NEW ORLEANS — Three churches that were deemed not to be in friendly cooperation with the Southern Baptist Convention by the SBC Executive Committee at its February meeting will be appealing that decision, it was announced Tuesday (May 16).

In total, eight churches have been deemed not in friendly cooperation with the SBC since the 2022 SBC Annual Meeting in Anaheim – two at the SBC EC’s meeting last September and six in February of this year. Though the SBC has disfellowshipped churches for various reasons over the years, none has appealed that decision until this year.

“The Credentials Committee reports that it has received appeals from Fern Creek Baptist Church, Louisville, KY; Freedom Church, Vero Beach, Florida; and Saddleback Church, Lake Forest, California,” the Credentials Committee said in a statement May 16.

The deadline to file an appeal was May 15, and the Credentials Committee announced the next day that the three churches would be presenting their case June 13 at the SBC annual meeting in New Orleans. [Read more…]

Photo from Saddleback.com

LAKE FOREST, Calif. — Saddleback Church founder and former pastor Rick Warren has provided five reasons the megachurch will appeal the decision of the SBC Executive Committee to find the church “not in friendly cooperation” with the Southern Baptist Convention. The EC made the decision, based on a recommendation from the SBC Credentials Committee at its meeting in February.

The committee deemed the church not to be in friendly cooperation with the Southern Baptist Convention’s statement of faith, the Baptist Faith and Message 2000, due to “the church continuing to have a female teaching pastor functioning in the office of a pastor.”

The committee specified the teaching pastor role of Stacie Wood, the wife of Warren’s successor, Andy Wood. Since then, Saddleback announced May 7 that Katie Edwards would become the new campus pastor for its Lake Forest campus. Edwards was among three women ordained with the title of pastor at Saddleback in May 2021. [Read more…]

Tommy Neiman uses his career as a first responder to minister to others. — BP / Submitted photo

FORT PIERCE, Fla. – For Tommy Neiman, an award-winning firefighter and paramedic, the theme for his vocational calling has become about challenging first responders to be believers, and believers to be first responders.

Neiman described being fascinated with the lights and sirens of emergency vehicles as he was growing up. His curiosity would soon lead him to this spiritual calling.

“I remember following firetrucks and any vehicle with lights and sirens going as best as I could to find out where they were going,” Neiman said. “That intrigue led to me going into that kind of work full-time after college. I really felt that God’s calling in my life was to see the Lord work through my responses, and He certainly gives us the desires of our hearts.

“God is still using me in a very powerful, spiritual way to share His Word and to encourage others, even despite the tragedies and the emergencies that they’re going through.” [Read more…]