SBC

SUPPORT FOR SAME-SEX MARRIAGE STALLS AFTER DECADE OF GROWTH

July 25, 2025

Almost 10 years after the Supreme Court granted national recognition to same-sex marriages, most Americans support that right, but the percentage has plateaued in recent years. The latest Gallup survey finds 68 percent of U.S. adults think marriages between same-sex couples should be recognized by the law as valid, with the same rights as traditional marriages. Support for same-sex marriage topped out at 71 percent in 2022 and 2023. The current percentage

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IRS AGREES TO REINTERPRET JOHNSON AMENDMENT, EXPANDING CHURCHES’ POLITICAL SPEECH RIGHTS

July 24, 2025

On July 7, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) reached an agreement with plaintiffs in a pending lawsuit concerning free speech for churches. In a joint motion, the parties asked the court to settle the dispute, reinterpreting the Johnson Amendment and clarifying that churches are no longer restricted from speaking about political issues or candidates. In August 2024, the National Religious Broadcasters Association and two Texas churches sued the IRS, arguing that

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STUDY REVEALS PASTORS ARE LESS ENGAGED WITH COUNSELING

July 24, 2025

FRANKLIN — Compared to a decade ago, pastors have less training in counseling but are more hesitant to refer church members to professionals. A recent Lifeway Research study examining the rate at which evangelical and Black Protestant pastors leave the ministry also asked pastors about their experience with counseling, both in their ministry preparation and practice. Sponsored by Houston’s First Baptist Church and Richard Dockins, an occupational medicine physician concerned about pastoral attrition,

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MEMORIES OF CLOSED THEME PARK OPEN ‘FLOODGATES’ FOR MUSIC MINISTER

July 19, 2025

CLEVELAND, S.C. — 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 to be successful in ministry, you need to love your people,” he recalled. Before you love them, you have to know them, Hudson added. Little did he know

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LIFEWAY TRUSTEES NAME INTERIM CEO

July 16, 2025

BRENTWOOD — Lifeway Christian Resources trustees named an interim CEO and began the initial steps to search for a successor to President and CEO Ben Mandrell during a special-called meeting July 15. Trustees have asked Lifeway’s Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer Joe Walker to serve as interim president and CEO until a new president is named, in accordance with Lifeway’s bylaws. Walker will serve in the role held

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CRITICAL AID HELPING TEXANS FIND ‘SOME SENSE OF NORMALCY’

July 15, 2025

KERRVILLE — While Baptist Disaster Relief teams are meeting immediate needs in central Texas, some clean-up efforts in areas like Kerrville may be on hold another two to four weeks before they are accessible, says a DR leader. For now, DR teams continue providing critical aid where they can in the wake of the deadly floods that killed at least 120 people statewide during Fourth of July weekend — and

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SBC PRESIDENT PRAYS FOR ‘RIGHTEOUS PEOPLE’ IN SENATE OPENING PRAYER

July 10, 2025

WASHINGTON (BP) – Colossians 1:9, Ephesians 4:1 and Micah 6:8 were among the Scripture passages touched on in a prayer offered at the opening of the U.S. Senate this morning (July 9) by SBC President Clint Pressley. “Fill us with the knowledge of your will in all wisdom and understanding, that we might walk in a manner worthy of being called your people,” Pressley prayed. “… You have told us

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STUDY: WHAT ARE PASTORS SAYING ABOUT CHURCH DISCIPLINE?

July 4, 2025

BRENTWOOD — Most pastors say their churches have policies in place to address significant misbehavior by church members, but few have actually used those policies recently. According to a Lifeway Research study of more than 1,000 U.S. Protestant pastors, only 1 in 6 say their church has formally disciplined anyone in the past year. “The infrequency of church discipline is not because church members aren’t sinning,” said Scott McConnell, executive director of Lifeway

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SUPREME COURT BACKS PARENTAL RIGHTS IN CHALLENGE TO SCHOOL GENDER CURRICULUM

June 30, 2025

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Supreme Court delivered a major 6-3 victory June 27 in Mahmoud v. Taylor, ruling that parents have a First Amendment right to exercise their religious beliefs and should have the ability to opt their children out of public-school curriculum promoting radical gender ideology. The decision represents a significant win for religious liberty advocates and parental rights groups who challenged a Montgomery County, Maryland school policy that

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10 WAYS TO BEGIN REACHING YOUR COMMUNITY FOR CHRIST

June 26, 2025

You know my heart for the nations that don’t know Christ. At the same time, though, Jesus called us to reach our Jerusalem – our community where we live – even as we go to the ends of the earth (Acts 1:8). Here are some simple ways to move your congregation in that direction:

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