Please submit transitions — including staff changes, ordinations, anniversaries or deaths — to Barbara Francis. This page will be updated bi-weekly. STAFF CHANGES Laura Brod, to Central Baptist Church in Ghent, Norfolk, Va., as music director. Greg DeLoach, to Highland Hills…
Debates about refugees need a dose of compassion, religious freedom panelists urge
Americans must add compassion to their debates about the world’s 26 million refugees, a Jewish leader said during a Feb. 2 webinar hosted by the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom. “The need is urgent for us here in the…
Willie McLaurin appointed interim Executive Committee president, becoming the SBC’s first-ever Black entity head
Willie McLaurin, Southern Baptist Convention Executive Committee vice president for Great Commission relations and mobilization, has been appointed interim president and CEO of the Executive Committee. The appointment came 10 days before the four-month mark of Ronnie Floyd’s resignation from…
29-page memorandum illustrates what the SBC Sexual Abuse Task force is hearing
A 29-page single-spaced memorandum originally obtained by Baptist News Global and subsequently made public by the survivor and advocate who authored it alleges at least 18 years of mishandling specific instances of sexual abuse by the Southern Baptist Convention Executive…
Baptist pastor Wade Burleson running for Congress from Oklahoma
A well-known Oklahoma Baptist pastor announced Feb. 1 that he will challenge a 28-year incumbent to represent the state’s Third Congressional District. If elected, Wade Burleson would be the second Oklahoma Baptist pastor currently serving in Congress; Oklahoma Sen. James…
In Canada, The Gathering unites churches that often don’t see eye to eye
Nearing its 30-year anniversary, a small-but-determined Baptist organization in Canada continues its struggle for religious and congregational freedom in the shadow of an increasingly conservative denominational movement that demands submission to scriptural and theological uniformity, its leaders say. The Gathering…
Ministry jobs and more
Baptist News Global provides a free listing of ministry-related jobs for Baptist churches, theological institutions and organizations across the United States. Each free posting is for 30 days and is limited to 150 words. Postings may be extended another 30…
Rescheduled webinar will feature conversation with David Gushee on his new primer on Christian ethics
BNG’s planned webinar with David Gushee in January had to be postponed and now has been rescheduled for Thursday, Feb. 17, at 10:30 a.m. Eastern time. Gushee, a senior columnist with BNG, will join BNG Executive Director Mark Wingfield for…
The few remaining Christians in Afghanistan live in constant fear — even of their own families
Afghan Christians who failed to escape when their nation fell to the Taliban in August live in constant isolation and in fear that the fundamentalist Islamic government, and practically the entire society, is out to persecute them, according to the…
Alliance of Baptists shifts again to online gathering
The Alliance of Baptists announced Jan. 31 that it has scuttled plans for an in-person annual meeting in Fort Worth, Texas, in April due to continued concerns about the pandemic. “The Alliance is committed to making every space as equitable…
Another key leader at SBC Executive Committee resigns
Another top-level leader with the Southern Baptist Convention’s Executive Committee is leaving his post — after only 15 months on the job. However, unlike others who have recently left the Executive Committee staff, Chief Financial Officer Jeff Pearson made it…
CBF Governing Board creates special teams related to Global Missions and congregational ministries positions
The Cooperative Baptist Fellowship’s Governing Board voted unanimously Jan. 28 to establish a transition team to conduct a search for the organization’s next Global Missions coordinator to succeed Steven Porter. Porter, who has led the ministry since 2014, on Jan….