SLIDELL, La. – Wilbert Terry, 99, successfully completed numerous missions as a World War II veteran but he said none of those compared to the assignment he undertook to be obedient through believer’s baptism with the help of the congregation of Northshore Church, Slidell. A retired firefighter, a police officer, a former law enforcement officer, and a U.S. Coast Guard veteran picked up the wheelchair-bound Terry and placed him in the baptistery while Pastor Larry McEwen baptized him during the July 31 service.

ATLANTA, Ga. – Many Christian families are beginning to see foster care as their mission field. Justin and Tara Twiggs have become missionaries in their own home in Dacula. The Twiggs have no biological children of their own, but after being traind in foster care,  now have four boys ranging in age from 3 months to 11 years old. “It is one of the most challenging yet instantly rewarding experiences that we have had," Justin said.

This Bible study expands upon the Explore the Bible curriculum from Lifeway Christian Resources. This week's study focuses on Hosea 10:5-15.

More than half of Americans say they approve of the recent Supreme Court decision to allow a public high school football coach to pray on the field, according to an AP-NORC poll. Those who say religion is important to their lives and self-identified born-again Christians were among the most likely to support the decision. Most Americans say they’re not concerned about the possible effects of the ruling.

MOUNT VERNON, Ga. — Dr. Timothy Miller, Assistant Professor of History at Brewton-Parker College, and his Georgia History class took a field trip to Savannah, Georgia. The seven students and Dr. Miller had great expectations for the trip, and they received help in planning the trip from the Savannah Area Chamber of Commerce.

AUGUSTA, Ga. – In terms of security, churches have come full circle since the formation of the Georgia Baptist Convention 200 years ago. It was normal in frontier Georgia for armed sentries to stand watch outside church buildings, always on the lookout for signs of trouble. “They had a well-defined enemy,” said Charles Jones, a historian and newspaper columnist from Athens. “Today, with all that’s going on, another well-defined enemy has emerged.” With 23 separate fatal church shootings over the past two decades, including one in Texas that killed 26 people, armed security teams are again the norm at houses of worship.

MOBILE, Ala. (BP) — The Unify Project, a national collaborative with renowned pastor Tony Evans to engage Southern Baptist pastors in racial reconciliation, is weeks from launching, former …

CLEVELAND, Ga. – Dr. Emir Caner, president of Truett McConnell University has announced that the university has received a gift of $3 million, the second largest gift in the school’s 76-year history and the first gift of its kind for the purpose of endowing a faculty chair. The gift will be used to endow in perpetuity the Dr. Charles F. Stanley Chair of Theology and to fund the Global Impact Center in Miller Hall, the building which serves as the centerpiece of the TMU campus.

SPRINGFIELD, Tenn.  — When it comes to finding unique ways to share the gospel, David Evans is always on the lookout. Evans, pastor of Springfield Baptist Church, recently learned that Springfield and Robertson County have a large population of people who own Jeeps. He also discovered that Jeep owners like rubber ducks.

PALMETTO, Ga. – Baptist churches are familiar with pastors departing for another ministry, followed by a transition period, and the all-important task of finding and calling a new pastor. Several years ago, Baptist Press reported that the average tenure of a pastor in a larger church is 8.7 years compared to 7.2 years among smaller churches.

With a history of trials, Georgia Baptists have been a missional people. Over six major eras, Georgia Baptists have made missions a priority.

Keith Smith was amazed at what he saw when he went to the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally in South Dakota a few years ago. To get their name in a drawing for a new motorcycle, visitors agreed to listen to a volunteer’s three-minute testimony about their faith in Jesus Christ, and Smith saw the kind of fruit that produced. After the event, as he rode his motorcycle back home to West Virginia, he said God put an idea in his head.

In early 2019, someone in a Bible study encouraged me to write a mission statement.  A mission statement is typically for a business, church, or ministry.  It might sound silly that an individual would have one but it was a great idea for me.  It was a great question for me - to be honest.  What is my mission, my purpose?

NASHVILLE (BP) – This week’s Bible study is adapted from the Explore the Bible curriculum by Lifeway Christian Resources and focuses on Matthew 4:19; 7:13-14, 21-23.

