March 28, 2025
The U.S. Supreme Court overturned the Roe v. Wade decision that had legalized abortion nationwide some five decades ago.
That ruling in June opened the way for Georgia to put an end to nearly all abortions , generating what's widely considered among Georgia Baptists as the state's top news story of 2022.
"God has heard and answered our prayers on behalf of the most helpless of human beings," W. Thomas Hammond, executive director of the Georgia Baptist Mission Board, said at the time. "With this ruling, the Supreme Court has corrected a heart-wrenching injustice. Regrettably, it has taken nearly 50 years for this day to arrive, and at a cost of more than 63 million innocent lives.”
The decision was the culmination of decades of efforts by pro-life advocates and was made possible by a conservative shift in the court's makeup, sped along by former President Donald Trump's three appointees during his term in office.
Georgia had wrestled through a series of legal give and takes until the state Supreme Court in November lifted a hold on the state’s heartbeat law, which bans abortions after roughly six weeks of pregnancy. That ruling forced abortion providers to stop performing the procedures once a heartbeat is detected.
“This is an incredible moment for our most vulnerable citizens, those babies in the womb,” said Suzanne Guy, a Georgia pro-life leader and a member of First Baptist Church in Woodstock.
That was one of many significant Georgia Baptist news stories over the past year.
Revival spreads across Georgia
Thousands of people accepted Christ across Georgia in 2022 in what some have described as a “move of God” in the state.
An early review of statistical reports submitted by churches to the Georgia Baptist Mission Board show more than 9,000 baptisms for the year. That's with only about 1,000 of the state's 3,400 Georgia Baptist churches reporting.
As the post-COVID revival spread across the state, churches across the state reported instances of spontaneous revivals. That was most evident on Easter, when some churches had more than 100 professions of faith.
“What we’re seeing is a supernatural move of God,” said Pastor Kevin Geter at Ephesus Baptist Church in west Georgia where his congregation had to make space for a flood of new worshippers by putting extra chairs in aisles and creating a separate area for overflow seating. “Every time we think God has done something He can’t top, He always seems to come back and top it.”
Bicentennial celebration
The Georgia Baptist Convention celebrated 200 years of cooperative ministry at an annual meeting in November.
From a meager start, the Georgia Baptist community has grown into state’s largest religious organization with more than 1.3 million members.
“God did that,” said W. Thomas Hammond Jr., executive director of the Georgia Baptist Mission Board, speaking to a standing-room-only crowd at Warren Baptist Church in Augusta for the bicentennial celebration.
Georgia Baptists now have 3,400 churches in every city, town, and community across the state.
“God did that,” Hammond repeated.
Hammond, in a bicentennial address, gave messengers to the Georgia Baptist Convention’s annual meeting a look back through history, provided a comprehensive look at the present, and offered hope for a bright future.
In the annual meeting, the Georgia Baptist Convention grew even bigger and more ethnically diverse on Tuesday when 17 new churches and two missions joined its ranks.
Of the new churches presented at the Georgia Baptist Convention's annual meeting, four are Hispanic, three are Korean, two are African American, one is Russian, and one identifies itself as predominantly deaf.
Saefkow elected president
Georgia Baptists elected Fayetteville Pastor Josh Saefkow as their president in an annual meeting in Augusta in November.
"I'm thankful for the opportunity to pick up the mantle," he said at the time. "It's humbling. The whole process has been humbling."
Saefkow, a respected denominational leader who has served in numerous roles in the Georgia Baptist Convention, has been a former vice president of the Georgia Baptist Convention and more recently served as chairman of the Georgia Baptist Executive Committee.
Saefkow, 38, told The Christian Index at the time that he would be a champion for unity.
“I want to bring Georgia Baptists together to help fan the flame of the gospel of Jesus to bring more Georgians to Christ,” he said. “This is a unique time, filled with lots of tensions. We’ve argued long enough. I want us to come together for the cause of Christ.”
Saefkow, who became a believer as a 12-year-old, holds a bachelor’s degree and two master’s degrees from Liberty University as well as a doctorate from Gateway Seminary of the Southern Baptist Convention.
Georgia’s new seminary
Brewton-Parker College announced that it would launch Temple Baptist Theological Seminary on its campus in south Georgia.
Brewton-Parker was notified by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools in early December that it had been approved to become a Level 3 institution, meaning it can begin offering master’s level classes.
