Former SBC president Steve Gaines enters hospice

Former Southern Baptist Convention President Steve Gaines recently entered hospice care. Baptist pastor Wade Lentz wrote on social media Wednesday that the church recently distributed an update on Gaines' health. His family requested privacy and no visitors at this time, but asked for prayers for peace and strength, Lentz said.

Gaines, who is in his late 60s, worked as the senior pastor of Bellevue Baptist Church in Memphis, Tenn., stepping down in 2024 after nearly 20 years of service. He then planned to become an itinerant preacher. At the time, he said his decision did not have anything to do with his 2023 kidney cancer diagnosis. Gaines was placed in hospice due to kidney cancer, a Bellevue spokeswoman said in a statement to WORLD. Ben Mandrell, the current senior pastor of Bellevue, characterized Gaines as a faithful servant of the Lord who shepherded many people over the years. 

What is Gaines known for? He served as the SBC’s president from 2016 to 2018. Before joining Bellevue in 2005, he graduated from Union University and Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary and pastored at several churches across Texas, Tennessee, and Alabama. The Southern Baptist Convention is the United States’ largest protestant denomination, with over 14 million members as of 2018.

Dig deeper: Read Christina Grube’s report on when Gaines stepped down from his role at Bellevue.