FRANKLIN, Tenn. (BP) – Erica Baggett finished a fairly nondescript 5K earlier this month. The race was hosted at the Shepherd Center in Atlanta, which treats those with traumatic brain injuries. It’s the place where not that long ago Erica’s family was told to be ready; she likely would need help for the rest of her life with simple tasks like showering and brushing her teeth.

DALLAS, Ga. – Crude hand-hewn log church buildings have given way to massive contemporary structures. Hitching posts are long gone, replaced by paved parking lots. Pot-bellied stoves disappeared with the advent of central heat and air. Churches have undergone major transformations since the founding of the Georgia Baptist Convention 200 years ago.

THOMSON, Ga. – The longtime pastor of First Baptist Church in Thomson, David Lambert, is expected to be nominated for vice president of the Georgia Baptist Convention at the annual meeting next month in Augusta. One of Lambert’s own church members, David Miller, said he will make the nomination. “Proven success speaks volumes when looking for our next leaders,” said Miller, interim pastor at Jewell Baptist Church. “David Lambert is that kind of leader. After observing his leadership as their student minister for 11 years, First Baptist Thomson called this proven man as their lead pastor in 2012.”

HIAWASSEE, Ga. – McConnell Memorial Church Lead Pastor Steve Taylor is expected to be a nominee for vice president of the Georgia Baptist Convention at the annual meeting in November. “Steve is a family man who loves the Lord, his family, and his church,” said Wade Lott, senior pastor at Macedonia Baptist Church in Hiawassee who has announced his intent to make the nomination. “Steve also has a great love for our community. He is active and involved in supporting and serving the needs of the community.”

HAMPTON, Ga. – Bi-vocational Pastor Anthony Wilson is expected to be a candidate for vice president at the Georgia Baptist Convention’s annual meeting in Augusta next month. “He is a very humble man who doesn’t seek a position,” said Tommy Fountain Sr. who announced that he intends to nominate Wilson. “He understands Georgia Baptist life, and his biggest asset is he is a true theological conservative.”

MACON, Ga. – Daniel Chon, pastor of Macon Korean Baptist Church, is expected to be nominated for vice president at the Georgia Baptist Convention’s annual meeting in Augusta next month. “He is a strong preacher and strong in Baptist doctrine,” said Yong Nam Suh, pastor at Atlanta Dream Baptist Church in Buford who announced that he will nominate Chon for the post.

The Georgia Baptist Convention was remarkably biracial before the Civil War, and enslaved members and pastors made a significant contribution to Georgia Baptists. The ministry of thousands of Black Georgia Baptists, mostly enslaved people, was a powerful catalyst for the development and growth of the GBC. The financial resources from the labor of enslaved people and leased convicts further propelled the GBC with a magnitude that deserves special recognition, particularly during the GBC’s bicentennial celebration.

NASHVILLE (BP) — Earlier this year, then-Southern Baptist Convention presidential candidate Bart Barber received a question about the SBC Credentials Committee at a forum hosted by First Baptist Church in Keller, Texas. Since 2019 when the committee was repurposed as a standing committee, clarifying the group’s responsibilities has remained challenging.

This Bible study expands upon the Bible Studies for Life curriculum from Lifeway Christian Resources. This week's study focuses on Nehemiah 8:1-3, 7-12.

DULUTH, Ga. – The Georgia Baptist Mission Board’s efforts to strengthen churches through the creation of leadership networks are getting positive reviews across the state. “In efforts to advance the gospel in Georgia, our church strengthening team has created a plethora of leadership networks that focus on ministry development,” said Levi Skipper, lead strategist for the Mission Board’s church strengthening team.

SOCIAL CIRCLE, Ga. – Milton Lee Wood, Sr., faithful Georgia Baptist pastor, passed away on Oct. 14, 2022, at age 84. He retired as pastor from First Baptist Church in Social Circle in 2001 after a long tenure, but in succeeding years he became a consultant for the Georgia Baptist Mission Board in church planting, served as an interim associational missionary, and was interim pastor of seven churches.