CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. (BP) – Roger Freeman and Ronny Raines have a standing tee time on Friday mornings at the Clarksville Country Club. Both pastors, they talk about life, family and what’s going on in church.
First Baptist in Clarksville certainly factors in those discussions. Raines has been the senior pastor since 2020. Freeman served in that role from 1993 to 2013 and is now a member who considers supporting Raines, his pastor, as a top priority.
“Ronny is the greatest example you could find of how to pastor a church,” said Freeman. “He preaches the Word. He’s accessible and transparent. He’s got a backbone and can make hard decisions, but he includes the deacons and the people. He has a pastor’s heart, and he’s a soul-winner.”
Freeman is a Memphis native whose 50-year ministry included pastorates in Tennessee and Louisiana, the latter of which took him to Shreveport and First Baptist Church in New Orleans. Stepping down in 2013 from First Clarksville was supposed to be his retirement. But pastors have trouble staying retired. He was soon called to the pastorate at Grace Baptist Church in Nashville, 35 minutes down I-24 in Nashville.
Larry Riley, who is now executive pastor at Immanuel Baptist Church in Sellersburg, Indiana, was the pastor at First Clarksville between Freeman and Raines.
After seven years at Grace, Freeman “retired” again, keeping his membership at First Clarksville. He still preaches and stays in constant contact with pastors in his role with the North American Mission Board as ambassador to pastors in the state of Tennessee.
“He has a great love for pastors and a heart for those serving in the ministry,” said Raines. “He’s a regular attender when he’s not preaching somewhere. We led in the revitalization of a church in town – Trinity Baptist – and Brother Roger preached for them for about six months. He did a great job.”
Raines had been at First Baptist for a little over a year when in July 2021, he launched a campaign to pay off the church’s debt of approximately $1.5 million. The service was held in the older sanctuary, which dated back to 1917.
Both men preached the sermon.
“He took a point, then I would take a point,” said Raines. “We tag-teamed that sermon together. It was standing room only with over 1,000 people there.”
“Ronny is such a good leader,” Freeman said. “He laid the groundwork for that campaign. I preached, primarily, to the older folks and he spoke to the younger ones.”
That October, the debt was paid.
“Ronny is the most sincere person you could imagine. There’s nothing false about him,” Freeman said. “He and his wife, Angie, are dear friends to my wife, Priscilla, and me. We have nothing but love and respect for each other.”
That respect for each other’s opinions was evident from the start of Raines’ pastorate. One day, Freeman picked up his phone to give Raines a call in the latter’s final days as a candidate. His phone was already buzzing with Raines’ name on the caller ID. He was calling Freeman to get his feedback.
“I wanted his perspective on First Baptist as a former pastor,” Raines remembered.
Freeman said: “I wanted to tell him I would be his biggest fan, next to his wife.
“I think we both had the spirit that this was God’s ministry. Not mine, not Ronny’s,” he continued. “We former pastors need to be visibly and verbally supportive of our successor.”
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