Ministry and Missions

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A Little Bit of Courage: Greenville Pastor Shares of Past Detainment for Gospel Proclamation

Two years ago, Josh Powell, pastor of Taylors First Baptist Church, spent the night in jail for sharing the gospel on a faraway island. Powell has been to five continents and undertaken an estimated 60 mission trips. He’s pastored... Continue Reading »

Of Mice and Ministry: Stories of the Smallest, to the Smallest

In a small home office in Greenville, S.C., Lydia Riley, who attends Pleasant View Baptist Church in Taylors, sits writing a story. Knit, stuffed mice sit on shelves smiling at visitors. Hand-painted illustrations of woodland scenes and families of... Continue Reading »

Memories of Closed Theme Park Open ‘Floodgates’ for Music Minister

When Joseph Hudson was called as minister of music at First Baptist Church, Cleveland, S.C., in 2010, he wanted to get to know the members of his new congregation. “Some of my mentors in ministry had advised me that... Continue Reading »

The Winning Team

Individual talent without cooperation will not win championships. The 2004 Los Angeles Lakers may have been the greatest collection of individual All-Stars that failed to win because they did not cooperate with one another. The team was loaded with... Continue Reading »

The Sun of Righteousness Rises Across the Palmetto State

When I first moved to Columbia from Texas in the spring of 2023, several South Carolinians told me to brace myself for the summer heat. “There’s nothing like it,” they said. “It sticks to you.” They weren’t wrong. I... Continue Reading »

Celebrating a Free Church in a Free State

I would imagine that I am not the only SCBaptist who has unfinished projects around my home. This past Memorial Day, I checked one of those projects off when I installed a flagpole at our house that I purchased... Continue Reading »

Different: A South Carolina Missionary’s Story

A year ago, I pulled up to my new apartment, and it became official: My residency as a college missionary in South Carolina has ended, and now I am a college missionary 16 hours away in Burlington, Vermont. Out... Continue Reading »

North to Alaska: SC Vet Marks 20 Volunteer Years at The Iditarod

In 2001, South Carolina Baptist layman and veterinarian Roger Troutman stepped out of his comfort zone and traveled to Alaska to serve as a volunteer trail veterinarian for the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race, commonly referred to as The... Continue Reading »

Wolfe: This Is Our Moment, Our Time … Don’t Waste It!

Comparing the Cooperative Program to the Mighty Mississippi, Tony Wolfe told Southern Baptist messengers, “What we’ve been entrusted is not some rippled stream. It is a fast-flowing river, and it is full of torrential currents that support the entire... Continue Reading »

WMU Missions Celebration Seeks to ‘Let the Nations Be Glad’

“Let the nations be glad,” urged WMU Missions Celebration speakers as they celebrated the anniversaries of the IMB Journeyman Program, the North American Mission Board’s Annie Armstrong Easter Offering and the WMU Foundation. This year’s WMU celebration at the... Continue Reading »

More Than 80 Churches Participate in Crossover Dallas, Sharing Gospel Throughout DFW

A sweltering Saturday in Dallas served as the capstone to a week of gospel-centered outreach and service to the communities in the metroplex as Southern Baptists gathered for Crossover Dallas to reach the city. Volunteers from churches across the... Continue Reading »

Pastors Remain Committed to the Pulpit

Pastors face unique challenges in their role and often feel overwhelmed, but few decide to step away from the pulpit and pursue another career. Only around 1 in 100 pastors leave the ministry each year, according to a Lifeway... Continue Reading »