STATE MEETINGS: Kentucky, South Carolina | Baptist Press

BOWLING GREEN, Ky. (BP) – Kentucky Baptists explored the theme “Each Church on Mission” on the group’s 185^thannual assembly Nov. 14-15 at First Baptist Church.

Outgoing president Harold Greatest, the pastor of Burlington Baptist Church, has watched Kentucky Baptists do lots of dwelling on mission throughout a tumultuous 12 months with pure disasters in western Kentucky and japanese Kentucky about 9 months aside and the battle for the unborn following the overturn of Roe v. Wade.

“It’s been a busy 12 months however we’ve actually seen God at work,” Greatest stated. “It’s been the dignity of a lifetime to function KBC president. I’m not ample for the duty however God is greater than ample. I need to present appreciation to my church, Burlington Baptist Church, to permit me to serve. It’s such a blessing to work with KBC leaders and employees with Dr. Todd (Grey) steering the boat. I really like our campus ministries. KBC employees is one of the best. I hope that.”

Attendance numbered 1,004, with 790 messengers and 214 company. Newly elected officers embrace President James Carroll, pastor of Parkway Baptist Church in Bardstown; First Vice President Bob Ehr, pastor of First Baptist Church in Lawrenceburg; and Second Vice President Brad Walker, pastor of Briensburg Baptist Church in Marshall County.

Messengers accepted a Cooperative Program finances of $23,778,670, a slight improve from final 12 months. The KBC allocates half of the funds to the Southern Baptist Conference for worldwide missions, catastrophe aid, seminaries and different important ministries.

Eleven new church buildings have been added to the KBC on the assembly, and several other church buildings and people have been acknowledged with awards.

Learn extra in regards to the KBC annual assembly right here, right here and right here.

S.C. BAPTISTS ADOPT SATF RECOMMENDATIONS, ELECT COLUMBIA PASTOR

By Todd Deaton, Managing Editor, The Baptist Courier (South Carolina)

With “Wake Up!” as their theme, messengers to the annual assembly of the South Carolina Baptist Conference accepted a report from their Sexual Abuse Process Pressure, honored their retiring government, and elected a Columbia pastor as president-elect.

Gathering at Riverland Hills Baptist Church in Irmo, S.C., Nov. 14-15, the 703 registered messengers additionally adopted a $26.5 million finances and accepted eight resolutions. President Wayne Bray, pastor of First Baptist Church of Simpsonville/Upstate Church, presided over the classes.

Willie McLaurin, interim president of the Govt Committee of the Southern Baptist Conference, kicked off the assembly by difficult South Carolina Baptists to maneuver “outdoors these partitions” and embrace the church’s calling to “take the gospel to the nations and the neighborhoods.”

Observing that from Acts 1 to Acts 28 the church is witnessing, McLaurin stated, “They understood the ability of what it meant to get outdoors the partitions of the church.” He stated, “Each church and each believer is known as, commanded and commissioned to maneuver past the partitions of the church.”

SEXUAL ABUSE TASK FORCE

D.J. Horton, chairman of the state Sexual Abuse Process Pressure, instructed messengers, “Our dedication to the Phrase and to the gospel means we have to emulate our Savior. Our Savior liked the weak. It is a topic about defending the weak.”

Noting that many within the room carried the title of pastor, which comes from a Latin phrase for “shepherd,” Horton, pastor of Church on the Mill in Moore, stated the duty pressure wished each shepherd, each ministry chief, to ask, “What can my church do extra faithfully to guard each little one, each sister within the Lord, and each individual with a particular want?”

The nine-member activity pressure advisable making a conference employees place for somebody educated in trauma-informed care who would supply help, equip, and be a degree of contact for pastors and church buildings in coping with suspected or witnessed abuse. They proposed a broader definition of sexual abuse and challenged pastors, church buildings, associations and the state conference to additional useful resource the dealing with and prevention of sexual abuse.

The duty pressure additionally requested a decision calling for strengthening and clarifying legal guidelines that take away any authorized boundaries which stop pastors or church buildings from disclosing sure data relating to sexual abuse to future employers.

The report included some greatest practices for prevention, monitoring and response of church buildings to sexual abuse, and a listing of extra useful resource supplies.

Messengers accepted the duty pressure staying in place till subsequent 12 months’s annual assembly to observe and help within the implementation of the SCBC’s response. Kathy Robinson, technique director at First Baptist Church, Simpsonville/Upstate Church, was named co-chair.

ELECTION OF OFFICERS

Wes Church, pastor of First Baptist Church of Columbia, was elected by unanimous consent as president-elect of the state conference. He was nominated by Tim Williams, pastor of Roebuck Baptist Church, the place Church had attended previous to accepting a name into the ministry. Church is a graduate of the College of South Carolina and Liberty College. 

In nominating Church, Williams highlighted his nice coronary heart for the Lord, for God’s Phrase, and for the church, missions, evangelism, and discipleship. “Wes is a godly man, an incredible chief. But one of many issues that stands out to me is his humility,” Williams stated. “I can say with confidence that if we elect Wes Church, … we can be doing an ideal service to our church buildings and to our conference.”

Additionally elected by acclamation to function officers have been Ryan Goodroe, pastor of Utica Baptist Church, as vice chairman; and Brian Sherwood, pastor of First Baptist Church of Darlington, as registration secretary.

Albert Allen, senior pastor of First Baptist Church of Newberry, will preside at subsequent 12 months’s annual assembly, which can be held at Shandon Baptist Church in Columbia, Nov. 13-14.

EXECUTIVE’S FINAL REPORT

In his final handle as South Carolina Baptists’ government director-treasurer, Gary Hollingsworth urged them to consider why the mission issues.

Hollingsworth recommended three foremost causes: 1) as a result of misplaced individuals will spend eternity separated from God in hell; 2) as a result of the gospel continues to be Good Information; and three) as a result of the church continues to be God’s plan for fulfilling the Nice Fee.

“We are able to give attention to, we will fret over the challenges, … or we will embrace these alternatives for brand new, contemporary and artistic methods to share the hope of the gospel,” he stated. “Excellent news brings hope, and folks want hope now greater than ever,” he added, in urging God’s individuals to proceed to blaze new trails for the gospel.

Throughout Monday night’s session, Hollingsworth was acknowledged with a number of resolutions of appreciation from Southern Baptist and South Carolina Baptist leaders and the state Senate. He additionally was introduced the E.A. McDowell Award, recognizing particular person service in politics, authorities and group affairs, by the SCBC’s Christian Life and Public Affairs Committee.

CP BUDGET

Messengers accepted a Cooperative Program finances of $26.5 million for 2023. The finances doesn’t mirror a rise from the previous 12 months.

Of the full, the finances designates 25.16 p.c, or $6,669,545, for worldwide missions; 20.34 p.c, or $5,387,955, for nationwide missions, and 54.5 p.c, or $14,442,500, for in-state missions and ministry companions.

Along with the 2 resolutions proposed by the Sexual Abuse Process Pressure and expressing appreciation for his or her retiring government director’s service and to the host church, messengers adopted resolutions on:

• Celebrating the a hundredth anniversary of Baptist Campus Ministries in South Carolina.

• Supporting Christian Larger Schooling and its three Baptist universities — Anderson, Charleston Southern and North Greenville.

• Rejecting using most well-liked gender pronouns.

• Encouraging passing legal guidelines to guard minors by prohibiting transgender surgical procedure, puberty blockers, and cross-hormone therapies.

(Full textual content of the resolutions could also be discovered on-line at www.baptistcourier.com.)