SBC This Week

Brandon Porter and Laura Erlanson share information and insight related to the 2025 Annual Church Profile report, encourage pastors to take the Guidestone/Lifeway compensation study, share about the recent North American Mission Board meeting, report the April 2026 Cooperative Program giving, and give details on increased baptisms in Wyoming and a sports outreach event in Utah and Idaho. Plus, we get an update on the 2026 SBC Annual Meeting from Jonathan Howe.

In this episode, Brandon Porter and Laura Erlanson detail a new report from the North American Mission Board with the highest totals of church plants since 2016. We hear about the passage of the Clergy Act in the U.S. House and how the Supreme Court protected a New Jersey pregnancy support center. We also have updates on state convention initiatives, including reaching the FIFA World Cup in Kansas City. Aaron Burgner stops by to highlight the 2026 SBC Pastors' Conference. 

April has been an eventful month for the Southern Baptist Convention (SBC), marked by significant leadership changes and essential discussions surrounding child safety. In this post, we'll explore key updates, including the appointment of new entity presidents and the importance of Child Abuse Awareness Month.

Malcolm Guite, poet, author and theologian known for imaginative Christian poetry, discusses his Arthurian book Galahad and the Grail. He explores the Christian meaning of the Grail and Glastonbury legend. He speaks about imaginative apologetics and how storytelling awakens moral imagination. He reflects on bookmaking, illustrations, and the hope of the cross and resurrection.

In this Easter weekend episode, Brandon Porter and Laura Erlanson talk about the Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission's candidate Evan Lenow, new initiatives at Midwestern Seminary, Baptist journalism changes in Mississippi and Arizona, Lee Merck's appointment to lead Dakota Baptists and a discussion with pastor and BP writer David Roach on the importance of Christ's ascension.

In this episode, we learn about the nomination of Stephen Pace to be the next president of Southeastern Seminary, receive an update from the recent Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission trustees' meeting, reflect on the faithfulness of Steve Gaines, discuss an upswing in Bible sales, and hear an interview with scientist Stephen Meyer about his new film The Story of Everything.

Brandon Porter and Laura Erlanson highlight Church Planting Sunday and recent efforts to encourage African Americans to serve on the mission field, they discuss a religious liberty case between the city of Chicago and Moody Bible Institute, David Manner's retirement announcement at the Kansas0-Nebraska Baptist Convention (Church Forward) and they talk with a Kentucky pastor who is serving his church, lawmakers and legislative staff in Kentucky's General Assembly.

Brandon Porter and Laura Erlanson share how Memphis pastor Steve Gaines has entered hospice care in the midst of a battle with cancer, the search committee for the Woman's President Union presidential candidate, the 2026 SBC Resolutions Committee, a story on sports gambling as March Madness gears up, an interview on marriage with Steven Curtis and Mary Beth Chapman and how the 1960's hit song Hey, Paula! has roots to a Baptist college in Texas.

In this episode, Brandon Porter and Laura Erlanson cover the recent war between the U.S., Israel and Iran, the theological considerations of just war, the Annie Armstrong Easter Offering being underway, and Feb. 2026 Cooperative Program giving. Plus, a nostalgic look at SBC history with a fun story about 1963 bumper stickers.

In this episode, Brandon Porter and Laura Erlanson talk about the recent Forces for Good Summit aimed at equipping leaders in sexual abuse prevention and response, the recent Lifeway trustees meeting, state-level legislation aimed at protecting religious freedoms and limiting gender transition surgeries, and how the International Mission Board led efforts to take the Gospel to the Winter Olympics.