By Jim White Amid academic pageantry, Baptist historian Bill Leonard was officially installed Jan. 24 as the first Dunn Professor of Baptist Studies at Wake Forest University School of Divinity. James Dunn and Bill Leonard recessing after the divinity school’s…
Woman to lead American Baptists in Indiana, Kentucky
Soozi Whitten Ford By Bob Allen Soozi Whitten Ford, an ordained minister and longtime American Baptist leader, has been named executive minister of the American Baptist Churches of Indiana and Kentucky. Her election, announced Jan. 23, ends a year-long search…
CBF search committee seeks input
By Lance Wallace A 10-member committee seeking a successor to Daniel Vestal as the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship executive coordinator met for the first time in Dallas in early January. The initial meeting focused on members of the group getting acquainted,…
Board elects Hardage BGCT executive director
By Ken Camp At a called meeting today, the Baptist General Convention of Texas Executive Board elected David Hardage as executive director, effective Feb. 1. David Hardage Hardage—a veteran Texas Baptist pastor, associational leader and seminary development officer—succeeds Randel Everett,…
Former congressman named to Baylor chair
By Lori Fogleman Former U.S. Congressman Chet Edwards has been appointed the W.R. Poage Distinguished Chair for Public Service at Baylor University. Edwards, who represented parts of central and north Texas in Congress from 1990 to 2011, will serve the…
Two churches join Alliance of Baptists
By Bob Allen Two churches disciplined by Baptist bodies for affirming gays have joined the Alliance of Baptists, a theologically progressive organization formed by churches and individuals separating from the Southern Baptist Convention in 1987. The Alliance’s e-mail newsletter announced…
Former pastor claims reassignment was race-based
By Bob Allen A former staff member at Kentucky’s largest African-American congregation claims in a recently filed lawsuit that he was reassigned from a pastoral position because he is black. Billy Hollins, a Southern Baptist North American Mission Board-appointed missionary…