SHELBY, N.C. — After a fire destroyed their building early this past Sunday, Oct. 18, members of Dover Baptist Church are finding comfort in knowing that the church is more than just a place where they meet.

CARROLLTON, Ga. — About 20 years ago, Angie Presnal took a spiritual gifts inventory and scored a zero in missions. Today, she helps coordinate mission projects for the Georgia Baptist Jubalheirs and serves as ministry assistant for the Carrollton Baptist Association.

LOUISVILLE, Ky. — The Board of Trustees of The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary met Monday and Tuesday, October 19–20, for their fall meeting, where they welcomed eight new members, heard President R. Albert Mohler, Jr. trace nearly 170 years of God’s faithfulness to the institution, received a remarkably strong financial report, and were reminded from 2 Timothy of the gravity of the seminary’s calling to prepare those God has called to ministry.

FRANKLIN, Tenn. (BP) – An inquiry by the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation has resulted in the arrest of a former Lifeway Christian Resources employee who most recently served as the director of Global Ministry.

DALLS — President Donald J. Trump signed the Clergy Act into law, marking a significant development for ministers and ministry families nationwide. The legislation creates a temporary opportunity for eligible ministers who previously opted out of Social Security to elect future participation in the program.

ORADEA, Romania – The Sammy Tippit Center for Christianity Under Persecution launched Oct. 6 at Emanuel University in Oradea, the only government-accredited conservative Baptist university in Europe.

ROME, Ga. — Dana Tarter summed up one of the challenges churches face in reaching Deaf people with the gospel in three words. “Access is key,” she said. “If you don’t have access to the information, it doesn’t matter what information you’re trying to share, you’re missing it.”

DALLAS (BP) – Move over Wall Street. Y’all Street, Dallas’s affectionately nicknamed financial services corridor, is becoming America’s new financial hub – and Southern Baptists stand to benefit.

WASHINGTON (BP) – An Ohio man says his local city government violated his rights when it wouldn’t allow him to hold a prayer gathering in his home. The City of University Heights has been working to dismiss Daniel Grand’s case. The U.S. Supreme Court is set to hear arguments in early December.

f I were to meet you on the street and ask, “Who are you?” how would you respond? If you chose to oblige me, you would share your name. However, your name is not who you are. I could continue by asking you about your shoe size, your place of employment, your church membership, your preferred grocery store, and even your favorite color.

Romans 8:28–29 are two of my favorite verses in this wonderful book. They promise that nothing will happen to me today unless it first passes through the filter of the permissive will of God.

Rebeca Couto moved from one volcanic archipelago to another, leaving Portugal’s Azores islands to anchor her life in Japan. The percentage of evangelical Christians in the Azores and Japan is similar, with both populations under 1%.  

MCDONOUGH, Ga. — The Georgia Baptist Mission Board’s annual collegiate gathering, Confluence, led to at least 22 professions of faith, 118 responses to a call to ministry, and 651 other decisions or commitments. 

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — Smoke stains the sanctuary of North Knoxville Baptist Church, and the foyer is heavily damaged, but the congregation says it is not going anywhere.

CLEVELAND, Ga. — As artificial intelligence rapidly transforms how organizations operate, compete, and make decisions, Truett McConnell University’s Hans Hut School of Business is taking intentional steps to ensure its graduates are prepared to succeed in an increasingly AI-driven workplace.

ROME, Ga. — Pianist Jerico Vasquez will present a faculty recital on Monday, Oct. 26, at 7:30 p.m. in Brookes Chapel at Shorter University. The event is free and open to the public.

LULA, Ga. — Transformation Church in Lula is very much akin to the New Testament church because, in many ways, it reflects the spirit of the church described in Acts 2:44-47. It is not a large church, and it is not a wealthy church, but the people are excited about their faith, seeking to meet the needs of their community, and welcoming everyone to be a part of their family.

BEIRUT (BP) – Marvin was only 9 months old when his mother Rosette Mansour, pregnant again, held him tightly to her breast as armed Syrian soldiers ordered the young family out of the car and against a wall.

BRENTWOOD, Tenn. — Kim Vallair, children and youth director at The Mount Church in Garland, Texas, walked into the 10th annual ETCH (Equipping the Church and Home) NextGen Ministry Conference wearing all 10 of her name tags from each conference she had attended. Sitting in the front row, she embodied the spirit of the week, celebrating the conference’s history while looking ahead.

MONROE, Ga. — Rain fell on the opening night of the Festival of Hope at American Legion Post 64 Fairgrounds, but the four-night evangelistic event continued and resulted in 96 professions of faith.

CLEVELAND, Ga. — On Monday, October 12, the Truett McConnell University World Missions Center relaunched with a vision that reaches far beyond its walls. For World Missions Center Coordinator, Gracie Hudson, the Center is meant to be more than a place students visit. She hopes it will become a catalyst for a campus-wide heart for the nations, where meaningful engagement and a growing understanding of God’s heart for the lost overflow into every corner of TMU.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Midwestern Seminary welcomed pastors, ministry leaders, and students to Kansas City on Sept. 28–29 for the 2026 For the Church National Conference. Centered on the theme “The Work of the Word,” the conference encouraged attendees to trust the power, sufficiency, and enduring authority of Scripture in every part of the Christian life and ministry.

FORT WORTH, Texas — Understanding the role of suffering in the Christian life, as taught in the book of 1 Peter, was the focus of the annual Effective Preaching Workshop at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, Oct. 5.

LOUISVILLE, Ky. — The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary and Boyce College set aside the chapel service on Tuesday, Oct. 13, in Alumni Chapel to hear the preaching of Martyn Lloyd-Jones and to learn from his example.

DENVER — Gateway Seminary President Adam Groza reported significant enrollment growth, increasing partnerships, and strong fundraising to trustees at the fall 2026 board meeting held Monday and Tuesday, Oct. 12-13, in Denver. “We are grateful to God for bringing us more students,” said Groza.