Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission trustees pray over Interim President Gary Hollingsworth and Acting President Miles Mulling during the trustees’ meeting Sept. 16 in Washington,
This article by Baptist Press Senior Writer Diana Chandler was originally published at baptistpress.com. DALLAS (BP) – Over 45 million online images of childhood sexual
This article by Jeff Iorg, President and CEO of the SBC Executive Committee, was originally published at baptistpress.com. One of the most important new sentences
Dozens of pastors, SBC officers, state Baptist convention leaders, SBC ethnic leaders and others gathered to commemorate Southern Baptists’ adoption of the Cooperative Program 100
This article by Kie Bowman, senior pastor emeritus of Hyde Park Baptist Church and The Quarries Church in Austin, Texas and the SBC National Director
Abiding Church Pastor Trenton Mueller, while in New Mexico for his grandmother’s birthday, received this photo from a neighbor of the approaching Palisades fire. His
By Myriah Snyder BRENTWOOD, Tenn. — In January, around 4,000 ministry leaders and volunteers will gather in Nashville, Tenn., Houston and Fort Worth, Texas, and
Mission:Dignity has been a tremendous blessing for many, including Arkansas resident Emily Ruth Watson. Watson, 93, served in the ministry alongside her late husband, Jimmy,
Attending all the sessions and listening closely to what the speakers had to say were eight New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary students in Dr. Mark Tolbert’s special event class offered in conjunction with the conference.
A special-called meeting will take place March 21 for SBC Executive Committee members to consider the nomination of Jeff Iorg as the next EC president and CEO.
ABSC churches are encouraged to schedule Sunday, February 11, 2024 to promote the hunger ministries of Arkansas Baptists and Send Relief and to collect the annual Global Hunger Relief Offering.
If you want your team to lead more prayerfully, a staff prayer retreat is a game changer. It’s a necessity for any church attempting to build a culture of prayer.
Spending a day in prayer requires both spiritual devotion and practical preparation.
Caring Well Sunday, Sept. 24, is on the SBC Calendar this year for the first time, giving churches an opportunity to acknowledge the emotional toll of sexual abuse and commit to ensuring congregations are safe places.
A group of men prays together at the prayer gathering ahead of the 2022 SBC Annual Meeting in Anaheim. BP file photo NEW ORLEANS (BP)
Southern Baptist Convention President Bart Barber said, “Southern Baptist Disaster Relief gives people a true picture of who we are and what the gospel of Jesus Christ has done in us.”
Send Relief local partners began distributing water, food and other emergency supplies within hours of the disaster. More than 36,000 people have been reported dead
Southern Baptists are known for their support of missions, as evidenced by a record Lottie Moon offering. However, a significant portion also comes from the tithes and offerings given each Sunday and funneled through the Cooperative Program.
Editor’s Note: This article was originally published by Baptist Press and written by Jonathan Howe, vice president for communications at the SBC Executive Committee. NASHVILLE (BP) –
The Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission board of trustees named Brent Leatherwood the new president of the Southern Baptist Convention’s public policy entity in a unanimous vote Tuesday (Sept. 13).
This weekly Bible study appears in Baptist Press in a partnership with Lifeway Christian Resources of the Southern Baptist Convention.
August 28 is Global Hunger Sunday. Global Hunger Relief (GHR) is an initiative of the Southern Baptist Convention dedicated to combating hunger and sharing the Bread of Life.
Explore the Bible is an ongoing Bible study curriculum that helps groups dig into the key truths of each Bible book, while keeping the group on pace to study through the Bible books in a systematic way.
MILLS, Wyo. (BP) – Merry Marcus is among countless Southern Baptists nationwide who carefully watch their money to be sure they are able to participate
The group tasked with recommending the next president of the Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission is currently working through the process with an active candidate, its chairman told Baptist Press July 26. Todd Howard, pastor of Watson Chapel Baptist Church in Pine Bluff, Ark., said the search team will present its report at the ERLC trustee board’s annual meeting in September.
The Southern Baptist Convention has set aside the fourth Sunday in June for churches to celebrate and raise a special offering for Mission:Dignity.
Southern Baptist congregations saw a rebound in the number of baptisms and an increase of $304 million in overall giving in 2021, both hopeful signs congregations are recovering from the COVID-19 pandemic.
If a church has a great next gen pastor, then that congregation should do everything within their power to cultivate a favorable environment for the pastor to have a long, fruitful ministry in the church.
The typical parental approach to the topic of sexuality is to avoid the subject as much as possible, drop one big “talk” sometime in their kids’ tween years, and then avoid it again for as long as possible.
