Festival of Preaching
On Wednesday, March 8, 2017, the campus of Union University will be enlivened by the fervent preaching of five gospel preachers, each charged with expounding one of the five great themes of the Protestant Reformation. The preaching of the word of God was central to the Reformation, so our REF500 Festival will begin with these men delivering the strong truths of the Reformation in the language of today. The Festival of Preaching is free of charge, so everyone is invited to join us. Come and make a day of it if you can. Churches are invited to join us for a community service on Wednesday night at 6:30 p.m. for the final session of the day. Choral groups from across West Tennessee will be providing music for each of the preaching services.
The Festival of Preaching is co-sponsored
by the Tennessee Baptist Convention.
| Time | Venue | Speaker | Theme | Video |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10:00 a.m. | Savage Chapel | Steve Gaines | Scripture Alone | Watch |
| 11:15 a.m. | Savage Chapel | Fred Shackelford, IV | Christ Alone | Watch |
| 2:00 p.m. | Grant Center | Justin Wainscott | Grace Alone | Watch |
| 3:15 p.m. | Grant Center | Eric Smith | Faith Alone | Watch |
| 6:30 p.m. | Grant Center | Jim Shaddix | To God Alone Be Glory | Watch |
Steve Gaines
Steve Gaines serves as the Senior Pastor of Bellevue Baptist Church in Memphis, Tennessee and is the current president of the Southern Baptist Convention. He has served four churches as senior pastor over the past 30 years. He is an alumnus of Union University and holds a Ph.D. in Preaching from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. Steve is married to Donna Gaines and they have four children, all of whom are Union graduates.
Fred Shackelford, IV
Fred Shackelford, IV is the senior pastor of Ellendale Baptist Church in Bartlett, Tennessee, having served there since December 2013. From 2011-2012, Fred served as the president of the Tennessee Baptist Convention. He is a 1999 graduate of Union University, and he holds a master of divinity and a doctor of ministry degree from The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, Kentucky. He and his wife, Jennifer, have three boys.
Jim Shaddix
Jim Shaddix serves as Professor of Preaching at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary in Wake Forest, North Carolina, occupying the W. A. Criswell Chair of Expository Preaching. Jim earned a Ph.D. from New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary and has pastored churches in Texas, Mississippi, Louisiana and Colorado. Jim and his wife, Debra, focus much of their attention on discipling and mentoring young leaders and spouses. They have three grown children.
Eric Smith
Eric Smith has served as the senior pastor of Sharon Baptist Church in Savannah, Tennessee since 2013. Eric and his wife, Candace, have three children, Coleman, Crockett, and Clarabelle. He graduated from Union University in 2008 and earned master of divinity and Ph.D. degrees from The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, KY. He is the author of the forthcoming Order and Ardor: The Revival Spirituality of Oliver Hart and the Regular Baptists (University of South Carolina Press).
Justin Wainscott
Justin Wainscott is the pastor of First Baptist Church in Jackson, Tennessee. He is a 2002 graduate of Union University, received the master of divinity from Beeson Divinity School of Samford University, and is a recent doctor of ministry graduate of The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. He and his wife, Anna, have three children.