Baptist Press

ST. LOUIS (BP) — At times they raised their hands. At times they gathered together in groups of two to three. And at times thousands of messengers to the Southern Baptist Convention knelt at their chairs on Tuesday night (June 14) as they pleaded with God to bring national revival and spiritual awakening to America.

In one of his final acts as SBC president, Ronnie Floyd led the convention in an evening of prayer during its annual meeting in St. Louis.

“From this moment on, it will not be about personalities on the stage. It will be about Jesus, all the way,” said Floyd, who has focused much of his two-year presidency on urging Southern Baptists to pray for spiritual awakening. “We’re about to give Him praise. And from this moment on, I’m going to ask you to give Him your all. What if this were your last night on this earth? Wouldn’t you want to give it all to Jesus and be ready?”

Floyd noted that Southern Baptists had thousands at First Baptist Church of Orlando who were, at that time, praying desperately for their city.

“Orlando is a lot more desperate tonight than they were before this tragedy,” Floyd said. “But why should it take a tragedy to make us desperate for God?” [Read more…]

Baptist Press

ST. LOUIS (BP) — Messengers to the Southern Baptist Convention proposed 22 motions, the most since 2010. Ten motions were referred to convention entities for further study and for a report at the 2017 SBC meeting in Phoenix.

The Committee on Order of Business automatically referred three motions to SBC entities and/or the Executive Committee:

— A motion by Lonnie Wilkey of Tulip Grove Baptist Church, Old Hickory, Tenn., to ask trustees of all SBC entities to consider examining their media policies, and if they do not have clearly defined guidelines, to consider establishing a policy that trustee and committee meetings be open to the public. The motion was referred to the Executive Committee and all SBC entities.

— A motion by Victoria Gurgone of Peace Church, Wilson, N.C., for the Executive Committee to consider adding a “veteran” and/or “active duty” option on the online registration form, as well as adding “veteran” and/or “active duty” to SBC name badges. The motion was referred to the Executive Committee.

— A motion by Graham Weaver of Lenexa Baptist Church, Lenexa, Kan., to encourage SBC presidents past and present through LifeWay Christian Resources to write their memoirs. The motion was referred to LifeWay Christian Resources. [Read more…]

Baptist Press

ST. LOUIS (BP) — Messengers to the 2016 Southern Baptist Convention, in addition to repudiating the display of the Confederate battle flag, approved 11 other resolutions on a variety of culture and ministry concerns.

Messengers voted on the proposals over both days of the annual meeting, adopting resolutions that expressed compassion for those devastated by the Orlando mass shooting, urged consistent evangelism of unbelievers and encouraged care for refugees. They also passed measures that included calling for the federal government not to discriminate against people who support only the biblical, traditional view of marriage and opposing an effort to require women to register for the military draft.

For Stephen Rummage, chairman of the Resolutions Committee, the call for Southern Baptists to evangelize was central to the 10-member panel’s deliberations in presenting the 12 measures to the messengers.

The resolution on evangelism “might just seem like a standard resolution for an evangelical body such as Southern Baptists to pass,” Rummage said at a news conference Wednesday morning (June 15), “but really that is at the heart of everything that we talked about, including what we had to say about the Confederate flag. Everything that we do should have as its end and as its goal reaching people with the Gospel of Jesus Christ.” [Read more…]

Editor’s Note: J.D. Greear graciously withdrew his nomination for president of the Southern Baptist Convention and asked those who supported him to support Steve Gaines. Gaines was then elected by acclamation. Complete story to follow later.

 

Baptist Press

ST. LOUIS (BP) — Although an announcement of a new Southern Baptist Convention president was expected on Tuesday (June 14), no clear winner was determined the day of election.

A run-off between nominees North Carolina pastor J.D. Greear and Memphis-area pastor Steve Gaines failed to provide a clear majority, as required by Roberts Rules of Order. A second run-off election between the two pastors has been scheduled for the Wednesday morning session at 10:58 a.m.

SBC President Ronnie Floyd reported results of the run-off election at the beginning of the Tuesday night session. Of the 7,230 messengers registered at the time of the first runoff, 4,824 ballots were cast. To be declared a winner, a nominee is required to win 50 percent plus 1 of ballots cast, or 2,413 or more votes. [Read more…]

Baptist Press

ST. LOUIS (BP) — Messengers to the 2016 Southern Baptist Convention renounced display of the Confederate battle flag in a historic, overwhelming vote Tuesday (June 14).

The convention adopted late in its afternoon session a resolution that urged “brothers and sisters in Christ to discontinue the display of the Confederate battle flag as a sign of solidarity of the whole body of Christ, including our African American brothers and sisters.”

The resolution was one of seven adopted by messengers, but time for the report concluded before five other measures from the Resolutions Committee were able to be considered. The convention is to act on the remaining resolutions during Wednesday morning’s session. [Read more…]

Baptist Press

ST. LOUIS (BP) — Approximately 150 Southern Baptist leaders, family members and friends from across the country gathered in St. Louis on June 11 to honor Wanda Lee and her leadership of national WMU over the past 20 years — 16 as executive director and four as president.

Frank S. Page said he got to know Lee in 2010 when he assumed his current role as president and CEO of the Southern Baptist Convention’s Executive Committee. Page recited Micah 6:8, “What does the Lord require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God?

“I believe Wanda Lee has exhibited that great trio of imperatives from our Lord,” Page said. “I believe she has done what is right, what is just. She is merciful, and many of you are the recipients of her mercy and ministry in your own life. She is a strategist, an organizational genius, yet is always humble and gives credit to those around her. I am honored to call her my friend, and I thank God for her.” [Read more…]

Baptist Press

ORLANDO, Fla. (BP) — Calls for prayer and compassion rang out from Southern Baptists nationwide hours after the mass murder of 49 and the injury of 53 early Sunday (June 12) at an Orlando, Fla., gay nightclub in the deadliest mass shooting in U.S. history.

Armed with a handgun and an AR-15 semiautomatic assault rifle, 29-year-old Omar Mateen, a U.S.-born citizen of Afghani parents, walked into the Pulse nightclub around 2 a.m. and began shooting among the more than 300 patrons at the club as it prepared to close for the day.

Police killed Mateen around 5 a.m. after a three-hour standoff as the gunman held at least 30 hostages inside the club. During the horror, Mateen called 911 and pledged allegiance to ISIS Islamic terrorists, ABC News reported. Mateen had killed 49.

First Baptist Church of Orlando, the pastorate of David Uth, will host a community-wide prayer meeting at 7 p.m. June 14 in cooperation with the Greater Orlando Baptist Association and several pastors across various denominations. [Read more…]

By Baptist Press

NASHVILLE — Southern Baptist Convention President Ronnie Floyd is among perhaps 500 evangelicals and other conservatives planning to meet with presumptive Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump about his faith and values at a June 21 meeting in New York. [Read more…]