Baptist & Reflector

Telling the Story of Tennessee Baptists Since 1835

IMB DATA BREACH PROMPTS ‘COMPREHENSIVE RESPONSE’

Baptist Press

BP file photo

RICHMOND, Va. (BP) — A data breach occurred at the International Mission Board that may have exposed personal information of current and former employees, volunteers and applicants.

The Southern Baptist entity began a “comprehensive response” immediately upon discovering the cyber security incident and promptly notified law enforcement officials, according to a statement released to Baptist Press today (July 16), parallel to one released to North Carolina Baptists’ newsjournal, the Biblical Recorder, on July 12.

The full text of the IMB statement follows this story. [Read more…]

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VICE PRESIDENT ADDRESSES SBC MESSENGERS IN DALLAS

Pence appearance, Greear election were among top storylines at this year’s annual meeting

Editor’s Note: Visit baptistandreflector.org for complete coverage of the SBC annual meeting.

By Lonnie Wilkey
Editor, Baptist and Reflector
lwilkey@tnbaptist.org

 

Messengers at the SBC annual meeting raise their ballots while voting on one of the 20 proposed motions on June 12. — Photo by Matt Miller/Baptist Press

DALLAS — Though an attempt was made to exclude the vice president of the United States from speaking to Southern Baptist Convention messengers, Mike Pence addressed the convention in the June 13 morning session.

Pence’s appearance was one of several highlights during the annual meeting held June 12-13 in Dallas. The meeting drew 9,637 messengers, including 615 from Tennessee. Tennessee trailed only Texas (2,036) and Louisiana (718) in number of messengers. It was the largest attended convention since 2010. [Read more…]

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HIRES AT IMB, EC LOOM LARGE FOR CONVENTION

Editor’s Note: This column expands upon a blog posted recently on www.baptistandreflector.org. Be sure to check the website regularly for articles and columns as they develop.

By Lonnie Wilkey
Editor, Baptist and Reflector

The SBC annual meeting will be held in the Convention Center in Dallas, Texas. Photo courtesy of Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center Dallas

In February, the International Mission Board learned that President David Platt was returning to the pastorate, so trustees are now in the process of searching for a successor. This will be an important hire because the individual will be leading Southern Baptists’ largest missions-sending organization.

A search committee has been chosen and is in the process of looking for Platt’s successor. As I have said before, the person who leads the IMB ideally should have missionary experience and be a strong believer and supporter in the Cooperative Program. [Read more…]

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IMB TRUSTEES ACCEPTING NOMINATIONS

IMB News Office

RICHMOND  — The International Mission Board’s Presidential Search Committee is accepting nominations for the agency’s next president. The committee, chaired by Chuck Pourciau, senior pastor of Broadmoor Baptist Church in Shreveport, La., released the following statement April 12, 2018:

“The International Mission Board Presidential Search Committee has benefited greatly from your prayers and input during the early stage of this process. We continue to desire your help as we seek the person God has chosen to be the next leader of the IMB.   [Read more…]

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REFUGEE EXHIBIT CREATES PERSPECTIVE

By David Dawson
Baptist and Reflector

Upon entering the refugee simulation, the women were given a number and instructed to put all personal belongings in a trash bag.

GATLINBURG — According to recent data released by the UN Refugee Agency UNHCR, there are 65.6 million displaced individuals, or refugees, in the world today. It is the highest number in recorded history and is growing by hundreds of thousands each year.

Sadly, when hearing numbers like that, there is a tendency to forget that there are faces behind the figures. It almost becomes lost that these are real people, with real emotions and real families. And many of them are hurting.

In hopes of shining a light on these dark developments, national WMU has worked with several other organizations to create the “Refugee Simulation Experience” — an interactive, walk-through exhibit that enables participants to better grasp the hardships that many refugees are facing.  [Read more…]

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IMB MISSIONARIES DIE FROM INJURIES AFTER ACCIDENT IN AFRICA

Randy and Kathy Arnett.

By Julie McGowan
IMB public relations manager

RICHMOND, Va. — International Mission Board missionaries Dr. Randy Arnett, 62, and Kathy Arnett, 61, died March 14, 2018, from injuries sustained in an automobile accident in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The Missouri-native missionaries served as theological education strategists for Africa.  [Read more…]

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IMB APPOINTS MISSIONARIES; COMMITTEE

IMB news office

Rick Dunbar (right), IMB trustee chairman, announces the 16 members of the IMB’s presidential search committee during the trustees’ March 1 plenary session. The committee’s first meeting was planned to follow the session.
-IMB Photo

RICHMOND — The International Mission Board of the Southern Baptist Convention appointed 20 new fully-funded missionaries to serve around the world at their Feb. 28-March 1 meeting.

In addition, trustees appointed a search committee to find a successor to IMB President David Platt who announced plans to return to the pastorate in February. The committee will be chaired by Chuck Pourciau, senior pastor of Broadmoor Baptist Church in Shreveport, LA. Andy Davis, senior pastor/elder of First Baptist Church, Durham, N.C., will serve as vice-chair. [Read more…]

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EC CONSIDERS DC CONVENTION, MISSION BOARD MERGER

Baptist Press

Stephen Rummage, chairman of the Southern Baptist Convention Executive Committee, presided over the EC’s Feb. 19-20 meeting in Nashville. Photo by Morris Abernathy (for Baptist Press).

NASHVILLE — The Southern Baptist Convention Executive Committee has given the District of Columbia Baptist Convention (DCBC) 90 days to “secure” the “the removal of any churches from its fellowship that have demonstrated a faith or practice affirming, approving or endorsing homosexual behavior,” according to a recommendation adopted by the EC Feb. 20.

If such churches remain in friendly cooperation with the DCBC after that period, the DCBC will lose its authorization “to receive and disburse Cooperative Program and other SBC contributions,” the EC stated during its Feb. 19-20 meetings in Nashville. [Read more…]

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BEGIN PRAYING NOW FOR NEW IMB PRESIDENT

By Lonnie Wilkey
Editor, Baptist and Reflector

The David Platt era at the International Mission Board of the Southern Baptist Convention is coming to an end.

Platt announced Feb. 12 that he is stepping down from the position he has held for only four years to return to pastoral ministry. No one can fault any man who believes he is called by God to preach the gospel. I wish him well. He is a gifted preacher and pastor.

When he was announced to succeed Tom Elliff as president of the IMB four years ago I had my doubts as to whether he was the best choice.

Yes, he was a gifted minister and author, but did that alone qualify him to lead the Southern Baptist Convention’s largest entity and, arguably, its most important agency? [Read more…]

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IMB’S DAVID PLATT TO RETURN TO PASTORATE

By David Dawson
Baptist and Reflector

David Platt

GALVESTON, Texas — As the search begins for a new International Mission Board president, outgoing president David Platt said he believes the IMB is “financially healthy, physically strong, and practically ready.”

Two days after announcing he was stepping down as IMB president, Platt spoke to a group of editors on Feb. 14 at the annual Association of State Baptist Publications meeting in Galveston. Platt told the ASBP conference attendees that he made the decision to leave the IMB office “because I believe that is what God is leading me to do.” [Read more…]

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