LEADERS First Baptist Church, Gordonsville, has called Brandon Patton as pastor. He and his wife, Gina, have two daughters. Doe River Baptist Church, Elizabethton, called Wayne Lyons as pastor on May 5. CHURCHES Barton’s Creek Baptist Church, Lebanon, celebrated its 175th anniversary on June 2.
INDIANAPOLIS — It took “double overtime” but the Southern Baptist Convention now has a new president. North Carolina pastor Clint Pressley was elected on Wednesday morning, defeating Dan Spencer, pastor of First Baptist Church, Sevierville, in a second run-off at the SBC’s annual meeting. Pressley, pastor of Hickory Grove Baptist Church in Charlotte, won the second runoff with 4,244 votes (56.12 percent). Spencer received 3,305 votes (43.71 percent). Pressley was
INDIANAPOLIS — Southern Baptist messengers approved recommendations presented by the Abuse Reform Implementation Task Force on June 11. The first recommendation included affirming the expansion of the Sexual Abuse Toolkit, efforts to complete the Ministry Check website and the “creation of a permanent home for abuse prevention and response.” The second recommendation involved referring these objectives back to the SBC Executive Committee to finalize a plan, structure and securing needed
INDIANAPOLIS — Messengers at the SBC annual meeting are still waiting to see who the next president will be. With six candidates originally in the race, voting on Tuesday night did not result in a winner, instead leading to a run-off between the top three vote-getters — Clint Pressley, pastor of Hickory Grove Baptist Church in Charlotte, N.C.; Dan Spencer, pastor of First Baptist Church in Sevierville; and David Allen,
INDIANAPOLIS — The past five years of turmoil surrounding the Southern Baptist Convention Executive Committee led to growing chatter about whether the entity had outlived its purpose, but the voices seem quieter with the recent installation of Jeff Iorg as the EC’s new leader. In his first official report to Southern Baptist messengers as the EC president and CEO (June 11), Iorg not only outlined his vision but also shared
INDIANAPOLIS — Messengers to the Southern Baptist Convention Annual Meeting voted June 11 to disaffiliate with First Baptist Church Alexandria, Virginia, by a ballot vote of 6,759 (91.78 percent) to 563 (7.65 percent). Forty-two ballots were disallowed. The church’s messengers were initially seated when they registered, but during the afternoon’s business session, another messenger requested they be “unseated on the grounds of egalitarianism.” The motion was immediately referred to the
INDIANAPOLIS — Southern Baptist messengers approved the six recommendations presented by the Great Commission Resurgence Evaluation Task Force on June 11 in Indianapolis following the release of its report on May 12. The Task Force followed up with releasing its proposed recommendations three weeks later June 3. Last year, Southern Baptist Convention messengers in New Orleans approved the formation of a group to study the success of the GCR Task
INDIANAPOLIS — The Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission is not just “rooted” in the Southern Baptist Convention, “it is responsive to this convention,” Brent Leatherwood, president of the ERLC, told messengers in his report during the June 12 afternoon session of the SBC Annual Meeting in Indianapolis. Leatherwood said the commission’s work on several key issues is evidence that the ERLC continues to provide a vital service in helping churches
INDIANAPOLIS — During a 20-minute press conference on Tuesday night, Josh Wester sounded almost like a football coach after a significant victory. Moments earlier, Wester, who serves as chair of Southern Baptist Convention’s Abuse Reform Implementation Task Force, had seen the SBC messengers overwhelmingly approve recommendations presented by the task force. “I’m thankful, filled with gratitude, for what we just saw from the messengers,” said Wester during the press conference.
INDIANAPOLIS — The 2024 annual meeting of the Southern Baptist Convention convened June 11 with 10,199 registered messengers. Several Tennessee Baptists were elected to positions of leadership during the first session. Lindsay Nicholet of Grace Baptist Church, Franklin, and William Seale of First Baptist Church, Morristown, were elected to serve on the 2024-25 Committee on Nominations. During the 2024 Committee on Nominations report, other Tennessee Baptists were elected for the
LEADERS First Baptist Church, Gordonsville, has called Brandon Patton as pastor. He and his wife, Gina, have two daughters. Doe River Baptist Church, Elizabethton, called
INDIANAPOLIS — It took “double overtime” but the Southern Baptist Convention now has a new president. North Carolina pastor Clint Pressley was elected on Wednesday
INDIANAPOLIS — Southern Baptist messengers approved recommendations presented by the Abuse Reform Implementation Task Force on June 11. The first recommendation included affirming the expansion
INDIANAPOLIS — Messengers at the SBC annual meeting are still waiting to see who the next president will be. With six candidates originally in the
INDIANAPOLIS — The past five years of turmoil surrounding the Southern Baptist Convention Executive Committee led to growing chatter about whether the entity had outlived
INDIANAPOLIS — Messengers to the Southern Baptist Convention Annual Meeting voted June 11 to disaffiliate with First Baptist Church Alexandria, Virginia, by a ballot vote
INDIANAPOLIS — Southern Baptist messengers approved the six recommendations presented by the Great Commission Resurgence Evaluation Task Force on June 11 in Indianapolis following the
INDIANAPOLIS — The Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission is not just “rooted” in the Southern Baptist Convention, “it is responsive to this convention,” Brent Leatherwood,
INDIANAPOLIS — During a 20-minute press conference on Tuesday night, Josh Wester sounded almost like a football coach after a significant victory. Moments earlier, Wester,
INDIANAPOLIS — The 2024 annual meeting of the Southern Baptist Convention convened June 11 with 10,199 registered messengers. Several Tennessee Baptists were elected to positions
