Just hours before the nomination of candidates for the position of president of the Southern Baptist Convention, a fourth candidate emerged. Frank Cox, pastor of North Metro Baptist Church in Lawrenceville, Ga., will join Florida pastor Tom Ascol, Texas pastor…
In early contests, Conservative Baptist Network loses SBC leadership posts
In the preliminaries to the Southern Baptist Convention annual meeting, candidates backed by the Conservative Baptist Network June 13 were turned back in every attempt to gain leadership. Whether that trend will continue on the opening day of the SBC…
How to avoid hiring a toxic pastor or church staff member
I recently listened to yet another pastor tell a story of havoc let loose in his congregation by a toxic staff member who never should have been hired and was difficult to fire. I’ve heard this story over and over,…
In surprise move, Jack Graham endorses Tom Ascol for SBC presidency
In a video released Sunday, June 12, former Southern Baptist Convention President Jack Graham endorsed current presidential candidate Tom Ascol — a move shocking to some convention insiders and a potential game-changer in this week’s contest for leadership. Ascol and…
Weekly churchgoers are now the primary holdouts against same-sex marriage
Support for same-sex marriage in America continues to grow in all sectors except among the most faithful weekly churchgoers, according to Gallup. The latest polling shows a slight, one-point uptick from an already record high last year, from 70% to…
Unexpected $4 million gift takes away one criticism of SBC response to sexual abuse
Concerns about using church offering money to fund a response to the problem of sexual abuse in the Southern Baptist Convention seemed to disappear June 8 when $4 million was pledged to the cause. Technically, some of that money still…
Faced with damning sexual abuse investigation, some in SBC seek to discredit the investigators
One week before Southern Baptists gather to respond to a damning independent investigation of sexual abuse problems, the lead story on the denomination’s news site is about “controversy” created by Guidepost Solutions tweeting support for Pride month. Guidepost is the…
Next week, SBC messengers will have one thing on their mind
Dozens of business items await messengers to next week’s Southern Baptist Convention annual meeting, but there’s only one thing on everyone’s mind. All eyes are on the SBC to see how it responds to a bombshell report on mishandling of…
Georgia representative says Christian nationalism actually is a good thing
The ever-quotable and ever-controversial Rep. Marjorie Taylor-Greene has a word of encouragement for Christian nationalists: You’re the hope of salvation for America. Greene, a first-term Republican from Georgia, issued a video June 3 telling her supporters not to listen to…