Brief History of the TN State Lectureship
History & Purpose
In the late 1970's a group of preachers from across the state met in Nashville at the Ramsey Street church of Christ to organize the first Tennessee State Lectureship of the churches of Christ. There was discussion concerning what time of the year that we should have the lectures. It was concluded that the Labor Day week end would not be a good time since it was the last holiday before school began and many families had their reunions.
The first lectureship was in Nashville. For several years we meet on a rotating schedule, Middle, West, and East Tennessee at different times of the year at the host congregation’s convenience. Because of the lack of participation in the lectureship, the lectureship was combined with the State Youth Conference. This format continued through April of 1987, when the steering committee for the youth conference decided that it could not continue to manage the conference and the lectureship. So the lectureship was discontinued.
Locations and host congregations of the TSL since 2003:
2003 • Chattanooga Area churches of Christ ~ Chattanooga Convention & Trade Center
2004 • Peyton Road church of Christ in Lebanon ~ Embassy Suites Hotel-Airport, Nashville
2005 • Norris Road church of Christ in Memphis ~ Memphis Marriott East
2006 • Knoxville Area churches of Christ ~ The Glenstone Lodge, Gatlinburg
2007 • Ramsey St. & Scott Ave churches of Christ ~ The Historic Millennium Maxwell House Hotel, Nashville
2008 • East Jackson & Jackson area churches of Christ ~ The Historic Millennium Maxwell House Hotel, Nashville
2009 • East Tennessee churches of Christ ~ Chattanooga Marriott Hotel and Convention Center
2010 • Old Hickory Boulevard and Jackson Street churches of Christ ~ Radisson Hotel at Opryland, Nashville
2011 • Midtown church of Christ ~ Marriott Hotels & Resorts, Memphis
2012 • Central church of Christ & Knoxville area churches of Christ ~ The Glenstone Lodge, Gatlinburg
2013 • South Middle Tennessee area churches of Christ ~ Embassy Suites Hotel, Murfreesboro
2014 • 41st Annual Southeast Regional churches of Christ Lectureship ~ Jackson, TN
2015 • Chattanooga area churches of Christ ~ Embassy Suite Hotel, Chattanooga
2016 • Middle Tennessee area churches of Christ ~ Clarion Inn Hotel, Cookeville
2017 • Midtown and Memphis area churches of Christ ~ Fogelman Conference Center - Memphis University
2018 • Knoxville area churches of Christ ~ Embassy Suites, West Knoxville
2019 • Maury County churches of Christ ~ Drury Inn & Suites, Franklin
2021 • East Jackson church of Christ ~ Virtual Format
The Tennessee State Lectureship was founded and designed for the purpose of leading and assisting the churches in growing and developing according to the Holy Bible through preaching, teaching, workshops, projects and other biblical based programs into stronger Churches of Jesus Christ. Importantly the goal of the lectureship goes beyond providing a preaching forum alone. Its main design is to speak to issues, problems and concerns that exist for Christians and churches through productive procedures, programs and methods that promise beneficial results for the church and Christians in the state of Tennessee and beyond when possible. Beyond all doubt, the Holy Scriptures are accepted and believed by the participants of the lectureship as the authoritative and inspired word of God. It, the Bible, will be the final basis of the mission and the objectives of the Annual Tennessee State Lectureship.
