At its annual meeting in the Dallas, the nation’s largest Protestant nomination tackled social issues such as same-sex marriage, online porn and sports betting.
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Southern Baptist Convention President Clint Pressley spoke with reporters about unity, transparency and Gospel mission during a press conference held minutes following the SBC Annual Meeting.
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Calling SBC messengers at the 2025 annual meeting in Dallas to recognize God’s grace this past year, SBC President Clint Pressley said he is “glad to be Southern Baptist” and invited listeners to join in the celebration.
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On the day before Southern Baptists convene, SBC Executive Committee members elected new leaders and passed several recommendations for final approval.
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(ANALYSIS) If the saga of SWBTS does indeed have a happy ending, or at least a thriving next chapter, a good bit of the credit can be attributed to one man: Dr. David Dockery.
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The U.S. Department of Justice informed Southern Baptist Convention lawyers on Wednesday that its investigation into the SBC and its entities was closed. No sexual abuse-related charges were filed.
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The average Southern Baptist church calls the South home, but the only region of the country where those congregations are growing is the Northeast. Churches are baptizing more people, but most churches remain small and fewer attendees are involved in small groups. Lifeway Research analysis of the 2023 Annual Church Profile reveals a more detailed look at the Convention and where evangelism and discipleship efforts have been most effective.
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(OPINION) I want to remind us of what is good about being a Southern Baptist. That’s why I’ve chosen Hebrews chapter 10, verses 23 and 24, to be the theme verses for this year. And the theme statement will be “Hold fast."
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Trustees for the Southern Baptist Convention Executive Committee approved a recommendation this week to create a department within the EC to assist churches in the area of sexual abuse prevention and response.
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The big news was politics, of course, as in a convention speech by Vice President Mike Pence. The journalism establishment was not amused, as illustrated in this CNN headline: “Pence accused of ‘hijacking’ evangelical meeting.” Various types of Southern Baptist conservatives welcomed him.
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Southern Baptists, voting at their annual meeting, winnowed their list of candidates for convention president Tuesday evening from six to three. The candidates in the run-off election are Clint Pressley, senior pastor, Hickory Grove Baptist Church, Charlotte, NC; David Allen, professor and dean at Mid-America Baptist Theological Seminary, Cordova, Tenn.; and Dan Spencer, senior pastor of First Baptist Church, Sevierville, Tenn.
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(OPINION) With all that’s going on in The Southern Baptist Convention, one matter is being ignored. But given the current squabbles and embarrassments, this would seem a good time for the denomination to rebrand itself with a new name. For starters, the “Southern” monicker is no longer accurate. Then there’s unfortunate history to overcome in which the name is enmeshed with slavery.
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This week’s Weekend Plug-in covers the resignation of a top Southern Baptist Convention official for lying on his resume. Plus, as always, catch up on all the best reads and top headlines in the world of faith.
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(OPINION) Lost amid the news of Southern Baptist Convention’s disfellowshipping of Saddleback Church was that of a much smaller Kentucky church — Louisville’s Fern Creek Baptist, with a Sunday attendance of 150, where the Rev. Linda Barnes Popham has served as lead pastor for 30 years..
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North Carolina megachurch Elevation — known for its popular music and charismatic pastor — is withdrawing its affiliation with the Southern Baptist Convention effective immediately, according to a letter sent to the SBC’s Executive Committee and the Baptist State Convention of North Carolina.
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(ANALYSIS) It’s worth pausing to note a couple of “behind the headlines” moments from the Southern Baptist Convention annual meeting. If you think there is deep division in the Southern Baptist Convention, you have to ignore a lot of hard data that suggest a strong consensus — on abuse reform, on women pastors, and on cleaning up decades of financial profligacy.
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(OPINION) The issue isn’t who is a Baptist and who is not. Church historians struggle to count the number of organized Baptist groups, and thousands of Baptist churches are totally independent. The question is whether the SBC’s DNA has changed in ways that will affect local churches, as well as agencies, boards and seminaries at the state and national levels.
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The former president of a prominent Southern Baptist seminary in north Texas spent $1.5 million in home renovations and tens of thousands more in unchecked spending, according to a report from the institution.
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Warren’s video series, named “SBC at the Crossroads,” aims to state the problems plaguing the Baptist denomination and examine a biblical path to revive and revitalize the hearts of Baptist Church congregants, and thereby the entire denomination.
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(OPINION) In the latest wrinkle in what researchers have long called the "worship wars," some church leaders are asking a blunt question about the decision to trade traditional hymnals for contemporary Christian music. That question: Has the typical Sunday service become a semiprofessional concert instead of a communal worship experience for all believers?
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