NASHVILLE — The Cooperative Program stands at a crossroads as its 100th birthday approaches. Messengers to the Tennessee Baptist Convention’s Summit felt that reality this fall. They voted reluctantly to decrease the SBC percentage of the Tennessee convention’s CP allocation from 47.5 to 45 and retain 55 percent for Tennessee ministries. “When we started moving toward 50/50 distribution of Cooperative Program giving, that was overwhelmingly approved by our messengers,” said

WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court heard oral arguments Dec. 4 in United States v. Skrmetti, a case which will determine the constitutionality of a Tennessee law banning gender transition procedures or so-called “gender affirming care” for minors. The case involves three transgender teenagers and the Biden administration suing Tennessee officials in order to bar the state from enforcing the ban. Tennessee Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti is named as the defendant

PHILADELPHIA — The Bible protects against what the U.S. surgeon general has termed an “epidemic of loneliness” as harmful to health as smoking 15 cigarettes a day, the American Bible Society (ABS) said in releasing its latest chapter of the 2024 State of the Bible. Bible engagement, forgiveness and church attendance all offer individual antidotes to loneliness, decreasing the malady by more than 50 percent, ABS said. Scripture engagement offers

CHATTANOOGA — As far as David and Marilyn Killian are concerned, God sent Cameron Lowe to save David’s life so David could help save Cameron’s. An HVAC repair worker, Cameron is trained to get compressors and blowers back up and running – not human hearts. But that’s exactly what he had to do one Thursday last month. David had made an appointment with North Georgia Heating and Air weeks earlier

Southern Baptists have set aside Sunday, Nov. 9, to focus on caring for widows and orphans. Based on James 1:27, “Pure and undefiled religion before God the Father is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself unstained from the world” (CSB), the day gives churches an opportunity to pray for widows and orphans and evaluate their ministry to them. In a Lifeway Research

Generosity among Southern Baptists remains strong as evidenced by the most recent Annie Armstrong Easter Offering and Lottie Moon Christmas Offering totals. When the books closed on the SBC’s 2023-24 fiscal year Sept. 30, the Annie offering totaled $74.7 million, and the Lottie offering totaled $206.8 million — record highs for both. The openhanded giving through both the Annie and Lottie offerings demonstrates Southern Baptists’ enduring commitment to North American and

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. — International Mission Board trustees approved the appointment of 69 full-time, fully funded missionaries during their Sept. 25-26 meeting near Richmond, Virginia. Fifty-seven of the missionaries participated in a Sending Celebration hosted by First Baptist Church Park Street, Charlottesville — the historic church where the famous Southern Baptist missionary Lottie Moon was baptized. Trustee chairman Keith Evans from the Northwest Baptist Convention presided over the meeting. Nate Bishop,

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. — International Mission Board trustees approved the appointment of 69 full-time, fully funded missionaries during their Sept. 25-26 meeting near Richmond, Virginia. Fifty-seven of the missionaries participated in a Sending Celebration hosted by First Baptist Church Park Street, Charlottesville — the historic church where the famous Southern Baptist missionary Lottie Moon was baptized. Trustee chairman Keith Evans from the Northwest Baptist Convention presided over the meeting. Nate Bishop,