TBC Hosts Leadership Day

By AMY DAVIS
for Tennessee Bible College

More than 20 area church congregations were represented with more than 100 in attendance during Leadership Day at Tennessee Bible College in Cookeville.

The annual event was held Feb. 24 with faculty members of the college speaking on various subjects relating to this year's theme, "Keeping the Church in the Bible Way."

Audio versions of the lectures are available on the college's web site, www.tn-biblecollege.edu.

TBC President Malcolm Hill said of the event, "We've had some excellent Leadership Days in the past, but I don't believe we've ever had any to exceed or excel that day. We had people interested, and they all participated. It was a time when everybody learned. It wasn't just for leaders in the church. We dealt with things that go on where everybody lives."

Hill, who founded TBC in 1975, spoke on family life centers and sports in the church.

"We're hearing a lot these days about gymnasiums and family life centers being built by churches, and years back--25 or 30 years ago--you didn't see that," he said. "And we've got people saying that is wrong and sinful. They say the Bible doesn't teach that the church ought to be in the recreation business."

Tennessee Bible College President Malcolm Hill speaks during Leadership Day at the college. This year's theme was "Keeping the Church in the Bible Way." Hill's topic was family life centers and sports in the church. Other speakers during the event were TBC faculty members Glenn B. Ramsey, Kerry Duke, and Ronald D. Gilbert. Audio versions of the lectures are available on the TBC web site, www.tn-biblecollege.edu

Hill disagreed with that stand, arguing that most church buildings today, for instance, have kitchens.

"If you can have a church building with a kitchen in it, which is for recreation, then how in the world could you condemn a church that wanted to have a family life center for recreation?" he said.

Hill believes the real issue is priorities--where church monies are best spent.

"My judgment is that they're not best spent on gymnasiums," he said. "I believe that our monies are best spent on teaching and training and bringing people into the nurture and admonition of the Lord."

In addition to his administrative and teaching duties at TBC, Hill serves as a minister and elder at Northeast church of Christ in Cookeville.

He is a 1960 graduate of David Lipscomb University, where he earned a bachelor's degree in religion. He also did graduate work at Atlanta University and holds two doctorate degrees. He has been preaching in the church of Christ for more than 54 years.

Also taking the podium during Leadership Day were TBC faculty members Glenn B. Ramsey, vice president; Kerry Duke, dean; and Ronald D. Gilbert, director of missions.

David Hill, public relations director at Tennessee Bible College, leads singing during the recent Leadership Day event held on the TBC campus in Cookeville. More than 20 church congregations and 100 individuals were in attendance during the day. Audio versions of the lectures are available on the TBC web site, www.tn-biblecollege.edu

Ramsey, who spoke on caring for the needy, said, "The responsibility of helping the needy is a constant responsibility of the church, and it's a principle that goes from the Old Testament through the New Testament. I thought the overall attendance and participation in Leadership Day was just tremendous."

Ramsey is a graduate of Tennessee Tech University, where he received a bachelor's degree in math education in 1965 and a master's degree in school administration and supervision in 1971. He also took courses at Freed-Hardeman University and has completed graduate work at TBC. He teaches several courses at the college and has been preaching in the church of Christ for more than 50 years.

Duke, who preaches at West End Church of Christ in Livingston, spoke about missionary societies.

"A lot of people have heard about the Missionary Society, but they don't know what it is," he said. "So my topic was to look at the Missionary Society as it was in the 1800s and explain why there was controversy over it and also to look at the misunderstandings about it today."

The Livingston native has been preaching for more than 25 years. A graduate of TBC, he earned his bachelor's degree in Bible in 1987 and his master's and doctorate degrees in Christian doctrine and apologetics in 1988 and 1992.

Gilbert's topic was "The Contribution."

He said, "As I pointed out in the lesson, there's more said in the New Testament concerning giving than there is on the topic of baptism. We need to talk about giving. I think a lot of people fail to understand what the Bible teaches about sacrificial giving, about giving as we've been prospered.

"Also, I tried to stress the importance of the giving of the individual. I think that's an area where a lot of stress is being placed today, about what the church can and can't do. And we need to remember that the individual has some rights too. They can go above and beyond their contribution, in addition to their contribution."

In addition to his mission work at TBC, Gilbert preaches at Rock Valley Church of Christ in Tompkinsville, Ky. He is a 1973 graduate of Memphis School of Preaching and also TBC, where he earned his bachelor's degree in Bible in 1982 and his master's and doctorate degrees in Christian doctrine and apologetics in 1984 and 1994. He has been preaching since 1972.

The Leadership Day event concluded with open discussion on "Rightly Dividing the Bible."

For more information about Tennessee Bible College, call (931) 526-2616 or visit the campus at 1616 McCulley Road in Cookeville.