Bellevue Baptist Church in Tennessee has elected Ben Mandrell, CEO of Lifeway Christian Resources, to succeed former Southern Baptist Convention President Steve Gaines as its senior pastor.
Mandrell, 48, was selected following the church’s Sunday vote, which received nearly unanimous support, and he is scheduled to lead his first Sunday service on August 10.
“Pastor Search Committee Chairman Chad Hall asked members to stand if they approved of Mandrell, and nearly everyone in the sanctuary did, showing strong support for his appointment.
Mandrell has served as the head of Lifeway since 2019, overseeing the organization’s relocation to Brentwood, Tennessee, as well as its financial growth during the COVID-19 pandemic. Mandrell has pastored churches in Colorado and Tennessee, and he and his wife Lynley, married in 2001, have four children.
Steve Gaines, who served as SBC president from 2016 to 2018 and led Bellevue since 2005, announced in November 2023 that he was diagnosed with kidney cancer.
Last September, Gaines told his congregation he was stepping down as senior pastor to focus on itinerant preaching, clarifying “that this resignation was not for health reasons.” The church’s recent business meeting decided to bestow the title of "pastor emeritus" on Gaines.
Meanwhile, Lifeway Christian Resources, based in Nashville and the publishing arm of the Southern Baptist Convention, has appointed Joe Walker as interim president and CEO. Walker, who has been the executive vice president and chief operating officer since March, will serve until a new successor is named for Mandrell.
