In the News

Bill Elliff speaks

‘Spread the fame of revival to spread the flame of revival,’ Elliff tells editors

By Shannon Baker Listen to audio interview. ANAHEIM – Believing our nation and the Southern Baptist Convention—if things are handled correctly—is on the precipice of revival, revivalist and author Bill Elliff offered ways editors in the Association of State Baptist Publications (ASBP) could prepare to “spread the fame of revival to spread the flame of revival.” Speaking at a dinner gathering on June 13, 2022, at Bubba Gump Shrimp Company during the annual meeting of the Southern Baptist Convention in Anaheim, California, Elliff shared how he is seeing some of the same signs of revival that he experienced in the …

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Long-Time SBC Writer Tapped As Florida Baptist Communications Editor

JACKSONVILLE—Veteran Southern Baptist communicator Margaret Colson will join the Florida Baptist Convention staff as consulting communications editor, effective April 1. In this role, Colson will lead the Florida Baptist Writers’ Network in discovering and developing stories that tell how God is using Florida Baptist churches, their pastors and church members to further His Kingdom in the Sunshine State. She will also report on Convention-related news and feature stories. “Margaret Colson has been involved in telling the Florida Baptist story for many years,” said Tommy Green, executive director-treasurer of the Florida Baptist Convention. “We are extremely confident she will continue raising the bar of excellence in …

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Baptist editors honor Ledbetters at annual gathering

By Jane Rodgers, Southern Baptist TEXAN KEY LARGO, Fla.—Editors at the Feb. 7-10 annual meeting of the Association of State Baptist Publications issued a resolution honoring Gary Ledbetter upon his transition from serving as longtime editor of the Southern Baptist Texan. The resolution acknowledged Ledbetter’s involvement as a “noted editor and writer in Southern Baptist life” for more than 45 years, including 21 as editor of the Texan and communications director for the Southern Baptists of Texas Convention. Other career highlights recognized in the resolution included Ledbetter’s tenure as ASBP president in 2009; serving as Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary vice …

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Minnesota-Wisconsin Baptist editor celebrates 25 years of service — from Texas

By Michael Smith | The Baptist Paper Many Americans had to adjust to a new normal when they were forced to work from home at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. For David Williams, it was nothing new. For 25 years he has been editor of the Minnesota-Wisconsin Baptist newspaper — from Texas. Williams’ first stint with the Minnesota-Wisconsin Baptist Convention was in 1994 when he served as state paper editor and evangelism/stewardship director, before returning to Texas to become pastor of Flower Mound First Baptist Church. He left that position in 2014 to be director of missions for Trinity River Baptist Association in Liberty, …

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‘Together Again’: Baptist editors gather for first in-person workshop in two years

By Trennis Henderson | The Baptist Paper KEY LARGO, Fla.—Highlighting the theme, “Together Again,” the Association of State Baptist Publications held its annual meeting Feb. 7–10 in Key Largo, Florida. It marked the group’s first in-person gathering in two years after the 2021 meeting was moved online due to COVID-19 safety protocols. ASBP, the professional organization of editors and staff of state Baptist news media, is designed to provide professional development, inspire high journalistic standards and build fellowship and mutual support among participants across the nation. ASBP President Brian Hobbs, editor of the Oklahoma Baptist Messenger, presided over the four-day meeting. In his …

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Baptist New Mexican Changing Publication Frequency, Becoming Monthly

Originally published on Feb. 1, 2021 on The Baptist New Mexican by Kevin Parker ALBUQUERQUE (BNM) – The Baptist New Mexican will transition to a larger monthly publication in March, 2021, due to funding changes and cost increases. Along with the change in publication frequency, churches and individuals will also see adjustments in subscription pricing. The changes will allow the paper to continue publication and online availability and may even bring back some color printed issues, which were totally removed in 2020 due to costs.  Until these changes, the 109-year-old Baptist New Mexican newspaper was one of only two remaining …

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The BR magazine is just around the corner

Originally posted on Dec. 8, 2020 on The Biblical Recorder by Seth Brown December 12 will mark the last publication of the Biblical Recorder’s bi-weekly newspaper, but it is the beginning of a new era for our printed news. Since 1833, the Recorder has been a news source for North Carolina Baptists. That legacy continues as we publish on more platforms than ever. The forthcoming monthly magazine in January will be an outstanding addition. Former editor Josiah Bailey (1895-1907) honored the Recorder’s 70th anniversary by saying it should be a source of inspiration and a “bond of unity binding an …

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Southern Baptist Media Day is Sunday, July 26

Originally published on July 24, 2020 on The Alabama Baptist EDITOR’S NOTE: July 26 is Southern Baptist Media Day in the Southern Baptist Convention. Trusted sources of information and inspiration for almost 200 years, Southern Baptist media have experienced myriad changes and challenges in 2020. Added to the Southern Baptist Convention calendar in 2019, Southern Baptist Media Day, on July 26, is set aside to celebrate how God has used and continues to use Southern Baptist media in His mission. “In a culture where mainstream media continue to face an identity crisis and competition from expert bloggers and TV and …

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Mississippi’s The Baptist Record goes fully digital

Originally published on July 22, 2020 by Baptist Press JACKSON, Miss. (BP) — The Baptist Record will cease printing after 143 years, going fully digital and free of charge on its own website, according to editor William H. Perkins Jr. “There came a time when the last buggy repair shop in Mississippi had to close, because the need for horse-drawn carriages had passed,” Perkins said. “As automobiles were to horse-drawn carriages in another era, the internet has brought tremendous change to the news industry, both religious and secular.” Perkins cited the newspaper’s declining print subscription base as a factor that …

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June ASBP Virtual Meeting

Baptist editors meet/conduct business virtually

By Margaret Colson Meeting virtually for the first time in the organization’s 125-year history, approximately 25 members of the Association of State Baptist Publications (ASBP) elected a president-elect and honored two retiring state Baptist editors in a business meeting convened by 2020–21 ASBP President Jennifer Davis Rash. ASBP members typically would have met in conjunction with the Annual Meeting of the Southern Baptist Convention scheduled to have been held in Orlando, Fla., in early June. After the annual meeting was canceled because of the COVID-19 pandemic, Rash, editor of The Alabama Baptist, led ASBP members to gather virtually. “We all …

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