Brandon Porter

PLANO, Texas (BP) – Texas pastor and former Southern Baptist Convention President Jack Graham says he believes the Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission should be defunded. He made the comments on X the day after a 10 former SBC presidents released a letter expressing their support for the commission.

NASHVILLE (BP) – Search and rescue efforts continue across Kentucky even as recovery efforts have begun in Missouri following deadly storms that swept across the region May 16-17. More than 25 people were killed by the storms and thousands suffered injury and loss.

SOMERSET, Ky. (BP) – A wave of severe storms ripped across the Midwest and Ohio Valley leaving death and destruction in its wake. Authorities reported at least 20 deaths in Kentucky and seven in Missouri as of midday Saturday (May 17).

DALLAS (BP) – The SBC Book of Reports is the paper of record for those wanting SBC entity reports and information before arriving at the SBC Annual Meeting. The book is available online.

MEMPHIS (BP) – The Ellis Auditorium was brand new May 13, 1925, when Southern Baptists met on a spring afternoon and voted to begin the Cooperative Program. Today (May 13), though the auditorium is gone, Southern Baptists gathered a just few yards away from the original location to recommit to cooperative partnership.

DALLAS (BP) – A month out from the 2025 SBC Annual Meeting, there is only one known candidate for each office of the Southern Baptist Convention and SBC Pastors’ Conference. This is a significant shift from recent annual meetings that frequently saw multiple candidates for each office.

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (BP) – Tony Wolfe hopes the 100th anniversary of the Southern Baptist Convention’s Cooperative Program will remind members of the world’s largest protestant movement how interdependent they are. Wolfe is leading a celebration to mark the anniversary May 13.

DALLAS (BP) – Southern Baptist Convention President Clint Pressley has named the roster of tellers to count votes at the 2025 SBC Annual Meeting June 12-13. Pressley named Hank Garner, executive pastor at FBC Lonoke in Paducah, Ky., as to lead the team.

NASHVILLE (BP) – The National Day of Prayer will be Thursday, May 1. Christians all over the country will gather in or near courthouses, city squares and other central locations to cry to God for His blessing, forgiveness and leadership in their communities, churches, homes and governments.

NEW ORLEANS (BP) – Louisiana pastor Jay Adkins says he plans to nominate Recording Secretary Nathan Finn for another term when Southern Baptists gather in Dallas June 10-11.