On Thursday, Vladimir Putin invaded Ukraine and launched attacks on cities and airports throughout the country, including near the capital, Kyiv.
After speaking directly with pastors to gather their perspectives on their ministry and personal challenges, Lifeway Research surveyed 1,000 U.S. pastors for the 2022 Greatest Needs of Pastors study to discover what they see as their most pressing issues.
Children’s Ministry is difficult in a lot of ways. It’s not even working with kids that make it so challenging. Instead, having enough people ready and able to serve is the most difficult part.
The Digital Public Square project will focus on the areas of human dignity, ethics, free speech and religious freedom. Jason Thacker, ERLC’s chair of research in technology ethics and author of the forthcoming book, “Following Jesus in the Digital Age,” from B&H Publishing, is spearheading the project.
The board of trustees of the Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission of the Southern Baptist Convention announced today they are accepting applications from interested candidates for the office of president and CEO of the ERLC.
The ERLC applauds the Indiana court’s decision to reaffirm the Archdiocese of Indianapolis’ constitutional rights and its prerogative to operate according to its deeply held religious beliefs, and the bearing that has on all other religious persons and institutions.
This is good news for children, families and Christians who want to continue serving in roles without conforming to “the latest fashionable ‘right side of history’ cause.”
According to a study from Nashville-based Lifeway Research, when asked which feeling they seek to avoid the most, 4 in 10 U.S. adults (41 percent) say fear. Far fewer say shame (24 percent) or guilt (22 percent). Around 1 in 10 aren’t sure.
HANNIBAL, Mo. (BP) – As a professor of Christian studies and religious history at Hannibal-LaGrange University (HLGU), Miles Mullin is always looking for ways to communicate the history and impact of Baptist work to the students in his charge.
SPOTSYLVANIA, Va. (BP) – The Cooperative Program is neither a “sacred cow” nor the only way to support missions. Rather, it’s the best way to financially provide for Kingdom-building missions, say members of Goshen Baptist Church, who will celebrate the church’s 150th anniversary next year.
GALLATIN, Tenn. (BP) – A week ago, Pastor Travis Fleming of First Baptist Gallatin thought all-digital worship services, recommended masking and strict social distancing were a thing of the past.
NASHVILLE (BP) – Southern Baptists continue to fight against human trafficking worldwide as the issue is acknowledged by the United Nations on World Day Against Trafficking in Persons today, July 30.
At the beginning of 2021, Glenn Mitchell, co-director of the church’s food pantry ministry, shared that he needed help due to a potential shortage of workers and the ongoing need for provisions. We prayed and I encouraged him to pray and encourage all involved to pray together to ask God to provide the food and workers. He and the others who serve in that ministry began meeting in prayer each week before they distributed food. They gather in a circle while holding hands to pray for direction, more workers, and food to share with those in need.
VIENNA, Va. (BP) – Controversy over the election of three elders reached a boiling point during a contentious business meeting last Sunday (July 18) at McLean Bible Church, where former International Mission Board President David Platt is pastor.
Several evangelical organizations, both internationally and in the U.S., are partnering together in an effort to cover Japan with 1 million hours of prayer during the 30 days of the 2021 Olympic and Paralympic games.
NASHVILLE (BP) – SBC President Ed Litton released a video Tuesday (July 20) following the first meeting of a task force he named to oversee an independent review of the SBC Executive Committee.
ST. LOUIS (BP) – Southern Baptist leaders commended the latest court victory for a student faith group that was removed from a state university campus for requiring its leaders to be Christians.
HOUSTON (BP) – The Southern Baptist Convention’s ethics entity called for prompt congressional action after a federal court halted a program that has prevented the deportation of undocumented immigrants brought to the United States as children.
WASHINGTON (BP)—The congressional effort to continue to prohibit taxpayer funds from paying for abortions suffered multiple setbacks Thursday (July 15).
NASHVILLE (BP) — An expressed love of missions, education and the Gospel flow from the life experiences of Florida’s Archalena Coats and Louisiana’s Carolyn Fountain, the first two Black women to serve on the SBC Executive Committee.
NASHVILLE (BP) – John Blackmon’s father-in-law couldn’t hear the message, but its boldness and life-changing capability rang through loud and clear two weeks before he died.
TERRY, Miss. (BP) – A year before pastor Lee Faler’s firstborn son Rankin, 6, developed terminal brain cancer, First Baptist Church of Terry was focused on suffering and prayer.
