One week after election day 2024, I found myself in another room where I needed to cast my vote. As a messenger to the 2024 Baptist General Convention of Texas annual meeting, I would need to vote on a motion…
BGCT tells Kevin Ezell no on 2000 Baptist Faith and Message
Kevin Ezell attempted to force Texas Baptists to adopt the 2000 Baptist Faith and Message or lose church planting partnerships with the Southern Baptist Convention’s North American Mission Board. Texas Baptists overwhelmingly said they would not do it. Ezell, president…
Prominent Texas church quietly quits the SBC
Note: This story was updated Oct. 29 with additional comments from church leaders. One of the most prominent Baptist churches in Texas quietly quit the Southern Baptist Convention Oct. 27 — part of an unnoticed trend that’s hard to…
Baylor expands capacity of non-Baptist regents; joins Baptist World Alliance
In a move that reflects the increasing diversity of its student body, Baylor University has changed its bylaws to allow more non-Baptists to sit on the world’s largest Baptist University’s board of regents. Baylor President Linda Livingstone and regents Chair…
Texas editor says NAMB is willing to take millions from BGCT but won’t continue funding church planting partnerships
The Southern Baptist Convention North American Mission Board is happy to take money from Texas Baptists but unwilling to give money back to shared missions causes, the editor of the Texas Baptist Standard said in a May 23 editorial. In…
BGCT nominates first Hispanic to lead convention as executive director
The current president of the Baptist General Convention of Texas has been nominated to serve as its executive director, ending a 14-month search process. Julio Guarneri, lead pastor of Calvary Baptist Church in McAllen, Texas, is the first Hispanic ever…
It’s time for Pastor Barbie
Before there was Barbie, there was Lilli. Lilli originated in 1952 Germany, just a few years after the end of World War II. The doll was introduced as a call girl, a comic-strip character in Bild-Zeitung, the newspaper in Hamburg,…
BWIM will expand its advocacy in light of Texas actions
Baptist Women in Ministry will expand its advocacy efforts in light of actions taken and not taken by the Baptist General Convention of Texas last week, according to Meredith Stone. Stone, BWIM’s executive director, was one of two messengers to…
Given opportunity to affirm women in ministry, BGCT punts
The Baptist General Convention of Texas — once considered a supporter of women in ministry — declined to give full blessing to the idea when presented the opportunity at its annual meeting July 18. Motions affirming women in ministry and…