ORLANDO, Fla. (BP) — Open communion, spontaneous baptisms, and taking the Lord’s Supper to shut-ins all are inconsistent with a biblical doctrine of the Church, said panelists at a 9 Marks at 9 event on Monday, June 8, in conjunction with the Southern Baptist Convention Annual Meeting in Orlando.

ORLANDO, Fla. (BP) — Anti-trafficking specialist Ashlee Lucas of The Tebow Group shared one instance of a Red Dot Map, a law enforcement visualization of computers in the U.S. accessing child sexual abuse material. The map revealed nearly 340,000 unique IP addresses in just the last six months.

ORLANDO, Fla. (BP) — The Credentials Committee gave messengers a behind-the-scenes look at the group’s work during a special report at the SBC Annual Meeting.

ORLANDO, Fla. — Ahead of their annual meeting, Southern Baptists intentionally engaged the host city of Orlando to serve the community and proclaim the gospel. Tuesday morning, June 9, North American Mission Board Vice President of Evangelism Tim Dowdy shared that more than 1,000 people professed faith in Christ.

ORLANDO, Fla. — Southern Baptist messengers voted Tuesday to suspend a standing rule and allow consideration of a constitutional amendment proposed by Southern Baptist Theological Seminary President Albert Mohler addressing the office and function of pastor, elder, and overseer.

ORLANDO, Fla. — Southern Baptists celebrated 63 new International Mission Board missionaries during the opening session of the SBC annual meeting in Orlando, Tuesday, June 9. As missionaries took the stage and stood on the floor of the Orange County Convention Center, church messengers listened as they described their callings and expressed gratitude for support of their Great Commission work.

ORLANDO, Fla. — Newly elected Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission President Evan Lenow told Southern Baptist messengers Tuesday that his leadership of the entity will focus on serving local churches with biblical answers to the moral and ethical questions facing pastors and congregations.

MOUNT VERNON, Ga. — Brewton-Parker Christian University marked a significant milestone in its Prison Education Program with the graduation of its first Bachelor of Business Administration students on May 27. This historic moment recognized the first bachelor's degree graduates from the program.

ORLANDO, Fla. — International Mission Board missionaries and staff mingled with participants, as close to 2,000 people filled tables at the IMB dinner Monday, June 8. The event was held in conjunction with the SBC annual meeting in Orlando.

Joshua sent two spies to check out the defenses of Jericho. As word of their presence was made known to the king of Jericho, the spies sought shelter at the home of Rahab, a harlot.

If you have ever chosen to fly to reach your destination, you know that airports, planes, and flights are an adventure in themselves. Carry-on baggage must be weighed, and security measures include body scans, removal of your shoes, and emptying the contents of your laptop bag. All of this comes with the territory when flying the friendly skies.

ORLANDO – Brilliant trumpet tones filled the convention hall to open the North American Mission Board’s Send Luncheon, Monday June 8, as the event began by honoring Southern Baptist chaplains.

ORLANDO, Fla. (BP) – With a theme of “Faithful to Multiply,” out of 2 Timothy 2:2, members of the Southern Baptist Conference of Associational Leaders adopted a substantial budget increase, hosted breakout sessions covering numerous areas of ministry, and heard from Southern Baptist leaders as to the inherent cohesiveness modeled by churches working together during the group’s annual meeting.

ORLANDO, Fla. (BP) – Pastors examined conflict, suffering, and finishing well during the second session of the SBC Pastors’ Conference on Monday, June 8, in Orlando. The session featured sermons from Edgar Aponte and Heath Lambert and a panel discussion led by Ken Whitten, national director of pastoral leadership at the North American Mission Board, with Steve Dighton, Ted Traylor, and Bryant Wright.

ORLANDO, Fla. (BP) – Southern Baptists must remain unified in doctrine, in spirit, and in reaching the next generation for Christ, speakers said Monday, June 8, during the afternoon session of the Southern Baptist Convention Pastors’ Conference.

ORLANDO, Fla. — The Southern Baptist Convention Executive Committee has “a limited but essential role,” EC president and CEO Jeff Iorg reminded EC board members during their meeting Monday, June 8, in Orlando.

ORLANDO, Fla. (BP) — At one point during Bishop A.B. Vines’ message, he had his more than 200 listeners join hands in a double-room-size circle. Vines – identifying himself as “disunity,” he said, – failed to break through peoples’ arms in several places around the room because everyone in the circle was intentional in keeping him out, he explained.

ORLANDO, Fla. (BP) – Guarding children from abuse entails not only shielding them from danger but also teaching them wisdom and discernment, panelists said at a June 8 breakfast in conjunction with the SBC Annual Meeting in Orlando.

ORLANDO, Fla. (BP) – A simple invitation for community over a shared meal is the most genuine approach for sharing the hope of Jesus, Amy Hannon said during an emphasis on biblical hospitality at the Pastors’ Wives and Women in Ministry Conference on Monday, June 8, in Orlando.

ORLANDO, Fla. (BP) – Hispanic Southern Baptists gathered at First Orlando to celebrate what God is doing through their ministries and churches. The event drew approximately 1,200 people and began with food trucks and bounce houses outside before moving indoors for worship, seven baptisms, a call to salvation, and a renewed commitment to ministry.

JACKSON, Tenn. (BP) – In an instant, a casual father-son outing became a desperate fight for survival.

ORLANDO, Fla. — Carolyn Fountain was elected the 25th president of national Woman’s Missionary Union during the WMU Missions Celebration and Annual Meeting on Sunday, June 7, in Orlando.

ORLANDO, Fla. — Southern Baptist Convention President Clint Pressley and the two announced candidates seeking to succeed him urged pastors this week to pursue doctrinal clarity, rebuild trust, and keep the Great Commission at the center as messengers prepare to gather in Orlando for the SBC Annual Meeting.

ORLANDO, Fla. (BP) – Two prayers of Jesus during His final 24 hours of life drew focus during the opening session of the Southern Baptist Convention Pastors’ Conference, Sunday, June 7, at the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando, Fla.

LAUREL, Miss. (BP) – Last August, a Mississippi pastor’s suggestion that he preach for 96 straight hours brought the most honest reaction one could get from his friend and administrative pastor.