Why Are Fewer Messengers Attending the SBC Annual Meeting?

Southern Baptists are a denomination of more than 15 million people — the largest non-Catholic body in the nation. Our annual meeting has been called the largest deliberative body in the world, and yet the number of messengers attending our annual meeting is less than half of what it was 25 years ago. Why? The answer may not be possible to know, but there are some factors that may have influenced Southern Baptists. Following 12 straight years of conservative SBC presidents (1979-1990) during the conservative-moderate battle, moderates basically withdrew from the annual meeting. By 2011, 1,900 churches had created what was called “a denomination within a denomination” — the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship — which has its own... Continue reading »

George Bullard elected DOM for Columbia-Metro Association

George Bullard, former staff member of the South Carolina Baptist Convention, was elected unanimously as director of missions for Columbia-Metro Baptist Association on June 29. From 1985 to 1999, he served as missions director and later led the... Continue reading »

Eau Claire Baptist Church partners with Koinonia ministry to serve inner-city families

Eau Claire Baptist Church in Columbia is partnering with a new ministry, Koinonia, in seeking to serve children and families in the inner city. More than 80 children are enrolled in the summer enrichment program, and the church hopes to continue... Continue reading »