BATON ROUGE, La. (LBM) – More than 20 people made decisions to follow Christ at the conclusion of the 61st annual Louisiana Governor’s Prayer Breakfast on April 16.

Most Americans may not regularly attend church themselves, but they have a higher threshold for calling someone a regular churchgoer than pastors do. According to a recent Lifeway Research study of U.S. adults, 53% say someone should be considered a regular churchgoer or regular church attender only if they attend church services at least weekly, including 10% who say they must attend more than once a week.

SUWANEE, Ga. — The Georgia Baptist Mission Board's Public Affairs Ministry is launching a new round of training events this month, designed to equip pastors and church members with the tools and insights they need to effectively engage in today’s cultural and political landscape. The training sessions, set to run from April through November, will take place in eight cities across the state, beginning April 29 in Dalton.

A surprising openness to faith among Americans who currently reject God has been shared in a new report from George Barna, director of research at the Cultural Research Center at Arizona Christian University.

FORT WORTH, Texas — Adam Groza didn’t grow up Southern Baptist, so when a friend suggested he check out Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, he said, “I had never heard of Southwestern Seminary. I didn’t know about Southern Baptist seminaries, quite frankly.”

NEW ORLEANS — The board of trustees for New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary and Leavell College heard a of variety of positive reports and approved new faculty and curriculum updates during their spring meeting last week, April 15-16.              

In chapter 4, Peter’s purpose is to encourage his readers and also to warn them of a fiery trial that the Christians in Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia were facing. Likewise, many Christians today are experiencing persecution.

A few years ago while I was washing my hands to prepare dinner, I was about to grab a paper towel to dry off. Suddenly, I was looking at my dad’s hands, not my own. I took a quick picture and sent it to my father. He responded by saying, “Those are my hands!” Of course, they were mine, but he and I laughed at how much they resembled his own.

CLAYTON, Ga. — Nearly 300 women gathered in the scenic north Georgia mountains on a beautiful early spring weekend for a time of fellowship, worship, and renewal. The retreat organized by the Georgia Baptist Hispanic Women’s ministry provided the women with an opportunity to spend time with like-minded sisters, learning from and encouraging each other.

CLAYTON, Ga. — Casi 300 mujeres se reunieron en las pintorescas montañas del norte de Georgia durante un hermoso fin de semana de principios de primavera para un tiempo de compañerismo, adoración y renovación. El retiro, organizado por el ministerio de Mujeres Hispanas Bautistas de Georgia, brindó a las participantes la oportunidad de pasar tiempo con hermanas en la fe, aprendiendo unas de otras y animándose mutuamente.

American missionary Josh Sullivan, who was rescued by police on April 16 after being kidnapped in South Africa, posted his first statement since the ordeal over Easter weekend. Sullivan, 45, expressed appreciation to “God for delivering me from what was undoubtedly the worst experience of our life.”

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — Barry Sproles was in his car, about to leave the Florida State University campus Thursday, April 17, when he saw what looked like something out of a movie. But he knew it was real. Hundreds of students were running away from campus. Then he saw law enforcement vehicles heading toward campus at breakneck speeds.

LOUISVILLE, Ky. — President R. Albert Mohler Jr. has announced the appointment of Ryan Lister as the new Dean of Students at Boyce College. Lister will also join the faculty, bringing over two decades of experience in theological education and pastoral ministry to the Boyce community.

People aren’t lining up to be missionaries in Ukraine right now, as Lamar Schubert has discovered. He and his wife, Aubrey, work with Slavic people and Eastern European churches, but they had to evacuate Ukraine when war began in February 2022.

CHATSWORTH, Ga. — Randy Ellis, pastor of First Baptist Church in Chatsworth, is a fisher of men and a hunter of gators. Ellis finally met all regulations specified by the Wildlife Resources Division of the Georgia Department of Natural Resources and qualified to have a hands-on, eye-to-eye hunting adventure in search of an alligator.

SHOCCO SPRINGS, Ala. — When Karen Gosselin picked the music a year ago for the 2025 OneVoice honor choir, she did it thoughtfully and prayerfully. But she had no idea how perfect the lyrics would be when it came time to sing them, or that their first audience would be a cafeteria packed full of powerline workers.

MARION, Ky. (KT) — John East is a living testimony that God can use you regardless of your age — and He will bless you as you seek to serve Him.

NEW ORLEANS — If someone were to walk through the doors of St. Bernard Baptist Church in Chalmette, La., it would be completely unrecognizable from what it looked like just two years ago. At that time, the church had an average attendance of about six people on a typical Sunday. Since then, St. Bernard has tripled their attendance to more than 20, had several professions of faith, and baptized three people.

Eleven Arkansas Baptists from three different churches recently traveled to Liberia, West Africa, for a 12-day vision trip.  The team, sponsored by Arkansas Woman’s Missionary Union, served with the Eddie Gibson International Ministries. They explored ways that more Arkansas Baptists could partner in that ministry and witnessed what God is doing in Liberia.     

FORT WORTH, Texas — Students, faculty, and members of the Board of Trustees of Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary gathered in MacGorman Chapel for a day of prayer on Tuesday, April 8, focusing on the Christian virtues about which faculty have preached in chapel during the spring semester.

FORT WORTH, Texas — Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary leaders announced today that the institution has entered into a partnership with Logos Bible Software, the “premier” Bible study software, to continue to better equip students with resources available and necessary for ministry today.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Midwestern Seminary is pleased to announce the appointment of Ronni Kurtz as assistant professor of systematic theology. A proud alumnus of Midwestern Seminary, Kurtz will return to the institution after more than three years of faithful ministry and academic service on faculty at Cedarville University.

WAKE FOREST, N.C. — Southeastern Seminary and Judson College welcomed the Southeastern Society (SES) and Board of Trustees to campus for their biannual meeting on Monday and Tuesday, April 14 and 15. During the two-day event, trustees and SES members received encouraging updates on institutional life, heard stories of God’s faithfulness within the Southeastern community, and joined in the celebrations of this year’s commissioning chapel.

FRISCO, Texas — Being fully present and committed to their roles is a key antidote to burnout, according to speakers at The Summit, Powered by GuideStone. This was one of several topics covered during the annual two-day conference held last week in North Texas.

Sometimes missionaries share the gospel through unexpected ways—like with carrots.  The invitation to eat carrots surprised two International Mission Board Journeymen as they walked through a rural South Asian village where they were visiting a friend. It was harvest, and the two sisters working the field wanted to share with the foreign women.