Telling the Story of Tennessee Baptists Since 1835
June 12, 2025
By Scott BarkleyBaptist PressDALLAS (BP) – In the latest attempt to abolish or defund the Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission, nearly 57 percent of messengers voted to keep the entity. A total of 6,563 ballots were cast, with 3,744 (56.89 percent) supporting the ERLC and 2,819 (42.84 percent) voting to abolish it. Eighteen votes (.27 […]
June 12, 2025
By Zoë Watkins and Chris TurnerBaptist and ReflectorDALLAS — Messengers to the 2025 Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) failed to achieve the required two-thirds majority to amend the denomination’s constitution and bylaws to restrict the title and role of pastor/elder/overseer to men only. The proposal, introduced by Juan Sanchez, pastor of High Pointe Baptist Church in […]
June 12, 2025
By Lonnie WilkeyContributing writer, The Baptist PaperDALLAS — Messengers to the annual meeting of the Southern Baptist Convention overwhelmingly adopted resolutions of support for two time-honored tenets — the Cooperative Program and the Baptist Faith and Message. Resolutions “On the Centennial Anniversary of the Cooperative Program” and “On Honoring the Centennial Anniversary of the Baptist […]
June 11, 2025
Baptist and ReflectorTennessee Messengers Make Their Voices Heard DALLAS — Southern Baptist messengers to the 2025 Annual Meeting rejected an amendment Wednesday that would have required the Southern Baptist Convention to publish detailed financial information like IRS Form 990 disclosures. The vote defeated efforts to force greater financial transparency from denominational leadership and entities, despite […]
June 10, 2025
By Jennifer Davis RashThe Baptist PaperDALLAS — A request for the SBC legal counsel to countersue longtime pastor and former SBC president Johnny Hunt to recover legal fees incurred by the Convention was among 15 motions proposed during the afternoon session of the SBC Annual Meeting today (June 10). Another 13 motions were presented during […]
June 10, 2025
By Grace ThorntonThe Baptist PaperDALLAS — Jeff Iorg said all during this year’s Southern Baptist Convention Annual Meeting in Dallas, messengers have been doing something similar to what the Israelites did in Joshua 4. In that chapter, “there’s a story of God instructing His people to gather 12 memorial stones from the Jordan River and […]
June 10, 2025
By The Baptist PaperDALLAS — North Carolina pastor Clint Pressley was elected for a second term as Southern Baptist Convention president during the SBC’s annual meeting in Dallas. Pressley defeated David Morrill, a member of Applewood Baptist Church in Wheat Ridge, Colorado, who was nominated by Chris Cunningham from Hillcrest Baptist Church in Big Springs, […]
June 10, 2025
By Carrie Brown McWhorterThe Baptist PaperDALLAS—A concern for pastoral well-being and significant growth in retirement programs and insurance coverage were highlighted in GuideStone President Hance Dilbeck’s report to the 2025 Southern Baptist Convention Annual Meeting in Dallas. Speaking June 10 during the morning business session, Dilbeck said one-third of surveyed ministers report struggling with their […]
June 10, 2025
By Grace ThorntonThe Baptist PaperDALLAS—Jimmy Scroggins said his dad was a high school football coach, and the one thing he prided himself on the most was how many of his assistant coaches became head coaches. “There were more than 50 who became head coaches,” said Scroggins, pastor of Family Church in south Florida. “He felt […]
June 10, 2025
By Shawn HendricksThe Baptist PaperDALLAS—Recalling his early years playing football, Clint Pressley recalled how there were some players he was friends with and some he “barely knew their name.” But he still recognized they were “all teammates” — and cooperation and teamwork were critical for the success of the team. “Every guy on that team […]
June 9, 2025
By Grace Thornton The Baptist PaperDALLAS — Jamie Dew told pastors that he had one simple but honest question for them: “Do you ever want to quit?” “I can think of a million reasons we might feel that way,” said Dew, president of New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary, as he spoke to the Southern Baptist […]
June 9, 2025
By David RoachBaptist PressDALLAS (BP) – “Worth Following” was the theme around which pastors gathered June 8 for the opening session of the SBC Pastors’ Conference in Dallas. Convening at the Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center, Pastors’ Conference attendees heard the first two expositions in a two-day series of sermons through the book of 2 […]