August 5, 2020

This packet cooresponds to the reports and recommendations presented by Trustee Chair Jimmy Hester, our Finance Committee Chair Larry Felts, and our Personnel Committee Chair Bill McKee at our first Town Hall Meeting. Please take a few moments to prayerfully read it so that you will have all the information that you will need to prayerfully consider the recommendations being made.

To submit a question about any of the information presented or listed here, please go to nashvillefirst.org/questions. Next week on Wednesday, August 12 at 6 p.m. your questions will be answered on our second livestream Town Hall.

After the first two Town Halls, a voting packet will be sent out to all members on Thursday, August 13. This will be an email with a link to an online web form. You will have until Monday, August 17 to submit your votes. If you do not have access to email, please contact Amanda Poff at 615.664.6010. She will assist you with voting over the phone or arrange another way to register your vote. Church leadership has decided that quorum will be established by the number of votes cast, and a majority would be established from that quorum. Members will need to submit their names along with their ballots, so that the church can verify their membership. Please take this time to ensure your email address is correct in Realm, because those are the email addresses the church will use.

The final Town Hall Meeting will be live streamed on Wednesday, August 19 at 6 p.m. Presenters will give updates and announce the results of the congregational vote.

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Alan Raughton, Candidate for Pastor of Christian Education & Discipleship

Alan Raughton is an experienced leader with a track record for growth in Sunday School, passion for discipleship, experience in volunteer recruitment and training, plus nu-merous other ministry related competencies. Alan and his wife, Ruth, have been married for 40 years and have two grown children, Benjamin and Bethany. They currently live in Mt. Juliet, TN.

Alan graduated from Mercer University in Macon, Georgia, and he received a Master of Religious Education from New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary. His most recent ministry position was an Adult Ministry Specialist and Director of Church Strategies at LifeWay, where he champi-oned Sunday School and small groups. He coordinated events and led a team of church strategy employees. Alan’s team at LifeWay trained 3,500 Adult Sunday School and Christian Educators in 65+ events annually. Alan has served various churches as an Associate Pastor and Minister of Education, since his ordination in 1982 at First Baptist Church, Pearl River, LA.

Alan is also an accomplished writer. He has co-authored several books including: Arthur Flake and his Sunday School/evangelism legacy in the SBC, Essentials for Excellence – Connecting Sunday School to Life, and Teaching Adults – A Guide for Transformational Teaching. He has authored dozens of leadership articles for lifeway.com and leader guides of LifeWay ongoing adult curriculum products.

Alan is considered a “Growth Agent” and is recognized for leading one of the fastest-growing Sunday Schools in the churches that he served in Florida and Virginia. He has led all 3 full-time ministry churches and one interim ministry church to move to multiple Sunday School and worship hours. Alan has a heart for leadership and vision for developing groups at Nashville First.

INFORMATION ABOUT CANDIDATES:

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INFORMATION ABOUT CANDIDATES:

Gary Morgan, Candidate for Pastor of Urban Missions

Most at Nashville First are familiar with Gary Morgan since he has been serving as our interim Fellowship on Broadway Teaching Pastor. Gary and his wife, Johni, moved into Nash-ville 19 years ago with a heart for those without Christ and the desire to be engaged in the movement of God in Urban Nashville. Today, they live in downtown Nashville with their two daughters McKenna (21) and Story (17). They love their community and have enjoyed getting to know the stories behind the people who they interact with on a regular basis.

Gary is a graduate of Union University, New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary and is an ongoing learner of culture and theology. During his ministry career, Gary has served as a student ministry coordinator with Centrifuge, a youth pastor in Franklin, TN, Morristown, TN, Baton Rouge, LA, and Windermere, FL. Gary has also served as lead pastor in Nashville at two communities of faith, Edgefield Baptist Church and Mosaic Nashville.

Gary loves reading, conversation, laughter, and hearing stories about others’ spiritual journeys. He is known for his passion for relationships, his creative speaking style, and his value for com-munity. Gary has a heart for our city and feels called to reach its people for Christ.

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INFORMATION ABOUT CANDIDATES:

Caleb Cummings, Candidate for Student Pastor

Caleb Cummings surrendered to God’s call to full-time vocational ministry at 18. He has been faithfully seeking to live out that calling since. Caleb is married to Meredith, who he met on a blind date their senior year of college. Meredith is a registered nurse at Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital. The couple recently were blessed with a daughter, Hadley. The family currently resides near Bellevue, TN just outside of Nashville. They share a deep burden for reaching the lost, proclaiming the Gospel among the unreached, global mis-sions, discipleship, and local evangelism.

Caleb is currently attending New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary. He has graduated with a Master of Arts in Pastoral Ministry and will graduate with a Master of Divinity in December 2020. A native of Mississippi, Caleb also has an undergraduate degree from Mississippi State. He has served in student ministry at various churches since 2015.

In Caleb’s own words he states, “In serving as the Student Pastor, my Spirit-led goals are to humbly preach and teach the Word of God as I counsel and shepherd those in the student ministry. As an ordained minister, I will strive to faithfully and humbly encourage, serve, and equip students, parents, and volunteers in love and truth. All in all, my chief end is that God would be glorified.”

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