Messengers and guests at the Southern Baptist Convention applaud IMB missionaries during Sending Celebration in Indianapolis. — Photo by The Baptist Paper

INDIANAPOLIS — Newly appointed missionaries looked around the Indiana Convention Center’s hall at the urging of Paul Chitwood, International Mission Board president. He gestured from the stage to more than 13,000 messengers and guests sent by local churches to the Southern Baptist Convention Annual Meeting in Indianapolis.

“Beside you and behind you are row upon row, thousands of Southern Baptists, here to celebrate with you as you prepare to go to the nations,” he said. “As you go out to literally every corner of the earth in pursuit of the lost, may the Lord remind you that always — always — there are Southern Baptists praying fervently for you, and for the gospel to advance.” [Read more…]

Connie Dixon, left, president of WMU, and Sandy Wisdom-Martin, executive director of WMU, address messengers and guests at the SBC Annual Meeting about their work June 12 in Indianapolis. — Photo by Van Payne / The Baptist Paper

INDIANAPOLIS — Kate, a young member of a Girls in Action group, approached her parents in the fall of 2023 with the idea of doing a project for Haiti.

They thought it might be something small, but she told them she wanted to raise $7,000 to build a church in Haiti.

“In two weekends selling hot apple cider, Kate raised $28,000 to build four churches in Haiti,” said Sandy-Wisdom Martin, executive director of national Woman’s Missionary Union, as she gave her report to the Southern Baptist Convention annual meeting on June 12. “When asked why she wanted to build a church in Haiti, she simply replied, ‘So the children could learn about Jesus.’”

She’s one example of how WMU missions discipleship tells the stories of missions needs and helps churches pray diligently and give generously, said Connie Dixon, the organization’s president. [Read more…]

Ben Mandrell, president of Lifeway Christian Resources, addresses messengers and guests at the SBC Annual Meeting on June 12 in Indianapolis — Photo by Pam Henderson / The Baptist Paper

INDIANAPOLIS — Lifeway president Ben Mandrell told messengers at the Southern Baptist Convention Annual Meeting on June 12 that he was “more excited than ever for the future of Lifeway.”

“Our finances look great,” he said of the SBC entity, which provides resources to the local church.

After experiencing a $55 million revenue drop during the COVID-19 pandemic, Lifeway has experienced God’s favor “as we’ve had three consecutive years of growth and positive bottom-line growth,” Mandrell said. “We’re grateful for your support and continued partnership and for allowing us to continue to serve your churches with resources. [Read more…]

Kristen Ferguson, chair of the 2024 Committee on Resolutions, answers questions during a press conference at the 2024 SBC annual meeting. — Photo by Jennifer Davis Rash / The Baptist Paper

INDIANAPOLIS — Kristen Ferguson, chair of the 2024 Committee on Resolutions, was hoping to see Southern Baptist Convention messengers adopt all 10 of the resolutions the committee had prepared.

It didn’t work out exactly that way — but the committee nonetheless finished with a perfect record: eight resolutions presented, eight resolutions adopted.

During a press conference Wednesday afternoon, Ferguson said that even though time restraints caused two of the resolutions to be left out — due to the fact that, as Ferguson put it with a smile, “the messengers had lots of things that they wanted to discuss extensively” — she was nonetheless “so grateful” for the ones adopted. [Read more…]

Messengers raise their ballots during the 2024 SBC annual meeting in Indianapolis. — Photo by Van Payne / The Baptist Paper

INDIANAPOLIS — Eight resolutions were adopted by messengers attending the 2024 Southern Baptist Convention Annual Meeting in Indianapolis.

The Committee on Resolutions proposed 10 resolutions (some submitted by messengers at large and some by the committee), but messengers only adopted 8 of those — time restraints caused two of the resolutions to be left unpresented. [Read more…]

Jared Wellman with the Cooperation Group addresses the SBC annual meeting on the evening of June 11 in Indianapolis. — Photo by Van Payne / The Baptist Paper

INDIANAPOLIS — Messengers to the Southern Baptist Convention passed a slate of recommendations June 11 related to how the convention deals with churches that no longer “closely identify with” the SBC in “faith and practice.”

The recommendations came from the Cooperation Group, which was formed with the assignment of studying the issue over the past year.

“This SBC was chartered for the purpose of directing the energies of Baptists for the propagation of the gospel,” said Jared Wellman, the group’s chairman and pastor of Tate Springs Baptist Church in Arlington, Texas. “We understand that there are times that there are churches that step outside this phrase ‘closely identifies with.’”

The group’s recommendations added definition to how Southern Baptists proceed when a church goes that direction. [Read more…]

Josh Wester, chairman of the Abuse Reform Implementation Task, speaks to the SBC messengers. — Photo by Van Payne / The Baptist Paper

INDIANAPOLIS — Southern Baptist messengers approved recommendations presented by the Abuse Reform Implementation Task Force on June 11.

The first recommendation included affirming the expansion of the Sexual Abuse Toolkit, efforts to complete the Ministry Check website and the “creation of a permanent home for abuse prevention and response.” The second recommendation involved referring these objectives back to the SBC Executive Committee to finalize a plan, structure and securing needed funds to implement and support these objectives. The EC will report back to messengers during the 2025 SBC Annual Meeting.

Before messengers approved the recommendations, the task force did accept a friendly amendment noting in the first recommendation that the “convention does not require the use of any particular organization outside the convention entities or the missions to accomplish these objectives.” [Read more…]