In the US, Bruce Frank, former SBC abuse taskforce leader, joins crowded SBC presidential race
United States RNS A North Carolina pastor who championed sex abuse reforms in the Southern Baptist Convention plans to run for president of the nation’s largest Protestant denomination. Bruce Frank, longtime pastor of Biltmore Church in Asheville, announced on Tuesday that he would allow his name to be placed for nomination at the SBC’s annual […]
Southern Baptists pick a California seminary president to lead its troubled administrative body
United States AP A top Southern Baptist administrative body has selected its first permanent leader in nearly two-and-a-half years, a time when it has navigated a tumult of controversies ranging from a sexual abuse scandal to financial struggles – to its own stumbling efforts to find a new president. Jeff Iorg, the longtime president of the Southern Baptist Convention’s […]
What is happening with the SBC and the Department of Justice?
United States RNS Last week, lawyers for the Southern Baptist Convention’s Executive Committee say they were contacted by the US Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York and were told an investigation into the committee’s handling of sexual abuse had been closed. News about the status of the investigation eventually leaked, and on […]
US-Mexico border: Many Christian voters in US see immigration as a crisis. How to address it is where they differ.
GIOVANNA DELL’ORTO, of Associated Press, reports on the differing stances among US Christians on the issue of immigration…
US Department of Justice closes investigation into SBC’s handling of abuse
United States RNS Federal officials have concluded an investigation into sexual abuse in the nation’s largest Protestant denomination, with no charges being filed. News that the investigation was closed was first reported by The Tennessean newspaper in Nashville. The first day of the Southern Baptist Convention annual meeting at the Ernest N Morial Convention Center […]
Heads of SBC mission boards say they will not fund new abuse reform non-profit
Nashville, Tennessee, US RNS Leaders of two major Southern Baptist mission boards said they will not help fund a proposed independent non-profit meant to implement the denomination’s abuse reforms. Plans for the non-profit were announced on Monday night during a meeting of the Southern Baptist Convention’s Executive Committee. The headquarters of the Southern Baptist Convention is seen […]
Southern Baptist leaders expel two churches for allegedly mismanaging abuse
United States RNS Trustees of the Southern Baptist Convention voted to cut ties with four churches on Tuesday, two for alleged mismanagement of sexual abuse. One other had failed to give to the SBC’s common fund, while another hired a woman pastor. All four were designated as “being out of friendly cooperation” with the nation’s […]
In the US, Southern Baptist taskforce announces plans to start non-profit to oversee abuse database and reforms
Nashville, Tennessee, US RNS Leaders of the Southern Baptist Convention’s abuse reform taskforce announced plans on Monday to launch an independent non-profit to host a database of pastors accused of abuse and to implement other reforms. They still need the money to run it. North Carolina pastor Joshua Wester, chair of the SBC’s Abuse Reform Implementation Task […]
Latest candidate to head Southern Baptists’ Executive Committee withdraws
United States RNS The Southern Baptist Convention, the nation’s largest Protestant denomination, has failed again in its search for a new leader for its Executive Committee, which handles the denomination’s business between annual meetings. The committee announced on Tuesday that the leading candidate for the president and CEO of the Executive Committee has withdrawn. He is the […]
In the US, SBC leader Willie McLaurin resigns after admitting he falsified resume
United States RNS Willie McLaurin, the acting president of the Southern Baptist Convention’s Executive Committee, resigned suddenly on Thursday after admitting he had falsified his resume. “While considering McLaurin as a candidate for Floyd’s permanent replacement, the SBC Executive Committee’s Presidential Search Team discovered disqualifying information during their process of vetting and due diligence,” said […]