Brandon Porter

NASHVILLE (BP) – A key figure in the Southern Baptist Convention’s investigation into the alleged mishandling of sexual abuse has died. Sources confirm to Baptist Press that Jennifer Lyell died late Saturday after a significant stroke.

CLEVELAND, Ga. (BP) – An alumna of Truett McConnell University alleged in an online interview May 29 that a former faculty member sexually abused her. She claims the abuse happened over a period of several years.

DALLAS (BP) – Resolutions to be presented to messengers to the 2025 SBC Annual Meeting include calls to ban sports betting and pornography and strong statements on the natural family and religious liberty. The SBC Committee on Resolutions released its proposed resolutions May 30.

NASHVILLE (BP) – A major renovation project is forcing the SBC Annual Meeting to move from Salt Lake City in 2027, according to the SBC Executive Committee. Messengers to the 2025 SBC Annual Meeting will be asked to allow the meeting to move to Indianapolis, the 2024 host city.

PLANO, Texas (BP) – Texas pastor and former Southern Baptist Convention President Jack Graham says he believes the Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission should be defunded. He made the comments on X the day after a 10 former SBC presidents released a letter expressing their support for the commission.

NASHVILLE (BP) – Search and rescue efforts continue across Kentucky even as recovery efforts have begun in Missouri following deadly storms that swept across the region May 16-17. More than 25 people were killed by the storms and thousands suffered injury and loss.

SOMERSET, Ky. (BP) – A wave of severe storms ripped across the Midwest and Ohio Valley leaving death and destruction in its wake. Authorities reported at least 20 deaths in Kentucky and seven in Missouri as of midday Saturday (May 17).

DALLAS (BP) – The SBC Book of Reports is the paper of record for those wanting SBC entity reports and information before arriving at the SBC Annual Meeting. The book is available online.

MEMPHIS (BP) – The Ellis Auditorium was brand new May 13, 1925, when Southern Baptists met on a spring afternoon and voted to begin the Cooperative Program. Today (May 13), though the auditorium is gone, Southern Baptists gathered a just few yards away from the original location to recommit to cooperative partnership.

DALLAS (BP) – A month out from the 2025 SBC Annual Meeting, there is only one known candidate for each office of the Southern Baptist Convention and SBC Pastors’ Conference. This is a significant shift from recent annual meetings that frequently saw multiple candidates for each office.