NEW MADRID (BP) – Heather Polk, a nurse practitioner who used her expertise on medical mission trips, died Sept. 7 in a two-car collision as she returned home from work. Polk’s husband, Jeff, is pastor of New Madrid Baptist Church. The accident occurred at the junction of highway 61 and I-55 in New Madrid. A 19-year-old driver in a 2012 Chevrolet Cruz failed to yield and collided with Polk’s 2012 Mazda as she returned from her shift in Dexter, Mo. Polk was pronounced dead at the … [Read more...]
Convention leaders respond to DOJ investigation of SBC
NASHVILLE (BP) – The Southern Baptist Convention Executive Committee has been informed that the United States Department of Justice has initiated an investigation into the SBC that will include “multiple SBC entities,” according to an Aug. 12 statement from all SBC entity leaders and SBC President Bart Barber. “Individually and collectively, each SBC entity is resolved to fully and completely cooperate with the investigation,” the statement said. The announcement comes two months … [Read more...]
SBC president names MBC’s Nelson as member of new sexual abuse task force
NASHVILLE (BP) – Southern Baptist Convention President Bart Barber has announced the members and leaders of those making up the Abuse Reform Implementation Task Force (ARITF). Included as a task force member is Missouri Baptist Convention President Jon Nelson, lead pastor of Soma Community Church, Jefferson City, Mo. Messengers to the annual meeting in Anaheim tasked Barber, pastor of First Baptist Church in Farmersville, Texas, with the responsibility as part of the approved … [Read more...]
Blalock, Keahbone to head Abuse Response Implementation Task Force
NASHVILLE (BP) – Two Southern Baptist pastors with recent leadership experience in addressing sexual abuse in the SBC will fill similar roles with the Abuse Response Implementation Task Force (ARITF). Marshall Blalock, pastor of First Baptist Church in Charleston, S.C., will be chair while Mike Keahbone, pastor of First Baptist Church in Lawton, Okla., will serve as vice chair, SBC President Bart Barber announced today. “Both of these pastors are well-respected by Southern Baptists, … [Read more...]
New looks into deep space bring new assurances of God’s presence, astronomers say
NASHVILLE (BP) – Within images released by the James Webb telescope, Christians can not only get previously unseen views of the cosmos, but resounding confirmation of God’s creative design and man’s perspective in it. David Block, emeritus professor at the University of Witwatersrand in Johannesburg, South Africa, and Danny Faulkner, who taught for 26 years at the University of South Carolina-Lancaster before joining Answers in Genesis, spoke with Baptist Press about the magnitude of the … [Read more...]
Motions at annual meeting range from addressing sexual abuse reforms to entity responsibilities
ANAHEIM (BP) – Several motions presented at the annual meeting related to sexual abuse care and prevention in addition to other subjects of interest to Southern Baptists. One required extended discussion by messengers. That motion, brought by Joshua Scruggs of Bethlehem Baptist Church in Jacksonville, N.C., to abolish the Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission, was defeated by a sizable margin. The Abuse Reform Implementation Task Force, yet to be formed by new SBC President Bart … [Read more...]
Southern Baptist messengers approve Sexual Abuse Task Force recommendations
ANAHEIM (BP) – Southern Baptists responded with an overwhelming majority in favor of adopting the two recommendations presented by the Sexual Abuse Task Force presented June 14 at the 2022 SBC Annual Meeting. Task Force chair Bruce Frank didn’t mince words with messengers, calling it a “Kairos moment” for the Convention. After a lot of talk, actions were about to speak loudest. “Today we will choose between humility or hubris,” he said. “We will choose between genuine repentance or … [Read more...]
Executive Committee president search team receiving recommendations
NASHVILLE (BP) – After a season of prayer, the group tasked with presenting the next candidate for president/CEO of the Executive Committee wanted to hear from Southern Baptists before taking next steps. The team is now ready begin the search in earnest. Messengers to last week’s annual meeting in Anaheim approved recommendations from the Sexual Abuse Task Force that will have a direct impact on the work of the Executive Committee. Events in Anaheim gave search team members the clarity … [Read more...]
Sexual Abuse Task Force modifies recommendations in advance of the annual meeting
NASHVILLE (BP) – Changes to the recommendations that Sexual Abuse Task Force members will present to messengers at next week’s SBC annual meeting will address the nature of third-party investigations at the church level, including funding and action toward churches that refuse to respond to an accusation. The changes came after hearing from Southern Baptists in the days following the initial presentation of the recommendations, said SATF Chair Bruce Frank in a video on June 8. “We are … [Read more...]
Iowa church holds prayer meeting, seeks to recover after shooting
AMES, Iowa (BP) – Members and friends of Cornerstone Baptist Church are recovering after a shooting in its parking lot June 2 left three dead, including the shooter by his own hand. “… We are more than saddened by the events that transpired,” said a statement on the church’s website. “Our hearts break for all involved, and we are praying for everyone affected, especially the [families] of the victims.” The first summer gathering of the church’s collegiate ministry, The Salt Company, … [Read more...]
SATF recommends ‘Ministry Check’ database, Abuse Reform Implementation Task Force
NASHVILLE (BP) – A report issued Wednesday, June 1, from the Sexual Abuse Task Force (SATF) includes “challenges” for Southern Baptist groups toward better abuse prevention policies as well as two recommendations, including the formation of a website to maintain a record of those credibly accused or convicted of sexual abuse. Those challenges included the request for a $3 million allocation to fund the implementation of sexual abuse reforms over the next year. That allocation will come … [Read more...]
Key leaders named in Guidepost report respond
NASHVILLE (BP) – The names of numerous Southern Baptist leaders appeared throughout the lengthy report made available May 22 by Guidepost Solutions on the subject of sexual abuse allegations and the SBC Executive Committee. Although at differing levels of involvement today, each factored into the investigation’s scope of Jan. 1, 2000, through June 14, 2021. Below are the names of some key leaders mentioned as well as the context in which the report places them and their responses to the … [Read more...]