News Articles by William Neal

ATLANTA (BP)--Georgia's gubernatorial inauguration Jan. 13 had a decidedly Baptist flavor as Sonny Perdue took the oath of office as the state's 81st governor. In addition to being the first Baptist to be inaugurated since 1979, he is the first Republican governor since Reconstruction.

MARIETTA, Ga. (BP)--The Georgia Baptist Convention averted a floor fight over Shorter College during its Nov. 11-12 annual meeting by referring resolution of the current dispute into the hands of the convention's executive committee.

MARIETTA, Ga. (BP)--The Georgia Baptist Convention, meeting Nov. 11-12 in Marietta's Cobb Galleria, adopted a record Cooperative Program budget of $50-million and gave special recognition to J. Robert White on his 10th anniversary as the convention's executive director.

ATLANTA (BP)--Out of concern for preserving the relationship between Shorter College and the Georgia Baptist Convention, the executive committee of Shorter's board of trustees met Jan. 16 and rescinded earlier action it had taken to hand over control of the college to a newly-created Shorter College Foundation. As reported in the The Christian Index convention newsjournal, the earlier action was first reported to the convention's administration committee on Jan. 8. That announcement was met with great concern by convention officials who immediately withdrew Cooperative Program funding for the school.

The Administration Committee of the Georgia Baptist Convention's Executive Committee has reacted with "surprise" and concern to action by Shorter College trustees that places the Georgia Baptist college's assets and control under a new legal entity, the Shorter College Foundation.

MACON, Ga. (BP)--The Georgia Baptist Convention, meeting Nov. 12-13 in the Macon Coliseum, elected Valdosta pastor Wayne Robertson as its new president and adopted a record Cooperative Program budget of $48.3 million for 2002. A total of 4,339 registered messengers conducted business in what would have to be classified as a harmonious meeting.

ATLANTA (BP)--The Atlanta Baptist Association's executive committee has voted to apply updated bylaws to member churches, specifically asking Oakhurst Baptist Church to either comply or withdraw by Oct. 31 or face expulsion from the association. The issue in question is the church's affirmation of homosexuality by allowing practicing homosexuals to serve in leadership positions.

ATLANTA (BP)--An ad hoc group of concerned Atlanta Baptists took initial steps to form a new Baptist association within the metro Atlanta area Feb. 22. The move was in reaction to a controversial vote in January by the Atlanta Baptist Association to retain two member churches that allow homosexuals to have leadership positions within their congregations.

SAVANNAH, Ga. (BP)–Georgia Baptists have affirmed the 2000 version of the Baptist Faith and Message Statement by an approximate 2 to 1 majority. Both those favoring the statement and those opposed to it had organized to get out a large vote at the convention. At the time of the vote 3,447 messengers were registered at […]

SAVANNAH, Ga. (BP)--Georgia's Savannah Association, in an historic vote, removed Memorial Baptist Church from the fellowship of the association because of its call of a woman as pastor. The issue was whether the church had stepped outside the boundaries of acceptable practice and the majority of messengers voted 181 to 96 that it had.