Editor’s Note: The final numbers for Tennessee Baptist Convention churches differ slightly from the numbers reported by LifeWay due to their earlier reporting deadline. Compiled by Baptist and Reflector NASHVILLE — Southern Baptist congregations saw an increase of more than $82 million in overall giving in 2018, according to the latest Annual Church Profile (ACP) report. However, other key metrics declined slightly in 2018, including baptisms, membership, average worship attendance

By Tom Strode Baptist Press EDITOR’S NOTE: This is an expanded version of the story posted on the Baptist Press website on Monday (June 10). BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — The sexual abuse crisis in the Southern Baptist Convention calls for lament, honesty, unity and action, panelists said Monday evening (June 10) regarding an increasingly obvious problem in the country’s largest Protestant denomination. More than 1,250 people registered for “Sexual Abuse and

Baptist and Reflector BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — J.D. Greear was elected without opposition for a second term as president of the Southern Baptist Convention during the convention’s afternoon session on June 11. He will lead a diverse slate of officers, including: Marshal Ausberry, senior pastor of Antioch Baptist Church in Fairfax, Va., first vice president; Noe Garcia, senior pastor of North Phoenix Baptist Church, second vice president; John Yeats executive director

By Tobin Perry Baptist Press BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — An expected 400 teams of Southern Baptists took to the streets to pray with families and share the Gospel of Jesus Christ prior to the Southern Baptist Convention’s annual meeting in Birmingham, Ala. Despite intermittent rain and threats of even worse weather on Saturday (June 8), Southern Baptists set out to knock on the doors of 20,000 homes in greater Birmingham in

By Art Toalston Baptist Press BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — Sexual abuse and racism would draw heightened action within the Southern Baptist Convention under recommendations to be considered during the June 11-12 SBC annual meeting in Birmingham, Ala. A key recommendation, approved by the SBC Executive Committee in its June 10 meeting, calls for repurposing the SBC Credentials Committee to field claims against churches in regard to sexual abuse and discrimination based

The 2019 Southern Baptist Convention will take place on June 11-12 in Birmingham, Ala., — and the Baptist and Reflector staff will be providing coverage in multiple ways. Breaking news from the convention can found throughout the two days at baptistandreflector.org. Also, the next print edition of the Baptist and Reflector (dated June 26) will include stories and photos from the event. This year’s annual meeting, being held at the

By Grace Thornton Baptist Press VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. — A Virginia Baptist church is mourning the loss of one of its own in the wake of a mass shooting that left 12 dead in a Virginia Beach office building on Friday (May 31). The tragedy also opened the door for Virginia pastor David Platt to share the Gospel as he prayed over President Donald Trump during an unexpected visit from

IMB news office RICHMOND — International Mission Board trustees heard recommendations May 22 from the firm conducting an external examination of IMB’s handling of past allegations of abuse and sexual harassment and IMB’s present policies and practices.  IMB President Paul Chitwood responded immediately with an apology to victims and a pledge for the future. 

By Tom Strode Baptist Press WASHINGTON — Religious liberty and pro-life advocates have praised a newly proposed federal regulation to revise an Obama administration rule that required doctors to perform gender transition procedures as well as abortions. The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) issued a proposed regulation May 24 to rescind a 2016 rule that defined discrimination “on the basis of sex” to include gender identity and abortion.