WASHINGTON (BP) – Human traffickers took advantage of the conditions produced by the COVID-19 pandemic in the last year, but those working to combat the trade in human beings adapted their efforts to protect the vulnerable and aid victims, according to the U.S. State Department.
AUSTIN, Texas (AP) – A federal judge has ruled that the U.S. Air Force is mostly responsible for a former serviceman killing more than two dozen people at a Texas church in 2017 because it failed to submit his criminal history into a database, which should have prevented him from purchasing firearms.
KADUNA, Nigeria (BP) – About 125 students kidnapped from a Baptist church school in northern Nigeria are especially in danger because of their Christianity and the unwillingness of local authorities to pay a ransom, a leading persecution watchdog group told Baptist Press.
WASHINGTON (BP) – The Southern Baptist Convention’s ethics entity has cheered the enactment of a new federal law nullifying a rule that had the effect of permitting predatory loans nationwide.
NASHVILLE (BP) – A search committee has been named to find a successor to Russell Moore as president of the Southern Baptist Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission.
NASHVILLE (BP) – After nine months of lagging behind the previous year’s totals due to the COVID-19 pnademic, giving through the National Cooperative Program Allocation Budget surpassed year-over-year numbers and climbed to more than $6 million above budget for the current fiscal year.
NASHVILLE (BP) — Mark Richt, the former college football coach who is now a national spokesperson for Send Relief, announced Thursday (July 1) he has been diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease.
SARALAND, Ala. (BP) — SBC President Ed Litton joined Jonathan Howe, SBC Executive Committee vice president for communications, on Friday’s (July 2) episode of SBC This Week, a weekly podcast related to SBC news and events.
CWJC/CMJC provides a Christian environment in which women and men are equipped for life and employment.
Following the release of a video showing similarities in a sermon, SBC President Ed Litton and his predecessor J.D. Greear said Litton had sought and received permission to use material from a sermon earlier preached by Greear.
The Supreme Court of the United States denied a petition by the North American Mission Board (NAMB) to review its ongoing case involving a lawsuit filed by a former Southern Baptist state executive director.
As COVID-19 fears ease, Vacation Bible School leaders are especially delighted, as well as thousands of children who will receive spiritual nurture through music-sparked worship, Bible studies, activities, games and crafts.
A Uyghur family prepares dinner over an open fire.
WASHINGTON (BP) – Americans who most often turn to Scripture are more hopeful and forgiving but still suffer stress and trauma, the American Bible Society said in the latest release from its 2021 State of the Bible report.
Williams Baptist University has released the names of students on the President’s and Dean’s Lists for the 2021 spring semester. The President’s List includes those full-time students who achieved a perfect 4.0-grade point average, while the Dean’s List consists of those with at least a 3.5 GPA.
At the recent Southern Baptist Convention annual meeting, the topic of pastoral sexual abuse and assault dominated much of the conversation and business, including passing a resolution that “any person who has committed sexual abuse is permanently disqualified from holding the office of pastor.”
Last week’s 2021 SBC Annual Meeting was the largest since 1995, and much of that had to do with the location and the involvement of first-time messengers to the convention.
The SBC’s future hinges on a reemphasis on evangelism and missions, four former presidents agreed during a panel discussion before the 2021 SBC Annual Meeting.
The 973 Korean Southern Baptist churches in the United States unanimously passed one resolution at their annual fellowship meeting in mid-June. It was to tell the government of the Republic of Korea (South Korea) they oppose that nation’s efforts to pass an “equality act” that would in effect silence preaching on biblical marriage.
Ben Mandrell, Lifeway Christian Resources president and CEO, expressed confidence in the future of the organization during his report to messengers at the 2021 SBC Annual Meeting on Wednesday (June 16).
The Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission intends to place 50 ultrasound machines in pregnancy resource centers during a two-year span in its ongoing and increasing effort to protect unborn children, acting President Daniel Patterson told messengers to the 2021 SBC Annual Meeting on Wednesday (June 16).
South Carolina pastor Tom Tucker’s reelection Monday (June 14) as vice chairman of the SBC Executive Committee became moot Wednesday (June 16), when messengers to the 2021 SBC Annual Meeting rejected a motion to nominate him to a second term on the Executive Committee.
A slate of elections pushed to Wednesday (June 16) witnessed close votes among three contests as well as one result by acclamation.
Messengers to the 2021 SBC Annual Meeting overwhelmingly approved a motion calling for a task force to oversee a third-party investigation into allegations of mishandling abuse claims at the SBC Executive Committee.
