We are excited to introduce conventional business, a podcast centered around the people, polity, and procedures of the Southern Baptist Convention. Hosted by Keith Myer and Luke Holmes, the show will take a deeper look at some events of the Southern Baptist Convention. This could be entities, meetings, procedures, resolutions, motions, and more. Tune in to find out. Subscribe through all your favorite podcast feeds ..read more

I recently had the chance to read a short little story about the life of M. Theron Rankin.  He served as a missionary to China for many years before becoming president of the International Mission Board from 1945-53, before dying of leukemia at a young age. This sketch of his life was written by his brother, and contains a few details and anecdotes about his life and ministry.  Although  it’s very brief it was greatly encouraging to me. While serving in China in the late 1930’s he lived under the threat of war with Japan and the rising threat of communist China.  When Japa ..read more

Over the history of the Southern Baptist Convention there have been many gifted preachers. Those men have been used by God to provide timely and prophetic sermons that have guided, shaped, and corrected the course of individuals, churches, and the SBC. In this series we will look at some of those sermons. Even though most of these men will be dead, the message that they preached lives on because of the truth of the ever living Word of God. RG Lee was the pastor at Bellevue Baptist Church in Memphis from 1927-1960. (!)  He served as President of the SBC, and was called “a veritable paragon ..read more

There are many reasons to read good history.  Biographies and general histories remind us of those who have come before us, and can shine light on current events.  The history of the Southern Baptist Convention and it’s leaders and members can both inform and inspire us as we work together to take the Gospel of Christ across the world. Summer can be a great time for reading histories.  If you are on vacation or with kids at camp, or just have some slow days, history and biography can remind of the sacrifices, mistakes, and triumphs of those who came fore us. Below are some of th ..read more

The recent conference marking the 50th Anniversary of the assassination of Martin Luther King by the Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission has sparked many conversations across the SBC about race and racism.  Sermons by Matt Chandler, Russell Moore, and David Platt and other in and out of SBC life have all been called simply products of current social justice trends, or meant to please men and not God.  Discussions online and in person have been heated as people discuss how much churches and the SBC should push for racial reconciliation today. One of the most common responses to th ..read more

Courts Redford was the Executive Secretary-Treasurer of the Home Mission Board (now North American Mission Board) from 1954-1964.  Redford used the monthly magazine “Home Missions” to connect with Southern Baptists across the country. In March 1960 Redford said that “For $7.99 you can operate the entire program of the Home Mission Board for one minute.”  For just 799 pennies, he explained, you can support 1800 workers and 55 ministries, like VBS, starting new churches, and supporting missions pastors.  This unique way of framing the cost of the HMB helped readers understand all ..read more

As we approach the 2022 Annual Meeting, I wanted to highlight a sermon from a previous annual meeting. In 1988 Joel Gregory famously preached on “The Castle and the Wall” about the conflict in the SBC. It’s a message we need to be reminded of in the middle of the conflict the SBC faces today. The transcript for this sermon can be found at the SBHLA and the full video of the sermon can be found on Youtube. http://media2.sbhla.org.s3.amazonaws.com/sbc/sbc_sermons/1988_Joel_Gregory.pdf ..read more

Dr. E.W. Perry, Photo from Gateway to OK History EW Perry might be one of the best preachers that you have never heard of. He was born in 1882 and died in the 1960s. He was a long time pastor of Tabernacle Baptist Church in Oklahoma City and the first African-American man to preach before the southern Baptist convention. He did so at the invitation of RG Lee in 1949. This is very special audio that you’re hearing today because to my knowledge this is the only recording of him preaching! You can read more about Dr. Perry and his life’s work here ..read more

Today we are featuring more old audio, this time from Dr. Baker James Cauthen. He was the president of the Foreign Mission Board, now the IMB, from 1954-1979. Under his leadership the number of missionaries on the field grew from 908 to nearly 3,000 and they reached more than sixty more countries than before. Addtionally, the budget increased from  $6.7 million in 1954 to $76.7 million in 1979. Read more in his obituary at https://www.upi.com/Archives/1985/04/16/Cauthen-Southern-Baptist-leader-dead-at-75/2125482475600/ This audio is from when he spoke at Falls Creek Baptist Assembly in O ..read more

It’s been a while since I have been able to post updates to the SBC History Podcast, but I’ve got a plan for this year and I can’t wait to share it with you! Today I’m sharing some old audio from the 1959 SBC Pastors Conference, a sermon on the Deity of Christ by RG Lee. RG Lee was one of the premier pulpiteers of his day, and the pastor of the legendary Bellevue Baptist Church. As this audio is old there it’s not always of the best quality but I think you will be edified by it. Enjoy this and look for new material to be coming out this year ..read more