Since 1925, Southern Baptists have given more than $20 billion through the Cooperative Program to fund its entities and missionaries taking the gospel throughout the world. That news was delivered Sept. 29 by SBC Executive Committee Chief Financial Officer Jeff Pearson to EC President and Chief Executive Officer Ronnie Floyd on the eve of Cooperative […]
A collective of SBC Executive Committee members have released a statement in response to Tuesday’s (Sept. 21) approval of a motion that, while funding a task force-approved investigation into allegations of the mishandling of sexual abuse claims, stopped short of waiving attorney-client privilege. SBC EC member Jared Wellman, who helped draft the statement, presented his […]
Members of the Baptist Nursing Fellowship had already witnessed, literally, the realities of COVID-19 in emergency rooms across the country before Nov. 21 last year. That day it became personal, however, when the group’s executive director, Lori Spikes, died after being hospitalized with the illness. “She was steps away from being able to receive the […]
In the press conference following his election as the 46th president of the Southern Baptist Convention, Ed Litton 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. Litton, pastor of Redemption […]
Attention to mental health across the country increased over the last year due to the potential effects brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic. It’s a touchpoint, though, that has been gathering steam across the Southern Baptist Convention since 2013. At the annual meeting in Houston that year, current SBC Executive Committee President Ronnie Floyd — […]
Baylor University’s Board of Regents approved a resolution May 14 that paves the way for an officially recognized LGBTQ student group on campus, while attempting to reaffirm its commitment to a traditional, biblical perspective on homosexuality and marriage. Describing a “challenging situation,” the resolution said the regents remained committed to “core commitments of our Christian […]
When Scott Smith received an honorary doctorate May 11 from the university where he has ministered for 36 years, the Baptist Collegiate Ministry director joined some pretty elite company. For starters, Smith became the first BCM minister to have such an honor put upon him at a public university. It’s also only the second time […]
Facebook timelines changed forever on Sunday, March 15, 2020. Many, if not most, churches opted to go digital-only that day after witnessing such steps as President Trump declaring COVID-19 a national emergency, and professional and collegiate sports suspending activities. As church leaders looked to make services available for members, Facebook scrambled to keep up with […]
Longtime Bible study leader Beth Moore has publicly announced that she is ending her affiliation with the Southern Baptist Convention and LifeWay Christian Resources, relationships stretching back more than three decades. Moore made the announcement through an interview with Religion News Service on March 9. “I am still a Baptist, but I can no longer […]
A multi-ethnic group of Southern Baptist leaders described a meeting Jan. 6 as productive and trust-building, saying although they did not agree on all points, they were committed together to fighting racism and to honoring “our common commitment to the inerrant Word of God and the gospel of Jesus Christ.” The meeting was called by […]