Aaron Earls/Baptist Press NASHVILLE (BP) – LifeWay Christian Stores set a goal last fall of donating 100,000 Hindi language Bibles across South Asia, but customers gave enough for twice that many. “LifeWay has proven once again it is an organization with a heart for the world,” Tom Eliff, president of the International Mission Board (IMB), said. “Never in our wildest dreams did we imagine The Thomas Project would be such an overwhelming success.” Named for the disciple believed to … [Read more...]
Ronnie Floyd to be SBC president nominee
Art Toalston/Baptist Press NASHVILLE (BP) – Arkansas pastor Ronnie Floyd will be nominated for president of the Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) at the SBC annual meeting this June, seminary president R. Albert Mohler Jr. announced Feb. 20. Floyd has “unparalleled experience as a leader among us, an unquestioned commitment to the Great Commission, and he has demonstrated an unstinting urgency to unite Southern Baptists around our shared beliefs, mission, and programs,” Mohler, … [Read more...]
Trusteeship – a sacred trust
Just this week I returned from serving on the Southern Baptist Convention Executive Committee. Our February meeting was full of important decisions impacting the cooperative work of churches that identify themselves as Southern Baptist congregations. My fellow trustees listened to amazing reports about our international missionaries and new church planting in North America. We were challenged to hear how our six Southern Baptist seminaries are adapting their work of equipping tomorrow’s … [Read more...]
IMB’s Elliff to retire
AUSTIN, Texas (BP)—IMB President Tom Elliff, today asked the chairman of the mission agency’s board of trustees to appoint a search committee for his successor. Elliff made this request during his report at the mission agency’s Feb. 25-26 trustee meeting in Austin, Texas. He said he will remain president until the next IMB president is in place. A 15-member search committee was named to begin the process. “Based on what (Jeannie and I) believe to be the Lord's clear leading, today I … [Read more...]
CP giving falls below budget
BY STAFF NASHVILLE (BP) – Year-to-date Southern Baptist Convention Cooperative Program contributions to the SBC Executive Committee are 3.44 percent below the year-to-date CP budget goal, and 2.72 percent below those received during the same time frame last year, SBC Executive Committee President Frank Page reported. The year-to-date contributions to Southern Baptist national and international missions and ministries represents money received by the Executive Committee by the close of … [Read more...]
After Philippines typhoon, Baptists plan long-term aid
MARK KELLY/Baptist Press CEBU CITY, Philippines (BP) – While some disaster-response organizations are pulling out of Typhoon Haiyan relief efforts in the Philippines, Southern Baptists remain on the ground, helping neglected communities rebuild homes, schools and livelihoods. Disaster response organizations in five Southern Baptist state conventions have each adopted an area of the Philippines, said Jeff Palmer, executive director of Baptist Global Response(BGR). Seven teams of … [Read more...]
Racial diversity in churches elusive
Bob Smietana NASHVILLE (BP) – Having a racially diverse church remains more dream than reality for most Protestant pastors. More than eight in 10 (85 percent) say every church should strive for racial diversity, according to a survey from LifeWay Research. But few have diverse flocks. Most (86 percent) say their congregation is predominately one racial or ethnic group. It’s a reality that once led Martin Luther King Jr. to call Sunday mornings the most segregated time of the … [Read more...]
WMU challenged to raise missions bar
Julie Walters/WMU Communications BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – Raising the bar of missions involvement was the challenge woven throughout national WMU’s board meeting at Shocco Springs Conference Center in Talladega, Ala. National WMU President Debby Akerman said in her address, “With Jesus’ words in Mark 8:34, ‘Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me,’ the bar was raised for those following Jesus.” “For the disciples He had called, as well … [Read more...]
Compensation survey helps set pay for pastors, staff
Shelly Moon/GuideStone DALLAS – Ministers and church employees are invited to participate in the 2014 SBC (Southern Baptist Convention) Church Compensation Survey: a tool used by churches of all sizes to determine fair wages and benefits. Participants will be entered for a chance to win an iPad. The survey and complete contest rules are available at www.GuideStone.org/CompensationSurvey. “GuideStone continues to be an advocate for pastors and church staff, ensuring that they are … [Read more...]
Ezell: SBC church planting proceeding ‘pretty well’
ALPHARETTA, Ga. – All church planters are special to us, but the church planting “Class of 2010” gets some additional attention and scrutiny because in that year we began reporting on Southern Baptist church plants in some new ways, Kevin Ezell, president of the North American Missions Board, said recently. “In 2010 Southern Baptist churches planted a total of 943 new churches,” he noted. “Each of those new churches have an SBC (Southern Baptist Convention) ID number which allows us to … [Read more...]
States budget more for Great Commission
Tammi Reed Ledbetter/Baptist Press NASHVILLE (BP) – Trending among Baptist state convention meetings this year was the decision to send more money to the mission field – a challenge set forth by the Great Commission Resurgence Task Force adopted by the Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) at its 2010 annual meeting in Orlando. This year more than half of the cooperating state Baptist conventions increased the portion of undesignated Cooperative Program (CP) receipts from local churches … [Read more...]
Winter Olympics outreach ready
William Bagsby/International Mission Board Editor’s note: For more information on Southern Baptists’ efforts concerning the Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia, visit commissionstories.com/sochi-winter-olympics. The site will be updated with stories, photos, videos, prayer requests and more during the Feb. 7-23 Games. SOCHI, Russia (BP) – Will Baptists have a witness at the Winter Olympics in Russia? Will it be safe from terrorists? Will other issues arise? Marc Ira Hooks, one of … [Read more...]
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