The Resolutions Committee had declined the resolution, reasoning that while “messengers would agree with some aspects of this resolution,” the issue of abortion was addressed in another resolution condemning the repeal of the Hyde Amendment, which prevents federal funding of abortion.
Hispanic Baptists showed up by the hundreds to the Hispanic Celebration ahead of the 2021 SBC Annual Meeting Sunday (June 13).
The Filipino Southern Baptist Fellowship of North America two years ago said they wanted to support Filipino church planters, and they sent out their first this January.
Messengers to the 2021 SBC Annual Meeting approved a broad resolution on the Bible’s sufficiency regarding race and racial reconciliation Tuesday (June 15) but chose not to address specifically the contentious issue of critical race theory.
Messengers resoundingly defeated a change to the SBC Business and Financial Plan proposed by the convention’s Executive Committee.Critics said the proposal would have granted the EC too much authority and left the six SBC seminaries in trouble with accreditors.
n the press conference following his election as the 46thpresident of the Southern Baptist Convention (SBC), Ed Litton, pictured above, spoke of family, healing and conversations to come. All of those dealt not only with subjects such as racial reconciliation and sexual abuse, but a Convention still divided over how to approach them.
Saying they faced a defining moment, the “most important crossroads” in a generation, departing SBC President J.D. Greear challenged Southern Baptists to hear the concerns of the entire body while unifying around the one true Gospel and the Great Commission.
Worship led by Michael W. Smith and CeCe Winans, a rousing sermon from Tony Evans and a concert by Crowder kicked off the Send Conference 2021 Sunday night (June 13) at Music City Center.
Local Baptist associations are vital catalysts for unity in the SBC and the rebound of Cooperative Program giving, according to the three candidates for convention president who participated in a forum Sunday (June 13) hosted by the Southern Baptist Conference of Associational Leaders (SBCAL).
Twenty years from now, historians are going to call the upcoming annual meeting a defining moment for the Southern Baptist Convention. It will determine if the SBC chooses to let the Great Commission and the Gospel define its mission or if it will be seen as a geographical, cultural and political voting bloc. It will determine the basis for SBC unity.
About 130 people from most of 27 Southern Baptists’ distinct Asian cultures met for the “Asian American Kickoff Gathering” Sunday (June 13) in a double-sized room at the Music City Center.
Matt Henslee, pastor of Mayhill Baptist Church in Mayhill, N.M., was elected president of the 2022 SBC Pastors’ Conference Monday afternoon over four other nominees. Also elected to join him next year will be Vice President Cam Triggs, pastor of Grace Alive Church in Orlando, and Treasurer Sam Greer, pastor of Red Bank Baptist Church in Chattanooga.
SBC presidential candidate Randy Adams said he, along with others he declined to name, combined to fund the publication and delivery of a tabloid-styled newspaper. “SBC News” was being distributed outside the Music City Center Sunday and Monday (June 13-14).
If the SBC Executive Committee’s meeting Monday (June 14) is any indication, the convention’s annual meeting this year could involve drama.
Following the release Thursday (June 10) of audio clips from two 2019 meetings among Southern Baptist leaders regarding how to address sexual abuse in the convention, SBC Executive Committee President and CEO Ronnie Floyd has joined Executive Committee Chairman Rolland Slade in calling for an independent, third-party review.
While the rewritten Business & Financial Plan up for vote at the SBC annual meeting next week has generated a lot of discussion, its overarching goal is to generate more transparency and accountability among SBC entities.
SBC President J.D. Greear led the third and final Wednesday sessions of focused prayer for the 2021 SBC Annual Meeting today (June 9) at 2 p.m. CDT.
The Southern Baptist Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission will maintain the same aim in its work while the search is underway for a new leader, acting president Daniel Patterson said.
A second letter written by former Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission President Russell Moore has elicited response from Southern Baptist leaders and calls for an independent investigation.
In a letter written more than a year before his departure from the Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission, former president Russell Moore asserted that much of what he described as pushback from SBC leaders during his tenure resulted from his stances on race and sexual abuse issues.|
The financial upturn much of the country has seen as the COVID-19 pandemic winds down is becoming evident though an increase in giving across the Southern Baptist Convention. Both Cooperative Program giving and designated giving reports for May 2021 showed strong year-over-year increases, and CP giving continues to run above budget for the fiscal year.
TULSA (BP) – Although for years, the horrific incident was only whispered about, Deron Spoo was very intentional in trying to ensure it was solemnly remembered.
One Year. That’s how long it was that retired pastor Homer Hinson and his wife Doris were unable to touch each other due to COVID-19 restrictions in Homer’s nursing home.