Established in 1904, Brewton-Parker has continued to grow as South Georgia’s Christian College and equip students for “lifelong learning and service in Christ.” In starting a seminary, the school is seeking to meet the need for practical ministry training for service in local churches.
The seminary’s first degrees will be a Master of Arts in Ministry and Master of Arts in Biblical and Theological Studies. These programs will be offered entirely online to accommodate the busy schedules of individuals, including bi-vocational and co-vocational ministers.
Disaster Relief volunteers deploy to Poland
Georgia Baptist Disaster Relief workers were sent to Poland in May to help Ukrainian refugees caught up in a humanitarian crisis caused by the Russian invasion of their country.
The team spent most of their time working on housing for the refugees.
“Everybody on this team is trained in multiple disciplines, and they’re willing to do whatever is needed to improve the lives of the refugees,” said Bob Sprinkel, the Georgia Baptist who led the Poland team. “If there’s trash needing to be picked up, they pick up the trash. If there’s construction to be done, they’re doing construction. Whatever is needed, this group can do it. They have the skills, and they have the mindset: ‘Here I am; send me.’ They’re ready to serve Christ wherever and whenever Christ wants them.”
International missionaries commissioned in Georgia
Nearly 1,000 people gathered at Warren Baptist Church in Augusta in November for a send-off for 26 new international missionaries, many of whom are going into countries that are hostile to the gospel.
The large turnout was no surprise in a state that has long been an ardent supporter of the International Mission Board.
Georgia Baptist Mission Board Executive Director W. Thomas Hammond Jr. said churches in the state have given $91 million in just the past five years through the Cooperative Program and the Lottie Moon offering to support missionaries serving overseas.
Hammond said 294 of IMB’s current missionaries are from Georgia and that another 37 more are in the pipeline to become missionaries.
Mills chosen to lead Executive Committee
David Mills, a veteran pastor, evangelist, and seminary professor, was elected chairman of the Georgia Baptist Executive Committee in December.
In that role, the 57-year-old will head the group of 110 ministry leaders charged with guiding the cooperative work of Georgia Baptists.
Mills, a former vice president of the Georgia Baptist Convention who had served as vice chairman of the Executive Committee for the past year, replaced Saefkow who completed his term as chairman and didn't seek another because he had been elected president.
“I’m very honored to serve, and I do take it as a place of service,” Mills told The Christian Index. “I am obsessed with the mission of Georgia Baptists. I’d like to see us unified in reaching Georgia and the world for Christ.”
Mills is a former assistant professor of evangelism and associate dean of applied ministries for the Roy J. Fish School of Evangelism and Missions at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Fort Worth, Texas. He has served as pastor of churches in Alabama, Georgia, North Carolina, and South Carolina.
The Executive Committee also elected Stephen Fountain, pastor of First Baptist Church in Buford, as vice chairman. Fountain, 38, has been in ministry for 20 years, 11 of those at First Baptist Buford where he initially served as student pastor.
New vice presidents elected
Messengers to the Georgia Baptist Convention elected four new vice presidents at their annual meeting in November.
Rubén Torres, pastor of Iglesia Bautista Victoria en Cristo, was voted in as first vice president; Anthony Wilson, bi-vocational pastor of Church 180 in Hampton, as second vice president; Steve Taylor, lead pastor of McConnell Memorial Church in Hiawassee, as third vice president; and David Lambert, pastor of First Baptist Church in Thomson, as fourth vice president.
“These are all great brothers,” said newly elected President Josh Saefkow. “They will serve Georgia Baptists well.”
Mission Board moving
In a move that will provide “an opportunity for more Cooperative Program funds to go to ministry and missions,” the Georgia Baptist Mission Board announced in December that it is moving out of its five-story executive office building into a smaller and more efficient space.
The Mission Board has secured a letter of intent from a corporation that wants to lease the building at 6405 Sugarloaf Parkway beginning as soon as January.
“The plan is to move the accounting and human resources staff into an office on Brogdon Exchange in Suwanee,” said Mission Board Executive Director W. Thomas Hammond Jr. “The remainder of the Duluth-based staff will move into a local church. These accommodations are temporary, but will serve our needs until we secure a permanent office."
Projections are that the Mission Board could save hundreds of thousands of dollars a year on utilities, maintenance, and operational costs by moving out of the Sugarloaf building.
