A Virginia church with deep historical ties to the Southern Baptist Convention will vote May 19 on a proposal to sever ties with the SBC due to the denomination’s intolerance for women serving as pastors. For decades, First Baptist Church…
Bart Barber, a unicorn among SBC presidents, reflects on the state of the SBC as his term concludes
Bart Barber is a unicorn among recent Southern Baptist Convention presidents. And now he’s a lame duck, too. To participate in our interview by Zoom, Barber had to travel away from his North Texas farm. This is unlike any of…
Second vote on Law Amendment will take the spotlight at this summer’s SBC annual meeting
When the Southern Baptist Convention meets in annual session in Indianapolis in June, one vote may be the most consequential in determining the future of the nation’s largest Protestant denomination. And it will not be the vote to elect an…
SBC’s budget takes a hit after more than a decade of inflation losses; Executive Committee expels four churches
A decade ago, the Southern Baptist Convention received $190,468,781 in Cooperative Program gifts from its churches nationwide. For the new year beginning Oct. 1, 2024, the proposed Cooperative Program budget is about the same: $190,250,000. By one measure, giving to…
Churches that support women in ministry should leave the SBC preemptively
Once again, the SBC Executive Committee has decided that a church who called a woman as their senior pastor should be disfellowshipped. This time, the church is Immanuel Baptist Church in Paducah, Ky., where Katie McKown was called to become…
Mohler says he finds it hard to believe allegations against Pressler are true
Sexual abuse allegations against Paul Pressler are “so horrifying that it’s actually very hard to imagine that they could be real,” said Al Mohler, president of Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, Ky. Mohler spoke Feb. 16 at Kenwood Baptist…
As SBC moves toward second vote on Law Amendment, debate continues on just what it means
Just how restrictive will the Southern Baptist Convention become if messengers to next summer’s SBC annual meeting approve a second reading of a proposed constitutional amendment against women in ministry? It depends on who’s doing the explaining. One of the…
The SBC’s far-far right believes all members of a Cooperation Group should agree with their views
Some Southern Baptist Convention pastors who are urging final adoption of a constitutional amendment prohibiting females from being called “pastor” are upset because the SBC has appointed a cooperation committee where not all members agree exactly with their views. That…
J.D. Greear calls on Southern Baptists to slow down on constitutional amendment
A recent president of the Southern Baptist Convention published a 3,500-word explanation of why he believes the so-called “Law Amendment” is unwise, even though he personally agrees with the theology behind it. That amendment, proposed by Virginia pastor Mike Law,…