Former Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary President Paige Patterson is disputing allegations made by the seminary in the 2021 SBC Book of Reports that documents and other items belonging to the seminary were “improperly removed” from the campus after his firing in 2018.
After tornado alarms sounded in Joplin on May 22, 2011, Pastor John Swadley of Forest Park Baptist Church here took shelter with his family in a crawlspace under their home. They listened to radio reports covering the storm and its devastating aftermath.
Religious freedom advocates mourned but expressed hope that a Christian college in Missouri will ultimately prevail after an opening setback in its challenge to a federal order that requires schools to open dormitory rooms, restrooms and shared shower facilities to members of the opposite sex.
Before we come together for our 2021 SBC Annual Meeting in Nashville, I want to share a few thoughts on the present state of the Convention.
Surfing involves a lot of things coming together. The waves have to be breaking. One has to get a sense of the ocean’s movement, when the wave is about to approach and join it. When that happens, it can take you farther than you expect.
Answering an acute need, the Fellowship of Native American Christians (FoNAC) helped provide clean water to Native American tribes in Arizona this past year as a way to minister both physically and spiritually.
SBC President J.D. Greear led the first of three Wednesday sessions of focused prayer for the 2021 SBC Annual Meeting today (May 26) at 2 p.m. CDT.
U.S. Protestant churches endured a difficult 2020, including starting the year with fewer congregations.
May 26 marks the first of three consecutive Wednesdays in which SBC President J.D. Greear invited Southern Baptists into “committed, specific times of prayer and fasting,” leading up to the SBC Annual Meeting in Nashville June 15-16.
At first glance, the merging of Burncoat Baptist Church and The Church on Seven Hills may have appeared to benefit one congregation more than the other. Burncoat’s membership and building were both showing their advancing years. The Church on Seven Hills was energetic, four years removed from its founding and full of college students.
Like most other things in 2020, church planting looked different. But thanks to a strong network of support and a cadre of resilient church planters, Southern Baptists planted 588 new churches, an increase of 36 over the previous year.
Amaziah Church between Hickory Flat and Myrtle, averages 75-80 people in attendance and, like all churches, has been impacted by the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic. But that hasn’t stopped the members from sacrificially supporting the work of the Lord at home and around the world.
Dr. D. Hance Dilbeck Jr. was unanimously elected GuideStone president-elect during a called meeting of the GuideStone Trustee Board on Thursday (May 20). Dilbeck, executive director-treasurer of Oklahoma Baptists since 2018, accepted the call and gave thanks to the Lord, his family and trustees for the opportunity to serve at GuideStone.
ohn Wesley famously said, “God does nothing in the world except in answer to prayer.” That’s probably an overstatement, but the apostles’ experience in Acts verifies at least the sentiment behind it. It was after a 10-day prayer meeting that God gave Peter the power to birth the church through his preaching in Acts 2.
Last year was a statistical mess with the pandemic; churches weren’t meeting for much of the year, much less having intimate events like baptisms where hugs and close contact abound. Baptisms dropped by about half to 123,160 the lowest since the flu epidemic of 1919. That was a good comparison, I thought.
NASHVILLE (BP) – Fifty years ago, as they prepared to bring their third child into what seemed to be increasingly chaotic times, Bill and Gloria
AUSTIN, Texas (BP) – Texas has become the latest and largest state to prohibit abortions when a fetal heartbeat can be detected. Gov. Greg Abbott
NASHVILLE (BP) – Annual Church Profile data collected for 2020 by Lifeway Christian Resources shows the staggering impact of COVID-19 but also the faithfulness of
LAKE CHARLES, La. (BP) – Some may give up trying to make a home in southwest Louisiana with flooding that has killed four people and
RICHMOND, Va. (BP) – IMB missionary Jim Flora, who served among the Basotho people of Lesotho in Sub-Saharan Africa, died Friday, May 8, 2021 from
NASHVILLE (BP) – When a local television station in Nashville aired footage of pastor Zach Lloyd leaving Vanderbilt Stallworth Rehabilitation Hospital, probably few people realized
Editor’s Note: May is Mental Health Awareness Month. OKLAHOMA CITY (BP) – When Julie Busler returned to America with her family after serving with the
Russell Moore is leaving the SBC’s Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission, ending an occasionally controversial eight-year tenure, to take a role with Christianity Today.
WASHINGTON (BP) – Pro-life advocates gladly welcomed the U.S. Supreme Court’s announcement Monday (May 17). It would rule on the constitutionality of Mississippi’s ban on
CHICAGO (BP) – Southern Baptist Messianic Jewish believer Ric Worshill is receiving prayer requests from those in danger as fighting continues between Israel and Hamas.
