When Taylor McConnell introduced herself at an International Mission Board interview conference, she kept it simple. “I’m Taylor. I’m from Oklahoma, and I’m a farm girl.” 

GenSend student missionaries in Pittsburgh this summer started a coffee shop. Others, in Halifax, Nova Scotia, focused on college campuses. Still others in Cincinnati played pickleball as a way of connecting with community members.

ALPHARETTA, Ga. — Georgia Baptist Disaster Relief volunteers have spent much of July and August serving flood-damaged communities in Louisiana and Texas, where their service opened doors for several hundred gospel conversations, four salvations, and one rededication.

VILLA RICA, Ga. — What began 14 years ago as First Baptist Church Villa Rica’s Gridiron Day has grown into a countywide outreach, with two churches partnering this year to reach students from all five Carroll County high schools.

THOMSON, Ga. — An overflow crowd of more than 600 people gathered Sunday night at First Baptist Church in Thomson as the Georgia Baptist Mission Board opened its 2026 SPARK conference season with one of the strongest starts in the event’s history.

ROOPVILLE, Ga. — Three years ago, Roopville Baptist Church averaged seven people in worship and faced a painful reality. The 145-year-old church many people remembered was gone. Pastor Nathan Williams said that did not mean the church was finished.

BUFORD, Ga. — A mission team from Everlove Baptist Church of Atlanta returned from Washington, D.C., with a renewed confidence that God can use any believer, anywhere, to share the gospel. The team, made up of nine adults and seven students from the Korean congregation in Buford, traveled to Washington from July 27-31 for street and campus ministry at the Lincoln Memorial, the National Mall, Georgetown University, Johns Hopkins University, and Asian markets.

CLEVELAND, Ga. — Truett McConnell University's convocation on Tuesday, Aug. 18, marked the official start of the 2026-2027 academic year. This ceremony brought together students, faculty, staff, and university leadership for a time of celebration and encouragement.

Over a meal, Tristan Liam, an International Mission Board missionary, asked his friend Vennico, “What helps you persevere in your Christian walk despite all the persecution and mockery you face?”

WAKE FOREST, N.C. — On Tuesday, Southeastern Seminary and Judson College welcomed faculty, staff, and students to campus for the fall convocation chapel, celebrating the start of the new school year. The ceremony also marked President Scott Pace’s first public address to students since taking office on August 1, 2026.

NASHVILLE (BP) – Days after a U.S. District Court ordered the final claim dropped in a case against the Southern Baptist Convention, its Executive Committee and Guidepost Solutions, former SBC president Johnny Hunt filed an appeal not only of that decision, but several others in favor of the defendants going back to March 2024.

Michael Love noticed the Bible laid out on the table next to the man’s computer. He and his teammate, Emmett Grant, had walked into his café hoping to meet Aaron, the shop owner. Love asked him, “Do you read the Bible?” Aaron said he did. Love then asked if he was a Christian. “No,” he replied. “But I think I’m going to be.”

SPOKANE (BP) – Churches and Disaster Relief personnel persist in ministry efforts in the Northwest Baptist Convention as several wildfires continue burning throughout the region.

NEW ORLEANS – U.S. Navy Chaplain Robert Christian, an alumnus of both New Orleans and Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminaries, was recently promoted to the rank of rear admiral (lower half).

MURRAY, Ky. (KT) — A much larger-than-usual crowd showed up for a back-to-school clothing giveaway on July 26 at Elm Grove Baptist Church, enabling the church to have a significant gospel opportunity with every family at the event.

"How can we pray for you?” It was a simple question, but the responses showed the felt need for prayer throughout the European city.

INDIANAPOLIS (BP) – Indiana Baptist storm recovery coordinator Don Morris was already praying when emergency management called. Morris’ wife Beth, who works with the coroner, had told him of a home damaged by a fallen tree in Jennings County just north of his pastorate.

CLEVELAND, Ga. — Truett McConnell University’s campus community welcomed incoming students and their families on August 15 as they moved into residence halls and prepared to begin the new academic year.

WASHINGTON (BP) – Partnerships with faith-based and community organizations that provide global health and humanitarian assistance will receive nearly $2 billion in assistance through a strategy initiated by the Trump Administration.

BRENTWOOD, Tenn. – Pastors and churchgoers assume people with disabilities will feel at home in their church, but congregations haven’t always made sure that would be the case.

I love the Book of Ruth. It is a story of God’s providence and provision. The lineage of David and ultimately Jesus is traced through Ruth. It is in Ruth that we learn the term “kinsman redeemer.”

Are you up for a personal challenge? Grab a sheet of paper and a pencil and make a list of all the areas you believe God has gifted you to serve in the local church. It could be teaching, administration, hospitality, or anything else that comes to mind. Now, make another list of all the things you are not gifted in.

Kevin Rideout is free. The American missionary pilot has been released after more than nine months in captivity in Niger, according to news reports.

CANTON, Ohio (LBM) – Former New Orleans Saints Quarterback Drew Brees shared about the impact Jesus and pastors had on his life during his Pro Football Hall of Fame speech.

INDIANAPOLIS (BP) – Engines are revving for the 2027 SBC Annual Meeting & Pastors’ Conference as it’s set to roll into the Hoosier State next June. More than 150 pastors and church leaders gathered for a kickoff at Harvest Church Aug. 11.