By Jennifer Davis Rash The Baptist Paper The February gathering of the Southern Baptist Convention Executive Committee kicked off Feb. 21 with more than six hours of meetings, most of which related to reports and discussions related to planning for upcoming budget needs and reviewing the remaining referred motions. EC members also ratified the Feb. 1 decision by the officers to name Willie McLaurin interim president and CEO. Read more

By Margaret Colson The Baptist Paper In a Feb. 22 morning session that stretched into the afternoon, Southern Baptist Convention Executive Committee members named a seven-member presidential search committee to fill the vacancy left by the resignation of Ronnie Floyd last October. Those named to serve on the search committee are:

By Jennifer Davis Rash The Baptist Paper Discussions about the investigation of the Southern Baptist Convention Executive Committee’s handling of sexual abuse cases landed primarily on the topic of funding during the Feb. 21–22 EC meeting. While the original motion passed by messengers to the 2021 SBC Annual Meeting in Nashville states the investigation is to be paid for by the EC’s Cooperative Program allocation, some confusion existed originally about

By Aaron Earls Lifeway Christian Resources writer NASHVILLE — Americans are curious about the religious devotion of others and are willing to discuss the topic, but most say they rarely have conversations about faith with their Christian friends. An Evangelism Explosion study conducted by Lifeway Research found Americans are widely receptive to spiritual conversations in a variety of settings. “This study reveals that most Americans are open to talking about

By Trennis Henderson The Baptist Paper KEY LARGO, Fla. — Highlighting the theme, “Together Again,” the Association of State Baptist Publications held its annual meeting Feb. 7–10 in Key Largo, Florida. It marked the group’s first in-person gathering in two years after the 2021 meeting was moved online due to COVID-19 safety protocols. ASBP, the professional organization of editors and staff of state Baptist news media, is designed to provide professional

By Scott Barkley  Baptist Press NASHVILLE — In its most recent update, the Sex Abuse Task Force reported that Guidepost Solutions has interviewed approximately 32 current and former SBC Executive Committee staff, 54 current or former EC trustees and abuse survivors “who have affirmatively reached out to the Guidepost investigative team.” The report released yesterday is in conjunction with the independent third-party review approved by messengers at last year’s SBC annual meeting.

By Trennis Henderson The Baptist Paper One week into his new role as interim president of the Southern Baptist Convention Executive Committee, Willie McLaurin told Baptist editors, “In this season, the Lord is allowing us to hit the reset button. He’s allowing us to really just say, ‘What is it that we’re really trying to do?’” McLaurin, who previously served two years as the Executive Committee’s vice president for Great

By Aaron Earls Writer, Lifeway Christian Resources Regardless of the situation in the United States, Christianity is growing around the world, especially in the global South, according to recently released analysis. The Center for the Study of Global Christianity at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary regularly updates a report tracking statistics and trends of religion in general and Christianity specifically around the world. There are seven encouraging trends to note in their