WACO, Texas (BP) – Baylor University’s Board of Regents approved a resolution Friday (May 14) that paves the way for an officially recognized LGBTQ student
NASHVILLE (BP) – Lifeway Christian Resources has completed the sale of its building in downtown Nashville for $95 million. “I’m pleased and grateful to God
NASHVILLE (BP) – Billy Graham is the subject of a new documentary premiering Monday (May 17) on PBS. The film chronicles the life, ministry and
WASHINGTON (BP) – State Department officials sought to provide assurances the Biden administration will maintain the United States’ commitment to international religious freedom in commenting
SPRINGDALE, Ark. (BP) – Large numbers of baptisms continue to make a splash throughout the Southern Baptist Convention as several churches baptized hundreds of people
The Cooperative Program (CP) has caught on with Iowa Baptists – to say the least. Since 2014, total CP giving through the Baptist Convention of
PHILADELPHIA (BP) – More than half of Americans believe the Bible is “without error,” the American Bible Society (ABS) said Tuesday (May 11) in its
ROWLETT, Texas (BP) – Crossroads Church doesn’t plan a youth Sunday anymore. To be honest, the concept seemed pointless. “A lot of what we do
NASHVILLE (BP) – As more Americans have access to legal marijuana, most U.S. Protestant pastors remain opposed to its use and legalization. In November 2020,
WACO, Texas (BP) – Adam Kovach spent much of his childhood in hospital waiting rooms while his father battled terminal brain cancer. The family struggled
JISR, Israel (BP) – Jewish Israeli Neta Hanien has forged a business partnership with Arab Israeli Ahmad Juha in Jisr, the only exclusively Arab town
WASHINGTON (BP) – An estimated millions of Americans petitioned God for the health and care of America as the nation marked the 70th anniversary of the
OKLAHOMA CITY (BP) – Mart Green has a vision that everyone in the world will have the Bible in their own heart language in the
NASHVILLE (BP) – Attention to mental health across the country increased over the last year due to the potential effects brought on by the COVID-19
NASHVILLE (BP) – The American economy has bounced back from the COVID-19 pandemic at a quicker pace than many experts expected. Thankfully for Southern Baptists,
DULUTH, Ga. (BP) – A simple furniture purchase turned into a life-changing experience for two men visiting Pastor James Merritt this past weekend. Merritt, pastor
BOSTON (BP) — During their spring 2021 meeting, trustees of the North American Mission Board (NAMB) unanimously passed a resolution formally requesting the SBC’s collegiate
CLINTON, Miss. – Nursing is a demanding profession even in the best of times. Those demands have skyrocketed over the past year as nurses and
NASHVILLE (BP) – The 2021 SBC Annual Meeting will convene at the Music City Center on Tuesday, June 15, at 8 a.m. and conclude Wednesday,
WASHINGTON (BP) – The largest portion of teenagers in the U.S. believe that more than one religion may be true, Pew Research said in its
BURLINGTON, W.Va. (BP) – Broken Before the Throne prayer ministry leader Dan Biser discovered a reality when working with a multidenominational group of Christian ministers.
NASHVILLE (BP) – Joe Wright expresses a heart for the “smallest of these,” churches numbering 75 or fewer in Sunday attendance and comprising two-thirds of
NASHVILLE (BP) – John Yeats, who has served 23 terms as Southern Baptist Convention recording secretary, will be renominated to the post at the SBC
MINNEAPOLIS (BP) – Leaders and pastors in the Southern Baptist Convention joined others today (April 20) in commenting on the verdict of former police officer
NASHVILLE (BP) – Fewer churchgoers filled pews and Bible studies during the pandemic, but many still continued personal discipleship habits throughout 2020. A study by Nashville-based
(BIRMINGHAM, Ala.) – The WMU Missions Celebration and Annual Meeting will be held on Sunday, June 13 from 1-5 p.m. at Nashville First Baptist Church.
