptists talk to one another about what matters most. And what fills its pages is not just information, but God-stories — accounts of how the Lord is at work through His people.
When I sit down with a hot cup of coffee and open the B&R, I slow down. I’m not scanning headlines or scrolling a screen. I’m taking in story after story of faithfulness — churches reaching their communities, students answering the call to ministry, missionaries taking the gospel to the nations. It is a steady reminder that God is at work, and that we are part of something bigger than ourselves.
That is exactly what Tennessee Baptists have said they want. Surveys over the years consistently show that you want to read stories about your churches and your communities. The B&R delivers that in every issue.
That conversation began nearly 40 years before there was a Tennessee Baptist Convention. First Baptist Church Nashville pastor R. B. C. Howell founded the paper in 1835 and served as its first editor.
In his first editorial, he wrote that the purpose of the paper was “to unite, harmonize, and invigorate the church in this state … a medium of communication through which our brethren in various parts should have knowledge of each other.”
Nearly two centuries later, that vision still guides the paper. I am often asked questions by pastors and others about what is happening among Baptists across our state. I value those conversations, but I am often reminded that many of the answers can already be found in the pages of the B&R.
The Baptist and Reflector informs our faith, connects our churches and provides accountability for how we financially steward what God has entrusted to us. It reports how Cooperative Program and Golden Offering for Tennessee Missions gifts are invested in ministry across Tennessee, North America and around the world.
In fact, in this issue you can follow the path of your CP dollars through the Acts 1:8 model and see firsthand how your church is part of a much larger mission.
It also helps us think biblically about important issues. Recently, when significant abortion legislation was being considered in our state, the B&R provided clear reporting along with thoughtful perspectives from Tennessee ministers. In a world full of noise, that kind of clarity matters.
The B&R is more than a trusted news source. It has been recognized each of the past two years by the Baptist Communicators Association as the best overall newspaper in the Southern Baptist Convention.
Our editorial team — Chris Turner (editor), David Dawson (managing editor), and Zoë Watkins (communications specialist) — brings 70 years of combined news reporting experience and numerous writing awards to one of America’s oldest continuously published newspapers.
At a time when many community newspapers are disappearing, the B&R remains strong. Where local papers decline, communities often become less informed, less engaged and less connected. The same would be true for us.
Tennessee Baptist churches are a community, and the B&R is our community newspaper. But a community newspaper only works if the community supports it. The B&R serves Tennessee Baptists, and Tennessee Baptists must support the B&R.
This isn’t about nostalgia. It is about stewardship. I’m challenging you to subscribe because I believe regularly reading the Baptist and Reflector is the best way to know if we as a family of churches are reaching our mission to multiply gospel leaders who advance God’s kingdom. We should not assume it will always be there without our support.
Your faith will be strengthened. We will be better connected. And you can be confident your giving is making a difference.
If a good newspaper is how people talk to one another, then we have one of the best. So, subscribe, pour a cup of coffee, and enjoy the stories of what God is doing among us. Visit baptistandreflector.org/subscribe and join the conversation.
It is a joy to be on this journey with you. B&R
