EC affirms status of Baptist Press
The Southern Baptist Convention’s Executive Committee unanimously declined Sept. 21 to recommend that Baptist Press be made a separate entity, and instead affirmed a 1982 study on the matter that reached the same conclusion. The Executive Committee considered the matter after SBC messenger Marty King, editor of the Illinois Baptist newspaper, made a motion at the annual meeting in June that the Executive Committee consider establishing Baptist Press as a separate entity. Baptist Press currently is part of the Executive Committee.
IMB appoints 51 new missionaries
The International Mission Board appointed 51 new missionaries Sept. 15 at Bell Shoals Baptist Church in Brandon, Fla. The IMB will host its next appointment service Nov. 10 at Calvary Baptist Church in Winston-Salem, N.C., in conjunction with a trustee meeting Nov. 9-10 in Greensboro, N.C.
LifeWay releases HCSB Study Bible
B&H Publishing Group of LifeWay Christian Resources has announced the release of the HCSB Study Bible, building upon the Holman Christian Standard Bible translation released in 2004. Jeremy Howard of B&H noted that the project began with a nationwide focus group. The input helped shape key design decisions, such as its two-column format, horizontal timelines, font size and even the number of pages.
SEBTS receives Schaeffer collection
Southeastern Seminary has announced the addition of a large collection of papers and correspondence of the late Francis A. Schaeffer, one of evangelical Christianity’s most prominent 20th-century voices. The collection includes select unpublished papers and correspondence, source materials, notes and recorded discussions of Schaeffer, a Christian thinker and apologist who authored 27 books.
Kan.-Neb. reduces CP allocation
The Kansas-Nebraska Convention of Southern Baptists has reduced the percentage of Cooperative Program receipts forwarded to Southern Baptists’ national and international causes from 32 percent to 22 percent. Two factors caused the decision, according to Ron Pracht, president of the Kansas-Nebraska convention: the impact of the economic recession on churches, and diversion of cooperative missions funds into direct missions causes.