BRENTWOOD, Tenn. — Meeting via Zoom, Lifeway Christian Resources trustees heard of God’s remarkable favor toward the organization over the past year and continued momentum into 2026.
Due to a widespread ice storm and power outages across the southern U.S. in late January, trustees were unable to gather in person at the originally scheduled time. Meeting over a two-week period, trustees heard from Lifeway leaders about the organization’s exceptional end to the last fiscal year and a promising beginning to the current one. But most important, leaders stressed their priority of providing churches with trustworthy resources.
Interim President and CEO Joe Walker told trustees that Lifeway has built a solid reputation among churches of all sizes and in different contexts.
“I grew up in a small church in a blue-collar town in the shadow of a DuPont plant. I’m not sure we had many adults who had more than a high school diploma. But they loved the Lord,” Walker said. His pastor equipped Sunday School teachers with “material from what was then the Sunday School Board because he knew it was biblically trustworthy.”
Walker said he’s in a much different church context now, one with thousands of members, hundreds of groups and a large staff. But again, his pastor has chosen to use Lifeway’s ongoing Sunday School curriculum.
“I think one of the most important things Lifeway does, especially for small to medium-sized churches, is provide them trustworthy curriculum they can use every week to study God’s Word with their congregations,” he said.
Financial update
Cossy Pachares, chief financial officer, told trustees Lifeway’s revenue ended the 2025 fiscal year flat compared to the previous fiscal year but a marked improvement over early projections and almost $100 million in growth since 2020.
Pachares noted end-of-year surges in both Bible and short-term Bible study sales. Much of that growth has continued into the new fiscal year, according to Pachares, with revenue outpacing the previous year’s first-quarter revenue.
“This is the best first quarter we’ve seen since before 2020,” he said. “And it’s not just one area driving that. We had great results in ongoing curriculum, Bibles, short-term studies and church supplies.” He noted the positive momentum was continuing into the second fiscal quarter.
Coming soon
Walker highlighted several upcoming resources and events from Lifeway. Christian music artist Steven Curtis Chapman and wife Mary Beth have a book releasing with B&H Publishing in March called “Still Here.” Former college football star and current analyst David Pollack also has a B&H book releasing in April called “Every Day Counts.”
Lifeway camps continue to grow in the number of churches served and locations provided. In 2026, Lifeway is bringing new camps to previous spots and adding four new locations – one each in Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas and South Carolina. Additionally, as part of the 124,000 expected campers across Lifeway camps, Centrifuge is expected to serve its 2 millionth camper this summer.
Walker expressed particular appreciation for VBS and said he recently attended a VBS Preview event with hundreds of church leaders who screamed and sang like they were kids. What impressed Walker the most, however, was the relevant theme for this year’s VBS, “Illumination Station: Shining a Light on Who Jesus Really Is.”
“I have five grandkids, and they have to be able to articulate to themselves and their friends who Jesus is,” he said. This theme “is exactly what our kids and students need to hear in today’s culture.”
Additionally, Walker mentioned DisciplesPath, a free resource Lifeway will release before the Southern Baptist Convention Annual Meeting based on Lifeway Research’s State of Discipleship study, allowing churches to assess their discipleship efforts and design a plan for improvement specifically for their church. He also referenced an upcoming Lifeway Research study on men’s ministry and the organization’s plans to release an updated version of the Men’s Ministry Toolkit.
“As I think of all the ways God has allowed Lifeway to impact His kingdom, it is a very humbling thing,” Walker said.
State partnerships
Walker told trustees he recently met with executive directors of the state Baptist conventions and stressed the importance of those connections. “They know the churches and church leaders in their states probably better than we’re ever going to know them,” he said.
Since taking the interim role, Walker said he has met with worship leaders from various states, as they helped inform the organization’s decision to not only maintain Lifeway Worship but expand it. He has also met with next-gen ministry leaders from across the state conventions.
Walker noted the numerous training events Lifeway leaders host with state conventions and local associations, both digitally and in person. Other partnerships include student ministry training with the Florida Baptist Convention and evangelism resources with the Georgia Baptist Mission Board.
Other business
In a devotional on Proverbs 1, trustee chair James Carroll shared a historical perspective on the challenges facing Southern Baptists and those leading its entities. “For more than 180 years, Southern Baptists have been people of the book. By God’s grace, He’s preserved us all these years,” Carroll said.
But he said the Convention’s struggle since it was founded and into today has been with wisdom and the application of that truth. Southern Baptists’ primary issue is “understanding how to apply these biblical principles in areas of practical life, with love and unity,” he said.
The pastor of Parkway Baptist Church in Bardstown, Ky., challenged his fellow board members to remember their purpose in their current position – to provide wisdom for Lifeway. “The vast majority of what we do as trustees in this role is to provide wisdom for the leadership at Lifeway as they steer the entity in accomplishing its mission of honoring God and serving the church by designing trustworthy experiences that fuel ministry.”
The board also approved responses to motions forwarded to Lifeway at the 2024 and 2025 Southern Baptist Convention Annual Meetings, including actions taken to provide resources for homeschooling and to elevate qualified biblical leaders from diverse ethnic and cultural backgrounds.
Trustees elected officers, including Caroll for a second term as president, Michael Duduit of Anderson, S.C., to serve as the new vice chair, and Rob Sumrall of Elizabethtown, Ky., to serve as the new recording secretary.
The board recognized trustees who will be ending their service in June: Derrick Burt of Jackson, Miss.; Curtis Clark of Pace, Fla.; Cynthia Cook of Camden, S.C.; Jacob Fitzgerald of Lufkin, Texas; Madeline Harris of Philadelphia, Pa.; Chad Keck of Dayton, Ohio; and Ben Posey of Leroy, Ala.
The presidential search committee also met virtually and continued its progress on narrowing the field of candidates and preparing to move into the next phase of the process.
The next Lifeway trustee meeting is scheduled for Aug. 24-25, 2025.
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