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Baptist Message

"Helping Louisiana Baptists Impact the World For Christ"

Baptist leaders ask Supreme Court to hear McRaney lawsuit against NAMB

By Baptist Message staff WASHINGTON (LBM) – Fifty former and active leaders with the Southern Baptist Convention as well as Baptist state conventions, associations and local congregations across the country have signed an amicus brief asking the U.S. Supreme Court to hear former Baptist Convention of Maryland/Delaware executive director Will McRaney’s lawsuit against the North American Mission Board of the Southern Baptist Convention. McRaney alleges that NAMB interfered in his employment with the BCMD, resulting in his termination, and afterward influenced other Baptist groups not to hire him. NAMB has claimed various defenses, including “ministerial exception,” which is also known as the “ecclesiastical exemption doctrine” – a historic legal precedent which prevents the government from interfering in matters of faith and doctrine as well as religious governance, which includes employment disputes. The signers of the “friend of the court” brief assert that the key doctrine of Baptist polity is at stake, “church autonomy” which emphasizes freedom from hierarchy in relationships between Baptist bodies. They shared that because Baptist churches and organizations are independent of each other and have no hierarchy … [Read more...]

Four young women named to National Acteens Panel

By Julie Walters, WMU SBC communications BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (WMU SBC communications) – The Woman's Missionary Union SBC has named four young women to the 2026 National Acteens Panel: Alexis Andrade of Freeman Heights Baptist Church in Garland, Texas; Hannah Cooke of Harp’s Crossing Baptist Church in Fayetteville, Georgia; Abigail Howard of Casey First Baptist Church, in Casey, Illinois; and Jamila Toya of Jemez Valley Baptist Church in Jemez Pueblo, New Mexico. “Being named a National Acteens Panelist means these young women are the cream of the crop,” said Heather Keller, national WMU ministry consultant for Girls in Action, Children in Action and Acteens. “Their missions resumes reflect all areas of missions discipleship: learning about missions, praying for missions, supporting missions, doing missions and telling others about Jesus. These young women are not the ‘next’ generation, they are the ‘now’ generation of missions! I am excited to work with them and learn from them this year and know we will all be blessed by hearing about their passion for missions.” ALEXIS ANDRADE As a member of Acteens for more than six years, Andrade has had opportunities to serve her community through outreach events, packing backpacks … [Read more...]