WINCHESTER, Ky. (KT) – James McDonald’s exposure to a missionary in elementary school took root years later.  When that same missionary – Wilma Wahstedt – decided to retire from her ministry of teaching the Bible to elementary-age children, McDonald was ready to accept the call. Wahstedt’s life of faithfulness had made an impact on him. 

Dr. Rex Horne is beginning the process of transitioning out of the role of Arkansas Baptist State Convention executive director.  During the Operating Committee meeting on Monday, March 31, Horne requested they begin the process of finding his successor as executive director.  Horne was named executive director in October 2023.  

ATLANTA — After years of advocacy from religious leaders and conservative lawmakers, Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp signed Senate Bill 36, known as the Religious Freedom Restoration Act (RFRA), into law at a ceremony on Friday, April 4, the final day of the 2025 legislative session. Kemp was surrounded by a group of legislators and supporters, including the bill’s author, Sen. Ed Setzler, R-Acworth, and W. Thomas Hammond, Jr., executive director of the Georgia Baptist Mission Board.

The 19 million people already displaced by violence and persecution in Myanmar have been joined by another 8 million internally displaced individuals since a deadly earthquake struck on March 28, Baptist World Aid Director Marsha Scipio said.

CICERO, New York (BP) — Terry Robertson has officially entered retirement this month after serving over 20 years as the executive director of the Baptist Convention of New York. However, as is the case with all pastors, “retirement” is a subjective term. Returning to his native Alabama will include training through the state convention to become a transitional pastor. He hasn’t ruled out serving as an interim.

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (BP) – Family Church pastor Jimmy Scroggins plans to nominate fellow Florida pastor Aaron Burgner for SBC Pastors’ Conference president during the 2025 SBC Pastors’ Conference in Dallas. Burgner is senior pastor of Lakes Church in Lakeland, Fla.

DICKINSON, Texas — The church plant Kade Pierce is leading is in its infancy, but already he knows the value of the collective support behind him—and it’s something Southern Baptists across the generations also have realized. “Truthfully, the Cooperative Program is helping me make this happen,” Pierce, pastor of Eastside Community Church in Dickinson, said. “The Cooperative Program is allowing me to live out God’s call on my life.”

NEW ORLEANS — Missions Week at New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary emphasized the need and the opportunity for students to reach the nations with the Gospel. Taking place March 24 – 28, the week featured a variety of guest speakers and events all focused on the importance of fulfilling the Great Commission, one of the seminary’s four pillars.  

MACON, Ga. — Dr. Jeff Iorg, president of the Executive Committee of the Southern Baptist Convention, told pastors and ministry leaders that while change is inevitable, how leaders manage it while staying mission-focused will determine its success.

Hundreds of students from Georgia’s universities spent Spring Break serving others, traveling to communities near and far to share the hope of the gospel. Organized by Baptist Collegiate Ministries, these trips allowed students to forgo vacation time to minister and serve in practical ways.

HOUSTON (BP) — The world became familiar with Barry “Butch” Wilmore and Suni Williams’ unplanned nine-month stay at the International Space Station. Only recently, though, are we learning the tenuous story of how they got there.

NASHVILLE (BP) – Chief U.S. District Judge William Campbell released a memorandum April 1 explaining his decision to grant summary judgment in almost all counts of Johnny Hunt’s suit against the SBC, SBC Executive Committee, and Guidepost Solutions.

When my mother-in-law in Alabama moved to a nursing home here in eastern Kentucky, we had to go through her stuff. Her two sons, two stepdaughters, plus some other family members, had to decide what went where. We found she was a collector of many things.

LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Boyce College welcomed a record-breaking number of prospective students and their families to campus for its largest Preview Day in history, March 27–28. The excited 381 attendees, including 167 prospective students, explored the academic, spiritual, and community life at Boyce.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Midwestern Seminary welcomed Justin Taylor and Denny Burk to chapel on Tuesday, April 1, for a panel discussion on technology and ecclesiology. The conversation considered biblical wisdom for the use of artificial intelligence in ministry, the consumption of recorded sermons, and the rise of online church venues.

LOUISVILLE, Ky.  — Southern Seminary welcomed Sean McDowell to campus for the annual Gheens Lecture series and to speak at the Student Ministry Workshop on March 25. McDowell serves as Associate Professor of Christian Apologetics at Talbot School of Theology, Biola University, and co-host of the Think Biblically podcast. In his lecture series, “Why God Is Back in 2025,” McDowell addressed the Southern Seminary community about the shifting public conversation on faith.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — More than 100 regional pastors and ministry leaders gathered at Midwestern Seminary on Thursday, March 27, for the first on-campus preaching workshop from the Midwestern Institute for Preaching and Preachers.

ATLANTA — By a 96-70 vote, the Georgia House on Wednesday approved Senate Bill 36, clearing the way for Gov. Brian Kemp to sign the Religious Freedom Restoration Act (RFRA) into law. The bill, which mirrors the federal RFRA enacted in 1993, previously passed the state Senate on March 4 and now awaits the governor’s signature.

NASHVILLE (BP) – The time for submitting resolutions for the 2025 SBC Annual Meeting has come. Per SBC bylaw 20, April 1 marks the opening of the resolutions portal for those interested in submitting resolutions to be considered at this summer’s gathering in Dallas.

PRESTON, Ga. — The Macedonia Baptist Church is proud to announce the return of the Holy Smoke Barbeque Competition on April 5, 2025. This annual event, now in its 21st year, brings together Christian organizations for a day of fellowship, delicious BBQ, and spirited competition—all in support of children’s homes.

SOUTH PADRE ISLAND, Texas — Rolling onto South Padre Island for five days of evangelistic outreach, the passengers on Baylor University junior Chloe Mandeville’s van got vulnerable about their struggles and fears heading into the first week of Beach Reach.

ANDERSON, S.C. (BP) – NewSpring Church, which has more than 14,000 members at 13 campuses across South Carolina, has announced its withdrawal from the Southern Baptist Convention, citing the “distress and conflict” its continued affiliation is causing.

MOUNT VERNON, Ga. — Brewton-Parker College proudly announces that eight of its students have recently been published in the Georgia Journal of Science. Their research contributions represent the college’s commitment to academic excellence and the advancement of scientific knowledge.

MACON, Ga. — A federal judge on Monday dismissed all but one count of Johnny Hunt’s lawsuit against the Southern Baptist Convention, the SBC Executive Committee, and Guidepost Solutions—a ruling that SBC EC President Jeff Iorg called “significant progress toward ending the legal challenges at the Executive Committee.”

ATLANTA, Ga. — Georgia Baptist Mission Board Executive Director W. Thomas Hammond, Jr., and State Senator Ed Setzler joined religious leaders and advocates Tuesday at the Georgia State Capitol, urging the House of Representatives to take action on the Religious Freedom Restoration Act (RFRA).