Southern Baptist Mike Johnson elected Speaker of U.S. House

The newly elected Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives is a Southern Baptist who has served as a trustee of the SBC’s Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission. Rep. Mike Johnson (R-La.) was elected to the speakership on Wednesday, Oct. 25. “It is the honor of a lifetime to have been elected the 56th Speaker […]

SBC EC eliminates staff positions

The SBC Executive Committee made staff adjustments on Sept. 13 that eliminated five staff positions and two contractor positions, according to a statement. “Over the past few weeks, our current leadership and officers met at length to determine various ways to most effectively steward the resources provided to us by Southern Baptist churches,” said Jonathan […]

UPDATE: EC conducting internal investigation related to McLaurin

The SBC Executive Committee has begun an investigation into the circumstances leading to the resignation of Willie McLaurin. McLaurin resigned on Aug. 17 after confessing to falsifying his education background. He was serving as the interim president and CEO and was thought to be the leading candidate for the permanent role. He had served the EC […]

Barber announces changes to ARITF, chairman of Cooperation Group

The Abuse Reform Implementation Task Force has a new chairman, and SBC President Bart Barber has announced the appointment of a chairman for the Cooperation Group in response to the motion made by James Merritt at the 2023 SBC Annual Meeting. Barber announced the appointment of North Carolina pastor Josh Wester to the ARITF and named him chairman. […]

EC Chair David Sons speaks to search process past and future

(Updated 5/31/23) Much has changed for David Sons since mid-April. As the 2023 SBC Annual Meeting approaches in June, Sons is now the chairman of the Executive Committee and therefore an ex-officio member of a new search team tasked with finding a candidate to lead the EC. Per EC bylaws, Sons, who was elected vice […]

Jared Wellman to be nominated to lead SBC Executive Committee

UPDATE: According to news sources, the nomination of Jared Wellman as the next president of the Southern Baptist Convention Executive Committee failed today on a 50-31 vote, and the Executive Committee is naming a new search committee. Sarah Rogers, of Greenville, S.C., is among those chosen as members of the new search committee. David Sons, of Lexington, […]

SBC EC calls May 1 special meeting to consider presidential candidate

The search for a new president and CEO of the SBC Executive Committee may be nearing a completion. The EC will hold a special-called meeting on May 1 in Dallas to consider a recommendation from the search team. “Over the last 14 months, the search team has diligently prayed, discussed, and worked to identify the […]

Racial reconciliation an everyday calling, not just for one Sunday a year

“We read in Colossians that the Lord is reconciling all things to Himself, so I think having a Sunday where we focus on racial reconciliation and the efforts to pursue real racial unity speaks to the continuing commitment of the Southern Baptist Convention to get this right,” said Brent Leatherwood, Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission […]