In his first meeting as leader of the Southern Baptist Convention Executive Committee, Rolland Slade called on other committee members on Tuesday (Sept. 22) to be responsible “to shepherd and to protect” survivors of church sex abuse.
Andrew Gardner reflects on efforts by some Southern Baptists to instead use the moniker Great Commission Baptists. Read full piece
Southern Baptist Convention President J.D. Greear would like Southern Baptists to be less known by the word “Southern,” which references the SBC’s birth as Baptists in the southern part of the U.S. broke away from the national body to support slavery. He prefers the moniker
Like people around the world, Frances Fuller was deeply grieved by the Aug. 4 explosion that killed nearly 200 people and displaced another 300,000 in Beirut, Lebanon. But for Fuller, 91, watching the indescribable carnage was personal. Read full piece
White evangelicals angered over the killing of George Floyd this summer have joined protests and declared that “Black lives matter,” their continued support for President Trump has disgusted Black evangelical leaders. Read full piece
Recruitment efforts draw African American pastors to SBC missions efforts, though growth is slowing. Read full piece
In addition to increasing diversity in leadership, some Southern Baptists also want the convention and its entities to reconsider how they honor their early slave-holding leaders. Read full piece
Many Southern Baptists are familiar with Annie Armstrong, founder of the Woman’s Missionary Union. Fewer know of Annie Filmore, a 20th century pioneer of Baptist missions, who was initially denied fellowship with Armstrong’s WMU because of the color of her skin.
For years, John Onwuchekwa was a rising star in the Southern Baptist Convention. The Black pastor was part of the family and destined for great things. Then he wasn’t. And now he and his church is leaving the SBC.
In a letter to Southern Baptist Convention leaders, an African American pastor from Texas urged the denomination to meaningfully increase the number of Black people in positions of leadership across its various institutions and to “understand that racism is much more than an individual sin.”