INDIANAPOLIS — Some churches today have a lot in common with the Savannah Bananas, pastor and seminary professor Hershael York suggested in his sermon Sunday night at the 2024 Southern Baptist Convention Pastors' Conference in Indianapolis.

Members of The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary and the broader community mourn the death of June Williams Honeycutt, who passed away on Saturday, June 8, 2024, surrounded by her family.

INDIANAPOLIS (BP) — Hundreds prayed Sunday evening in the main meeting hall for God’s direction, the next generation, pastors and all others arriving for the Southern Baptist Convention Annual Meeting in the coming days. 

INDIANAPOLIS — Past faithfulness does not guarantee future faithfulness, and that’s especially true when it comes to the Great Commission. That was the warning Greg Mann, a 19-year missions veteran who now leads the International Mission Board’s Asia-Pacific Rim Peoples Affinity, emphasized during the opening session of the 2024 Southern Baptist Convention Pastors Conference in Indianapolis on June 9.

INDIANAPOLIS (BP) – The Abuse Reform Implementation Task Force has launched the curriculum it hopes churches will use to train volunteers in preventing sexual abuse and responding to those who have experienced it.

INDIANAPOLIS — Baptist associations and associational mission strategists (or directors of mission) have an important role in the Southern Baptist Convention, especially when it comes to encouraging and equipping churches and pastors, candidates for the SBC presidency agree.

INDIANAPOLIS — Speaking on the theme “Faithful in Our Calling,” Bartholomew Orr opened the first session of the 2024 Southern Baptist Convention Pastors Conference in Indianapolis on Sunday. Orr, senior pastor of Brown Missionary Baptist Church in Southaven, Miss., since 1989, spoke on the life of Hezekiah, chronicled in 2 Kings and 2 Chronicles, and used a traffic light to illustrate his sermon title, “Watch the Light.”

NEW ORLEANS — Trying to share the Gospel with a 73-year-old man who was “rude,” reminded one  Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary Master of Divinity student, who is from East Asia, how God “patiently waited” for her when she came to Christ about seven years ago.

NEW ORLEANS — Crescent City Worship, a newly-named collection of students, staff and friends of New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary and Leavell College, will release its first-ever album on streaming platforms in early June.  

CARMEL, Indiana —When Jared Barham brought students from his Indianapolis church to the first-ever Crossover Student Rally at Harvest Church in Carmel, Indiana, he had big hopes. The associate pastor of youth at Northside Baptist Church in Indianapolis hoped they’d hear the gospel from a different voice and learn about how to share it with their friends.

INDIANAPOLIS – About 51 percent of Hoosiers, inhabitants of Indiana, say they seldom or never attend church or religious services, according to a recent report by Axios Indianapolis. One local pastor is praying that Crossover will help to turn those numbers around.

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — An Ohio nonprofit that provides off-site Bible instruction to public school students during classroom hours says it will triple its programs in Indiana this fall after new legislation forced school districts to comply.

CLEVELAND, Ga.  — The Truett McConnell University basketball program will be hosting the Truett McConnell Basketball Camp at the White County Middle School for boys on June 24-27, and girls on July 8-11. 

NEW ORLEANS — With this week marking the fifth anniversary of his election as president of New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary and Leavell College, Jamie Dew said serving in the role has been “the honor of a lifetime.” 

WAKE FOREST, N.C. — Southeastern Seminary is excited to announce Benjamin Quinn as the new director of the L. Russ Bush Center for Faith and Culture, effective June 1.

Countdown to the 2024 Summer Olympic Games in Paris is on!  The city is abuzz with shops and merchants in full prep mode for an influx of 15 million visitors — athletes, spectators, media professionals and volunteers — strolling along the Seine, clamoring for sights of Paris’ legendary art and architecture, and sampling local fare (pain au chocolat, anyone?).  

PEACHTREE CITY, Ga. — The Deaf Ministry at First Baptist Church Peachtree City hosted a special event on Sunday, June 2, to share the love of Jesus with Deaf and hard of hearing people. Visitors came from Dorsett Shoals Baptist Church in Douglasville and from East Thomaston Baptist Church in Thomaston.

COUNCIL BLUFFS, Iowa (BP) – When Joseph Josselyn of “Jesus: A Deaf Missions Film” lost his hearing as a toddler, life became “a little painful at times” as he grew, accepted Jesus and worshipped God in the hearing world.

WAKE FOREST, N.C. — Due to recent policy changes on X (formerly Twitter) allowing explicit content, Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary, The College at Southeastern, and President Danny Akin will be deactivating their accounts on X on Friday, June 7.

I was preaching a local church harvest event. The pastor and I went to play golf one morning. On our drive to the golf course, we suddenly came to a stop in stalled traffic.

Some of Jesus’ last words were “Go, go, and be.”

Our granddaughter, Mattie, is playing travel softball this summer. She has played rec league for the past couple of years and decided this year to make the move to travel ball. On her team the girls …

NASHVILLE (BP) – On Tuesday (June 4) Southern Baptists’ Abuse Reform and Implementation Task Force released its final report and recommendations ahead of the 2024 SBC Annual Meeting in Indianapolis. The report highlights the release of a new curriculum designed to help local churches of all sizes “establish or evaluate their abuse prevention and response plan.”

CLEVELAND, Ga. — The Truett McConnell University softball program will be hosting the TMU Softball Kids Camp. The prospect camp will include instruction, skills development and games to be played.

Get ready to engage all your senses at the Southern Baptist Convention in Indianapolis, June 9-12. The International Mission Board and Woman’s Missionary Union invite convention attendees to see, smell, touch and hear their way through the life of Lottie Moon, a Baptist missionary to China who served from 1873-1912.