Southern Baptist Leader Steve Gaines Dies, Faithful Remembrance and Hope

Faith Points:

• Gaines served as President of the Southern Baptist Convention from 2016 to 2018 and helped revise the Baptist Faith and Message.
• Under his leadership at Bellevue Baptist Church, the “Bellevue Loves Memphis” initiative mobilized thousands for community service.
• He earned a doctorate in preaching and authored books on the power of prayer and the need for spiritual revival.

Dr. Steve Gaines, a revered former President of the Southern Baptist Convention, entered his eternal rest on Friday at the age of 68.

After a courageous two-year battle with cancer, the longtime Bellevue Baptist Church pastor is now in the presence of his Savior.

Gaines dedicated over four decades to pastoral ministry, leaving an indelible mark on the largest Protestant denomination in the United States.

His legacy is defined by a deep commitment to the Great Commission and the defense of biblical doctrine.

Dr. Richard Land described Gaines as a man possessed of a pastor’s heart and evangelistic zeal who provided decades of service to the Lord’s Kingdom.

“We will miss him greatly and are comforted only by the fact that he’s in a far, far better place now, in the arms of his Savior.”

The Gaines family, including his wife Donna and their four children, continues to covet the prayers of the faithful during this time of transition.

We honor his lifelong dedication to the Gospel and his unwavering stand for the Truth of God’s Word.