Telling the Story of Tennessee Baptists Since 1835
October 25, 2021
By Aaron Earls Writer, Lifeway Christian Resources NASHVILLE — Pastors faced increased stress during the COVID-19 pandemic, as churches were frequently forced to adapt overnight. More felt their role was overwhelming at times, yet very few pastors decided to actually leave the ministry in recent years. A new study from Nashville-based Lifeway Research found close […]
October 25, 2021
By Thomas Cockes Baptist Press ALLEN, Texas — Texans will vote on their election day Tuesday, Nov.2, on a proposed amendment to the state constitution that would forbid the government from limiting or prohibiting religious services. The bill (TX HB1239, also called Proposition 3) comes in response to government limitations on religious worship services that […]
October 22, 2021
By Brandon Parker Baptist Press NASHVILLE — In a lawsuit filed Monday (Oct. 18), former SBC Executive Committee chairman Mike Stone alleges he has “suffered a tremendous loss in professional cultivation and reputational standing, decreased future earning power…and serious mental and emotional injury in the form of extreme public embarrassment, stress, anxiety, and fear” due […]
October 22, 2021
By Aaron Earls Writer, Lifeway Christian Resources NASHVILLE — Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, online worship services were a novel concept for many churches. In the almost two years since, however, churches have adapted and reached new people with the adoption of digital streaming. According to a new study from Nashville-based Lifeway Research, 45 percent […]
October 18, 2021
Baptist Press NASHVILLE — Since 1925, Southern Baptists have given more than $20 billion through the Cooperative Program to fund its entities and missionaries taking the gospel throughout the world. That news was delivered Sept. 29 by SBC Executive Committee Chief Financial Officer Jeff Pearson on the eve of Cooperative Program Emphasis Month, which is […]
October 15, 2021
By Brandon Porter Baptist Press NASHVILLE — Ronnie Floyd, president and CEO of the SBC Executive Committee, announced his resignation Thursday night in a letter to Southern Baptists released by email. (See full letter below this article) Floyd pointed to the actions taken by trustees in a special called meeting on Oct. 5 as the […]
October 14, 2021
By Leslie Peacock Caldwell Baptist Press RICHMOND, Va. — As the International Mission Board closes the 2020-21 financial books, it expects to report a Lottie Moon Christmas Offering total of $177.6 million. This total includes $14.9 million received for specific Lottie projects (often called Lottie Moon challenge or Lottie giving projects) and exceeds the $175 […]
October 14, 2021
By Brandon Elrod Baptist Press PITTSBURGH — After a pandemic-influenced decline in 2020, Southern Baptists rallied to give $66.5 million to the Annie Armstrong Easter Offering (AAEO) in 2021, the highest amount ever given to the offering that supports missions in North America. North American Mission Board (NAMB) president, Kevin Ezell, announced the total during […]
October 11, 2021
Baptist Press NASHVILLE — SBC Executive Committee President and CEO Ronnie Floyd responded on Monday afternoon to a letter he received from Convention attorneys Jim Guenther and Jaime Jordan, who announced they were withdrawing as the SBC’s legal counsel. In the letter — which was addressed to Floyd, as well as EC trustees and Greg […]
October 11, 2021
Baptist and Reflector NASHVILLE — The Nashville law firm of Guenther, Jordan & Price informed the Southern Baptist Convention Executive Committee Oct. 11 that the firm will no longer represent the SBC entity because the board of directors voted to waive attorney-client privilege (See story). The letter, signed by James P. Guenther and James D. […]
October 8, 2021
By Brandon Parker Baptist Press NASHVILLE — The independent third-party review of the SBC Executive Committee is underway, according to Bruce Frank, chair of the SBC Sexual Abuse Task Force. Frank said the contract among the task force, Guidepost Solutions and Rolland Slade, on behalf of the EC, has been signed. “There are some small details […]
October 8, 2021
By Joy Allmond Lifeway news office NASHVILLE — When Ben and Lynley Mandrell left the Denver-area church they planted to answer a call to lead Lifeway Christian Resources, they weren’t prepared for the journey their inner lives would take. On the heels of this seismic shift in ministry assignment, they found themselves in counseling to […]