SBC History

"Jesus removed the sting of death when He walked into the grave and defeated its power. He turned the light on and says to us, “All is well! Come on in!” Steve Gaines On March 20, 2026 the SBC leader and longtime pastor of Bellevue Baptist Memphis passed away.

Taylor eventually became a pastor in Richmond, Virginia and later became the first leader of the SBC Foreign Mission Board. He served 26 years helping lead Southern Baptist foreign missions, keeping the work alive through war, financial struggles, and difficult years.

OTD in 1804, James Barnett Taylor was born in England. As a child in New York, he once persuaded his skeptical father to step into a church simply because they heard beautiful music coming from inside. Taylor and his parents were lated converted and baptized into FBC, NY.

OTD in 1895 the man Charles Spurgeon called "the greatest living preacher" died. John Albert Broadus served as the second president of Southern Baptist Theological Seminary and became one of the most influential preachers of the 19th century through his teaching and writing.

OTD in 1953 Billy Graham took down the ropes. The preacher began a revival meeting in Chattanooga, TN, and when ushers would not removed the ropes that separated Black and white attendees, Graham took the ropes down himself, saying he would not preach to a segregated audience.

"When God calls there are no regrets" Words from Karen Watson one of 4 @IMB_SBC missionaries killed OTD in 2004. Larry and Jean Elliott were career missionaries of over 25 years, and along with Watson and David McDonnall were shot in a drive by attack in Mosul.

Today in 1908 B.H Carroll founded and received the charter for @swbts The seminary functioned in Waco until 1910 when it moved to Fort Worth.

OTD The English Parliament granted the charter for the Rhode Island and Providence Plantations. Founded by Roger Williams, it was a haven for religious liberty where all were free to worship according to their conscience.

Sallie and Landrum Holmes came to China in 1859 as missionaries with the Mission Board of the SBC. Weeks after losing a daughter to illness, and while Sallie was pregnant with a son, Landrum was murdered. Sallie stayed on the field until 1891 and became a mentor to Lottie Moon.

Dr JB Hartwell spent 50 years as a SBC missionary. He served in northern China from 1858-75 and from 1889-1912. He began the first Protestant church in China, near Shanghai. He also worked with the Chinese in California, and organized the first Chinese Baptist church in the US.

OTD in 1680 the doors of the First Baptist Church Boston, MA were nailed shut by a court order. The local magistrates were not tolerant of those who supported Baptist "heresy." The church met outdoors in the cold and rain until the doors were unexpectedly opened weeks later.

OTD in 2018 Billy Graham passed away. "Someday you will read or hear that Billy Graham is dead. Don’t you believe a word of it. I shall be more alive than I am now. I will just have changed my address. I will have gone into the presence of God."

OTD in 1986 Peace Committee chair Charles Fuller reported on their work and said it was difficult to translate with words all that had transpired, and that the committee had "by no means reached a breakthrough." Read the full report of the Peace Comm here nobts.edu/baptist-center…

OTD n 1812, Adoniram and Ann Judson departed for India for the first time. The journey took about 4 months, and on the journey he became convicted of believers baptism after deep study. In September of the same year both he and his wife were baptized by William Ward.

OTD in 1678 John Bunyan publishes The Pilgrim's Progress, the best-selling book apart from the Bible in history. The allegorical tale, which describes Bunyan's own conversion process, begins, "I saw a man clothed with rags … a book in his hand and a great burden upon his back"

OTD in 1923 the trustees of @SWBTS unanimously agreed to offer the seminary, it's property, and all control to the SBC, subject to the approval of the SBC. In the May 1923 @SBCMeeting the offer was tentatively made and new trustees were organized from surrounding states.

OTD in 1950, Dr Bill Wallace, 43 years old, was found dead in his jail cell in China where was arrested while serving as an @IMB_SBC missionary. Read more about this faithful man at baptistpress.com/resource-libra…

An incomplete list of years when a name change for the Southern Baptist Convention was proposed or formally raised: 1903 1905 1957 1965 1972 1974 1975 1976 1983 1989 1990 1998 1999 2004 2012 2021 None resulted in a legal name change. See more details below.

OTD in 181 Frontier pastor John Taylor founded Buck Run Baptist church in Franklin County, KY at the age of 66 years old. Read more at baptisthistoryhomepage.com/buck.run.html

OTD in 1864, James Hickey organized the First Church of Monterey, the first Baptist church in Mexico. Hickey was in Mexico as an agent for the American Bible Society. Hickey, along with four others, helped establish the Baptist witness in Mexico.