- Journal of the Mississippi Baptist Convention since 1877 November 20, 2025

First Church, Rolling Fork, helps assemble over 2,000 disaster relief buckets

First Church, Rolling Fork, helped assemble over 2,000 disaster relief buckets through a partnership with God's Pit Crew. (Photo credit: God's Pit Crew)

First Church, Rolling Fork, helps assemble over 2,000 disaster relief buckets

November 20, 2025

DANVILLE, Va. — God’s Pit Crew and First Church, Rolling Fork, partnered last weekend for a large-scale mobile Blessing Bucket packing assembly, resulting in the preparation…

Viral videos draw attention to church benevolence practices

Members of Germantown Church serve food at the Memphis Union Mission. (Photo credit: GBC)

Viral videos draw attention to church benevolence practices

November 20, 2025

Small-town church reaches 150 countries for Christ through tract ministry

Martin Busby, Ken Walters, Wayne Hollifield, and Mark May (Photo credit: Lindsey Willams)

Small-town church reaches 150 countries for Christ through tract ministry

November 19, 2025

FIRST-PERSON: 10 practical ways to encourage a discouraged church

FIRST-PERSON: 10 practical ways to encourage a discouraged church

November 18, 2025

Explore the Bible: November 26

Explore the Bible: November 26

November 18, 2025

Clergy Act advances from House
Ways and Means Committee
DALLAS – On Dec. 10 the House Ways and Means Committee advanced the Clergy Act, H.R. 227, in a bipartisan, unanimous vote. The Clergy Act would provide ministers who opted out of Social Security a one-time window to opt back in. The bipartisan legislation was reintroduced in the U.S. House of Representatives by California Congressmen Vince Fong and Mike Thompson, and has gained the support of several co-sponsors. The legislation is supported by GuideStone Financial Resources of the Southern Baptist Convention and other leaders from a wide variety of large and historic denominational benefit boards. In a news release issued by Rep. Fong’s office, GuideStone President Hance Dilbeck expressed gratitude to Fong for his leadership. The Clergy Act would create a two-year window beginning in 2029 that would allow eligible ministers who have opted out of Social Security to revoke their exemption and begin contributing. Ministers must still meet the standard 10-year contribution requirement to earn full retired-worker benefits, receiving benefits proportional to their contributions.