(Co-editors note: The East Tennessee School of Preaching and Missions, located in Knoxville, TN, is conducting its 36th annual lectureship this week. This school has exerted a strong and godly influence in this area and throughout the world since it began almost four decades ago. We are indeed privileged to be in its realm of influence. Several years ago, I was asked to contribute an article about my impressions of the school for its monthly newsletter. We submit it for your consideration again today with the hope that it might inspire within you a greater appreciation for this school and the Lord's church at Karns. We are indebted to them for so many things. May our prayers to God be filled with thanksgiving for what He has done through them! Bill Bryant)

It is indeed a great privilege and honor to write a few words to extol the virtues of the East Tennessee School of Preaching and Missions. I still fondly treasure the memories of my two years with the school and will always feel a sense of indebtedness to them for helping me to understand some of the greatest lessons of life.

Even though a number of outstanding qualities and strengths have been exemplified by the ETSPM over the last thirty-nine years, I want to mention two in particular that truly stand out and were especially apparent to me as a student. The first is vision. My education at Karns, the host congregation for the school, began not as a student in 1971, but as a young boy of nine years of age when my family moved to the Karns community in 1960 and began attending the Karns church of Christ. Under the capable eldership of Harold Duncan, Frank Huber, and later, Stan Hornbaker, the small congregation experienced tremendous growth during the decade of the 1960's. Those godly elders never seemed to allow the size of the congregation at Karns to be a limiting factor. If it was a worthy project, the elders would launch out into the deep with true faith that God would provide the talent and resources along the way. He did! They envisioned a school to train gospel preachers and missionaries. Many believed that it was too great a task for the church at Karns. But vision, fervent prayer, and hard work resulted in this great school that has now served the brotherhood for almost 40 years.

Too many Christians today, including preachers and elders, suffer from a lack of vision. They dwell on the failures of the past and let other congregations around them of similar size and talent set the standard for what can be accomplished in their churches. They settle for less because they have no vision of what God can do with willing hands and hearts. I was privileged to attend a school of preaching that selected men of vision as school directors and faculty that inspired us to work diligently for what the Lord would want for His precious church instead of settling for the status quo determined by faithless men.

The second quality and strength exemplified by the ETSPM down through the years is balance. The Scriptures are full of examples of what happens when men, even though honest and sincere, place too much emphasis in certain areas to the neglect of others. The apostle Paul reminded the Ephesian elders that he had not shunned to declare unto them the whole counsel of God (Acts 20:28). Too many preachers today have failed in this regard. Some emphasize the importance of love and neglect the importance of truth. Others emphasize truth, but neglect love. Some expend a great effort in defending the truth in the face of liberalism within the church and denominationalism without, but spend little time in the evangelism of lost souls. Others are willing to evangelize any corner of the world, but can't be trusted to defend true doctrine. Balanced gospel preachers do their best in emphasizing both. In this quality, I sincerely believe the ETSP is without equal in the brotherhood. This is no accident! Since the school's inception, men have been trained and challenged to leave no stone unturned.

The ETSPM deserves our fervent prayers, enthusiastic encouragement, and generous financial support as it continues to train the men that will lead and challenge the church in the coming generations. With its present Director, Gary Hampton, and the outstanding faculty assembled, I predict great things in the future from its graduates, not because of who they are but because they will have come to know the One from whom all blessings flow. May all be done to His glory!

If we at the Wooddale Church of Christ can be of any spiritual assistance to you, please contact us by E-mail at Bill Bryant, Tom Smith , Raymond Pecoraro or Wayne Dinkins

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