NASHVILLE (BP) – The 2021 SBC Annual Meeting will move to the Music City Center in downtown Nashville June 15-16, the SBC Executive Committee announced
NASHVILLE (BP) – The submission portal for 2021 SBC resolutions opened today (April 15) at 12:01 am. In accordance with SBC Bylaw 20, proposed resolutions may be
NASHVILLE (BP) – Southern Baptist Convention President J.D. Greear has announced the 68 members of the Committee on Committees that will meet prior to the
A couple of months ago, a longtime patient at our dental practice passed from this life. He was a retired pastor, director of missions, and
NASHVILLE (BP) – As Americans attempt to move past the life-altering effects of 2020, their perspective is shifting on some of the most significant questions
“For the entire law is fulfilled in keeping this one command: “Love your neighbor as yourself.” (Galatians 5:14, NIV) Immigration is a hot topic in
Planting a church in downtown Cincinnati has been “the greatest experience of my life and the most difficult experience—sometimes on the same day,” said Pastor
Psalm 90:12 teaches us to “number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom.” When applying the truth of those words to the
NASHVILLE (BP) – Working through a time of grief. Exhausted from what they’ve been through. Excited about what’s to come. As pastors prepare for Easter
MEMPHIS, Tenn. (BP) – Evangelist Richard Hamlet, who has preached the Gospel in nearly 100 countries, had just returned from Russia and Belarus when the
Annie Armstrong is perhaps one of the most recognizable names in Baptist life. Although many may know the name, few people can actually tell you
WASHINGTON (BP) – Church members are in the minority for the first time in at least eight decades, with just 47 percent identifying with a
NASHVILLE (BP) – When Nik Ripken met with a radically changed freedom fighter in Central Asia, he realized the bold story of conversion was powerful
ORLANDO, Fla.—Irma Moss vividly remembers five or six Communist soldiers invading her family’s home in Cuba and whisking her father off to jail in the
NASHVILLE (BP) – Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, churches responded to serve churchgoers in a variety of ways, and churchgoers are overwhelmingly proud of how their
(BIRMINGHAM, Ala.) – Beginning this fall, children’s leaders will have a new curriculum option for children’s discipleship that is flexible enough to fit just about
NASHVILLE (BP) – Extraordinary prayer is experienced when you pray beyond your normal practice of prayer. If you ordinarily pray five minutes a day or
PHILADELPHIA (BP) – The T-shirts say it all. “Ask me why I’m not in church” encourages people on the streets to ask just that of
WASHINGTON (BP) – The Equality Act will explicitly contradict the “fundamental liberties” guaranteed in the Bill of Rights if it becomes law, the Southern Baptist
AUSTIN, Texas (BP) – Texas has won the latest legal battle in its lengthy effort to remove abortion giant Planned Parenthood from the Medicaid program.
BARTLESVILLE, Okla. (BP) – Taken from his cell in Iran’s harsh Evin prison for a trial that to him was impromptu, evangelist Dan Baumann was
WASHINGTON (BP) – In an 8-1 vote, the Supreme Court ruled today (March 8) that $1 in damages is enough to revive the lawsuit of
Annie Armstrong is one of the most well-known names in all of Southern Baptist history. Born in Baltimore on July 11, 1850, Annie spent most
NASHVILLE (BP) – The year is 2041. What do we want the Southern Baptist Convention to look like? More importantly, what steps can we take
NASHVILLE (BP) – Church closures related to COVID-19 and winter weather in the Deep South slowed giving through the Cooperative Program in early 2021, but
DALLAS (BP) – GuideStone trustees gathered March 1 for their Winter 2021 meeting, their second Zoom meeting of the full trustee board in the last
WASHINGTON (BP) – Southern Baptist leaders expressed disappointment and concern for the ramifications of Bethany Christian Services’ national policy reversal to place children for adoption
I have a confession. Sometimes I “zone out” until a speaker begins to tell a personal story; only then am I completely engaged. Maybe like
WASHINGTON (BP) – The U.S. House of Representatives passed Thursday (Feb. 25) for the second time a far-reaching gay and transgender rights proposal that opponents
NASHVILLE (BP) – The Southern Baptist Convention Executive Committee disfellowshipped four churches today (Feb. 23) for adverse policies and practices including employing convicted sex offenders
NASHVILLE (BP) – A dispute about whether a Southern Baptist entity can suspend trustees for misconduct will be studied by a task force formed by
This week, the U.S. House of Representatives is scheduled for a floor vote on a controversial bill titled the Equality Act. This legislation, filed as H.R.
