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…
SBC wants to create independent commission to address and prevent sexual abuse, but funding uncertain
The Southern Baptist Convention will create a new, independent nonprofit to address allegations and investigations of sexual abuse in SBC churches, according to the second task force assigned to figure out solutions. Josh Wester, chairman of the SBC’s Abuse Reform…
SBC Executive Committee financials missing from online report for third year, while 2022 audit shows trajectory that is ‘not sustainable’
For the third year running, financial reports from the Southern Baptist Convention’s Executive Committee are missing from the annual SBC Ministry Reports website. An introductory paragraph to the website says: “The 2024 Ministry Report is the compilation of SBC entity…
Kentucky Supreme Court denies abuse victim’s plea, siding with four SBC entities who were not parties to the case
The Kentucky Supreme Court has sided with four Southern Baptist Convention entities that — among others — sought to deny a sexual abuse victim an extension of the statute of limitations to file a claim against those she believes knew…
About that SBC sexual abuse hotline; it just gets worse
The more time goes by, the more concerned I get about the Southern Baptist Convention’s sexual abuse hotline. For anyone who may be trying to make some kind of risk-benefit analysis in deciding whether to call the hotline, the balance…
From 1925 to 2024: Why the SBC’s funding formula is being questioned a century later
To understand the behind-the-scenes conflict happening between the Southern Baptist Convention Executive Committee and some of the SBC’s agencies and institutions, understand first that the devil is in the details. Or in the dollars. Or in lack of trust, once…
Morris Chapman is willing to come off the bench and serve the SBC Executive Committee again
As the Southern Baptist Convention Executive Committee struggles to find a leader and faces attempts by other agency heads to shutter the central organizing group of the denomination, a former president says he is willing to come back and help…
New lawsuit against SBC and four churches alleges systemic negligence on sexual abuse
The concept of whether the Southern Baptist Convention is a unified church that can be held liable for sexual abuse that happens in individual congregations will be put to the test yet again in a new lawsuit filed in U.S….