Ben Mandrell: Potential New Leader for Bellevue Baptist Church
In a significant move for the Southern Baptist community, Ben Mandrell, current CEO of Lifeway Christian Resources, is under consideration to become the lead pastor at Bellevue Baptist Church. This comes as a result of the church’s search committee unanimously recommending him for the role.
The Baptist Press reported that Mandrell is expected to conduct a sermon for the congregation on July 13, with a vote following soon after. “The pastor search committee’s only goal during the past eight months was to seek the man God had already chosen to lead our church,” stated Chad Hall, Chairman of the Pastor Search Committee.
Mandrell expressed his gratitude for his time at Lifeway, sharing with BP, “I am deeply grateful for these years in Nashville with Lifeway. The Lord has made it crystal clear that it’s time for us to return to the pastorate and to join the Bellevue family.”
At the age of 48, Mandrell has led Lifeway since 2019, overseeing its move to Brentwood, Tennessee, and experiencing financial growth especially post-pandemic. His previous pastoral roles were held in churches located in Colorado and Tennessee. Mandrell has been married since 2001 and shares four children with his wife, Lynley.
Mandrell’s academic credentials include a divinity degree from the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary and a doctorate from Union University.
Steve Gaines, the former senior pastor of Bellevue and ex-president of the Southern Baptist Convention, announced his diagnosis of kidney cancer in November 2023. He assured his congregation, “We got some great doctors; we’ve got the best doctor.”
Gaines had already announced his departure from Bellevue Baptist Church to concentrate on itinerant preaching, stating that his decision was not health-related. “My treatments are going well. I received a good PET scan report this last week, but regardless of what tests show, my faith is in the Lord,” Gaines shared, quoting Psalm 118: 17.
Reflecting on his service, Gaines said, “We can never put into words how grateful we are for Bellevue Baptist Church. It’s been a great honor to serve as a pastor in four churches over the past 41 years.”
This article was originally written by www.christianpost.com
