‘GOD CALLED, AND HERE WE ARE’: IORG INSTALLED AS SBC EXEC COMM PRESIDENT
NASHVILLE — While Jeff Iorg’s initial plans for retirement won’t happen as expected, the former president of Gateway Seminary noted he and his wife, Ann, are at peace because “God called, and here we are.” Iorg, who stepped away from Gateway earlier this year, was installed to lead the Southern Baptist Convention Executive Committee as […]
ERLC BOARD AFFIRMS STAFF, SEEKS ‘TO LISTEN TO CHURCHES’
NASHVILLE — The staff of the SBC’s Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission heard an official word of affirmation on Sept. 11 with the release of a statement approved by the full board of trustees in a two-hour executive session yesterday during the annual meeting in Nashville. The full statement (available here Statement-of-Affirmation-Encouragement) affirms the […]
ERLC BOARD AFFIRMS STAFF, SEEKS ‘TO LISTEN TO CHURCHES’
NASHVILLE — The staff of the SBC’s Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission heard an official word of affirmation on Sept. 11 with the release of a statement approved by the full board of trustees in a two-hour executive session yesterday during the annual meeting in Nashville. The full statement (available here Statement-of-Affirmation-Encouragement) affirms the […]
SHOCK, ANGER AS CHINA ENDS ADOPTIONS IMPACTING HUNDREDS OF U.S. FAMILIES
BEIJING — The Chinese government has officially ended its international adoption program, Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Mao Ning announced Sept. 5, ending hopes for hundreds of U.S. families who were matched with children before the COVID-19 pandemic but had adoptions put on hold in 2020. Karla Thrasher, senior director of international adoptions at Lifeline Children’s Services […]
LONGTIME BAPTIST COMMUNICATOR FLOYD CRAIG DIES
FRANKLIN — Longtime Baptist communicator Floyd Craig died Aug. 30 at the age of 91. A native of Oklahoma, Craig and his wife, Anne, formed Craig Communications in 1981. Clients included a number of Southern Baptist organizations. Prior to establishing their firm, Craig served as director of communications with the Baptist General Convention of Oklahoma […]
SHORT-TERM TRIPS MEET LONG-TERM STRATEGIES
FRANKLIN — “We can’t control the results, but we can measure our faithfulness,” said Jason Harris, team leader for the International Mission Board’s Paris team, explaining their strategy for gospel outreach during the 2024 Summer Olympic Games. Part of that strategy includes facilitating and mobilizing more than 300 short-term volunteers to hit the streets of […]
LIFEWAY’S MANDRELL OUTLINES PLANS FOR SERVING CHURCH LEADERS
BRENTWOOD — Highlighting Lifeway’s vision statement, President and CEO Ben Mandrell provided trustees with practical steps the organization is taking to serve 300,000 church leaders by 2030. “While we want to serve as many Christians across the globe as possible, we know our central goal is to listen to the key ministry leaders in the […]
GREEAR, OTHERS CHALLENGE AUTHOR’S ‘WOKE’ ALLEGATIONS AS SOCIAL MEDIA DEBATE CONTINUES
Editor’s note: This article first appeared in The Baptist Paper and is reprinted with permission. Amid an ongoing — and at times heated — debate on social media, former Southern Baptist Convention president J.D. Greear is among several dozen individuals named in a contentious new book, “Shepherds for Sale” by author Megan Basham Greear, in […]
CHRISTIAN MOVIES USEFUL AS EVANGELISM TOOL, CHURCHGOERS SAY
BRENTWOOD — Not only are churchgoers watching Christian movies, but some find them useful as an evangelistic and discipleship tool. A recent study by Lifeway Research finds 68 percent of American Protestant churchgoers have watched a Christian movie in the last year. Around 4 in 5 (81 percent) say Christian movies are effective evangelism tools. […]
IN THE FRONT DOOR, OUT THE BACK
BRENTWOOD — Even as the front doors of churches swing wide to welcome new faces to the congregation, the back doors creak open as others make their way out to another church. For some, a residential move caused them to leave the church, but others simply moved to a church across town. A recent study […]