Gateway Seminary president Jeff Iorg addresses the seminary’s alumni dinner on Oct. 10.

PORTLAND, Ore. — Gateway Seminary has initiated an executive transition plan to elect a new seminary president. Current President, Jeff Iorg, asked the board of trustees to begin the transition process at the board’s Oct. 10, 2023, meeting in Portland. Iorg will continue to lead the seminary through the executive search process.

“Due to the excellent leadership of our board, the strength and stability of our faculty, and our overall organizational health, I believe now is the appropriate time to find capable, fresh leadership to propel Gateway forward,” Iorg said.

“My wife Ann and I have done our part to fulfill Gateway’s mission. We are still committed to Gateway’s mission and look forward to new ways we can be involved in the future.” [Read more…]

IMB president Paul Chitwood (center) and IMB missionaries (left) talk with refugees crossing the Ukraine-Poland border. Baptists put immediate ministry plans into action to best serve those fleeing the war. — IMB photo

RICHMOND —Generosity and gratitude. These words resonate with International Mission Board missionaries when they hear of how faithfully Southern Baptists continue to support them through the Lottie Moon Christmas Offering and the Cooperative Program.

The current total of gifts to the 2022-23 Lottie Moon offering is $196.1 million — besting the $190 million goal.

“Thank you, Southern Baptists, for your growing commitment to get the Gospel to the nations!” IMB President Paul Chitwood said. “Your generous giving through the Lottie Moon Christmas Offering, along with your ongoing commitment to the Cooperative Program, has the IMB positioned to overcome the staggering impact of global inflation and meet the needs of your missionaries.”

These gifts empower IMB missionaries to tackle the greatest problem — lostness. [Read more…]

INDIANAPOLIS — Efforts are currently underway to provide additional hotel space for Southern Baptist Convention attendees next summer after demand outpaced that of last year.

More than 16,000 room nights, a new first-day record, have been reserved since reservations came open at 9 a.m. Eastern on Oct. 2. That figure a year ago for New Orleans was at approximately 15,700.

“We are working to secure more rooms to meet those needs,” said Jonathan Howe, interim Executive Committee president and CEO. “Quite simply, the messengers’ demand for rooms exceeds the hotels’ ability to provide large blocks at discounted rates.”

More rooms will be added as they become available. Attendees are encouraged to continuously check back at sbcannualmeeting.net/hotels for availability or add their name to a wait list. On the wait list, attendees will be added to rooms automatically by Executive Committee staff as those rooms become available. B&R

CINCINNATI — Tennessee and Kentucky can prohibit certain gender-transition treatments for minors, a federal court said Sept. 28 in rejecting appeals from parents and others.

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit said gender dysphoria is so new a diagnosis that the safety and impact of medical treatments including puberty blockers, hormone treatments and surgeries has not been proven. The court consolidated challenges to the laws in Tennessee and Kentucky in issuing its ruling.

Without the laws, “Tennessee and Kentucky will suffer harm from their inability to enforce the will of their legislatures, to further the public-health considerations undergirding the laws, and to avoid health risks to their children,” the court said in a 2-1 decision. “As for the public interest, Tennessee and Kentucky’s interests in applying these laws to their residents and in being permitted to protect their children from health risks weigh heavily in favor of the States at this juncture.” [Read more…]

NASHVILLE —  A group of Asian American church leaders are expressing their “profound concern, dismay and disappointment” following staff cuts by the Southern Baptist Convention Executive Committee that included two associate vice president positions responsible for overseeing ethnic relations.

On Sept. 13, the EC announced it was cutting five full-time staff positions and two contractor positions in an effort to help cover rising costs related to the SBC Annual Meeting and to decrease the amount being pulled from the EC investments. Those cuts bring the EC staff down to 21 full-time positions. (Read more about the EC’s recent meeting here.) [Read more…]

ERLC staff

Over the past several years, Southern Baptists state conventions and associations have been taking significant steps to prevent abuse within their churches and provide support for survivors. While the Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) has faced criticism for its handling of sexual abuse cases in the past, many state conventions are now prioritizing abuse prevention and survivor care.

Here is a sampling of the efforts made by various state groups to address this issue and protect the vulnerable within our congregations. [Read more…]

BRENTWOOD — If you’re looking for a Southern Baptist church, you’re most likely to find one in the South. If you want to find a growing Southern Baptist church, however, you might want to try the Northeast.

Analysis of the Southern Baptist Convention’s Annual Church Profile (ACP) by Lifeway Research revealed the convention is made up of mostly smaller churches dotting the southern United States. Still, more than 1 in 5 churches are outside of the South. And the only region where Southern Baptist churches are growing numerically is in New England. Additionally, churches started since 2000 are the most likely to be currently growing. [Read more…]

Members of the SBC Executive Committee met in Nashville on Sept. 18-19. — Photo by Hunter Lewis

NASHVILLE — The Southern Baptist Convention Executive Committee deemed Matoaka Baptist Church of Ochelata, Okla., not in friendly cooperation with the SBC Sept. 19 after the church failed to respond to inquiries regarding alleged racial discrimination.

The SBC Credentials Committee sought information from the nearly 200-year-old church after a representative of the Baptist General Convention of Oklahoma (BGCO) asked the committee to consider the church’s relationship “on the basis that the church affirms, approves, or endorses discriminatory behavior on the basis of ethnicity.” [Read more…]

Adam Wyatt presents the financial report to EC trustees at their meeting Sept. 19 in Nashville. — Photo by Hunter Lewis

NASHVILLE — Executive Committee members approved a 2023-2024 operating budget of $8,305,500 for SBC and EC operating expenses, a decrease of .35 percent from last year.

During the third quarter of the fiscal year, Cooperative Budget Allocation receipts decreased by 3.48 percent compared to the same period last year, reported Convention Finances and Stewardship Development chair Adam Wyatt. A negative change in net assets also occurred in that time to the amount of $1,669,165. [Read more…]