IMB

GAINES ADJUSTS TO ROLE AS SBC PRESIDENT

By Lonnie Wilkey Editor, Baptist and Reflector CORDOVA — After what may have been one of the most unusual presidential elections in the history of the Southern Baptist Convention, reality has sunk in for Steve Gaines. Gaines, pastor of Bellevue Baptist Church, Cordova, was elected president of the Southern Baptist Convention in June during the annual meeting in St. Louis. After two elections failed to produce a winning candidate, both

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CONFERENCE CALLED ‘CATALYTIC MOMENT’

By Seth Brown Biblical Recorder BRENTWOOD — A unique Southern Baptist missions conference encouraged attendees to leverage the historically unprecedented migration of peoples around the world for the sake of sharing the gospel with every tribe, tongue, and nationality. The United States is one of the most common destinations for migrants, and the circumstances present the American church with a remarkable opportunity for evangelism, according to speakers at the  “Reaching

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FUTURE BRIGHT FOR IMB, PREDICTS SCOTT HARRIS

By Lonnie Wilkey Editor, Baptist and Reflector BRENTWOOD — As Scott Harris enters his eighth and final year as a trustee of the Southern Baptist Convention’s International Mission Board, he has witnessed a lot of change. He became a trustee in 2009 just after the economy had bottomed out. He has served with three different presidents (Jerry Rankin, Tom Elliff, and David Platt) in addition to Clyde Meador who served

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ALL LIVES MATTER, REGARDLESS OF COLOR

By Lonnie Wilkey Editor, Baptist and Reflector One thing I have learned after working on newspapers for 30-plus years is that you have to be flexible. Quite frankly, this column was not planned, but the events of Thursday, July 7, caused me to completely change the plans that had been made for this issue. We had to delay the printed publication of some stories (some have appeared or will appear

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BELLEVUE’S STEVE GAINES ELECTED TO LEAD SBC

Tennessee Baptists second in number of Southern Baptist Convention messengers with 824 By David Roach Baptist Press Editor’s Note: Due to the publication schedule of the Baptist and Reflector, this issue contains a condensed wrap-up of the SBC annual meeting held June 14-15 in St. Louis. Extensive stories were posted on the B&R web site last week. ST. LOUIS — The election of Tennessee pastor Steve Gaines as president on

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MISSIONS EFFECTIVENESS EXAMINED BY SBC LEADERS

By Karen L. Willoughby Baptist Press ST. LOUIS (BP) — Entity leaders discussed ways to be more effective in global missions during one of 18 Cooperative Program panel discussions held June 13-15 in conjunction with the Southern Baptist Convention’s annual meeting in St. Louis. The videotaped discussion took place at one side of the America Center’s exhibit hall with Jon Akin, pastor of Fairview Baptist Church near Nashville moderating. Responding

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CONFERENCE AIMED AT ‘REACHING THE NATIONS’

By Diana Chandler Baptist Press BRENTWOOD — Spreading the gospel among the more than 42 million foreign-born refugees, immigrants, and international students in the U.S. is the focus of the Reaching the Nations in North America conference, an upcoming national event spearheaded by North Carolina Baptists in conjunction with the Tennessee Baptist Convention, the International Mission Board, and the North American Mission Board. Termed “diaspora missions,” ministry to those in

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LOTTIE MOON OFFERING REACHES $165.8 MILLION

By Julie McGowan Baptist Press RICHMOND — Southern Baptists provided resounding support through the 2015 Lottie Moon Christmas Offering for International Missions. Finalized in early June, the 2015 Lottie Moon offering totaled $165.8 million — the highest total in the 127-year history of the offering. The offering surpassed the previous all-time record of $154 million in 2013 by $11.8 million. The 2014 Lottie Moon offering totaled just over $153 million.

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TENNESSEAN TO CHAIR IMB TRUSTEES

IMB News Office RICHMOND — The International Mission Board is ready to move forward into a future of partnership with churches that empowers limitless missionary teams who are making disciples and multiplying churches among unreached peoples and places for the glory of God, International Mission Board President David Platt told the agency’s trustees May 11. In addition to hearing this vision for the future, IMB trustees also approved the appointment

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FIRST SHOW UP, THEN PARTICIPATE

By Randy C. Davis TBC Executive Director/Treasurer There is an old expression that states that about 80 percent of life is just showing up. That may be true, but it begs the question: So what do you do once you get there? That’s easy. Participate. That would be my advice to any minister or messenger wondering whether to attend the annual Southern Baptist Convention meeting, and especially this meeting coming up

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