NASHVILLE (BP) – Saying the global pandemic didn’t cause the crisis in the Southern Baptist Convention, but revealed “a deeper, more insidious crisis,” SBC President
NASHVILLE (BP) – Southern Baptist Convention Executive Committee President Ronnie Floyd urged Southern Baptists to return to unified Great Commission cooperation as he lamented “a
NASHVILLE (BP) – Most churches have found a way to continue meeting despite the ongoing pandemic, but fewer met in person in January as COVID-19
BENTON, Ark.—New Beginnings Pregnancy Center in Benton, Arkansas, has had a few new beginnings of its own over the past several years. Originally established in
Neighboring is hard, especially in a pandemic. As Christians, we are called to love our neighbors as ourselves (Mark 12:31). Yet, the challenges of a
When we experience a new technology or innovation, we often believe the ethical challenges we encounter are brand new and may even require a novel
The International Mission Board has introduced a new interactive tool, Knowing the IMB, that enables Southern Baptists, in less than an hour, to discover what’s
KNOXVILLE, Tenn.—How can your church start a missions group like Love World to help young women develop a heart for missions? Kim Cruse, a former
WASHINGTON (BP) – The U.S. Supreme Court upheld late Thursday (Feb. 11) a lower-court ruling that blocked Alabama from executing a prisoner because the state
LOUISVILLE, Ky. (BP) – Brian Croft jokes that masks are the new “color of the carpet argument” in churches, with similarly poor outcomes. Pastors are
HOUSTON (BP) – “Daddy, he looks like me!” My young Black son pointed to the only Black basketball player on the court that night at
WASHINGTON (BP) – Nearly all of the Republicans in the U.S. Senate have united to warn the Democratic leadership they will oppose any effort to
ALPHARETTA, Ga. (BP) – The board of trustees for the North American Mission Board unanimously passed a resolution on cooperation and missional strategy at their February
NASHVILLE (BP) – After a slow start to the budget year, giving through the Cooperative Program rebounded in January with more than $19.3 million being
The church shouldn’t be a place where people are trying to preserve their favorite songs and rituals at the expense of making the message accessible to outsiders. Reaching people—presenting the message in the most winsome and considerate way—was what the apostle Paul strived for.
NASHVILLE (BP) — A new resource for churches is offering a set of tools for greater financial stewardship and support of missions and ministry through
WASHINGTON (BP) – Southern Baptist ethicist Russell Moore urged leaders in a Democratic-controlled Congress Tuesday (Feb. 2) to continue to include the Hyde Amendment and
Drinking tea and telling Bible stories was Cynthia Martin’s favorite thing to do while on the missions field in Central and South America. It still
LifeWay Christian Resources has reached an agreement to sell Ridgecrest Conference Center and Summer Camps to the Ridgecrest Foundation.
LifeWay Christian Resources and Thom Rainer have agreed to settlement terms in a breach of contract lawsuit between the SBC entity and its former CEO.
Nevada’s new COVID-19 safety guidelines still unconstitutionally favor casinos over churches, religious freedom advocates said.
Every year, the World Meteorological Organization maintains a list of 21 official names for major storms that originate in the Atlantic. In 2020, the season has been so active that they have had to turn to the Greek alphabet for names, including Tropical Storm Beta, which hit the Texas Gulf Coast Sept. 21.
When a hurricane leaves town, the ensuing days evoke whirlwinds of activity for Southern Baptist Disaster Relief.
Southern Baptist religious freedom advocate Russell Moore and other evangelical Christian leaders have commended a new Trump administration regulation to protect the constitutional rights of students and organizations on college campuses.
A manual providing guidance on hiring staff members and selecting volunteers is the latest Southern Baptist resource designed to help churches prevent sexual abuse.
Southwestern Seminary launches Women’s Leadership Institute; WMU Foundation grants national WMU $45,000
In light of the COVID-19 global pandemic, trustees of LifeWay Christian Resources unanimously approved a $210 million budget Tuesday (Aug. 25) for the 2020-2021 fiscal year that includes reductions of 17 percent year over year.
NASHVILLE (BP) — William “Bill” Townes, CFO of the SBC Executive Committee, announced his retirement from the post effective December 31, 2020. Townes and his
NASHVILLE (BP) — The Southern Baptist Convention Executive Committee meeting scheduled to be held in Nashville Sept. 21-22 has been canceled and replaced with a
NASHVILLE (BP) — When 9-year-old Zac McCullar presented a motion at the 2018 Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) Annual Meeting to add Children’s Ministry Day to
NASHVILLE (BP) — As churches adjust to ministry in a post-COVID-19 world, LifeWay has developed a collection of resources to help them. The new Church
FORT WORTH, Texas (BP) — Helping congregations without pastors or worship leaders during a time when churches are unable to hold in-person meetings is the
VANCOUVER, Wash. – A group of Southern Baptists has announced an intention Jan. 14 to nominate Randy Adams, executive director of the Northwest Baptist Convention
WASHINGTON – The government should not prevent faith-based agencies from providing services in keeping with their beliefs to children without homes and to families opening
