Steve Gaines (pastor)
Encyclopedia
Dr. John Steven "Steve" Gaines (born December 31, 1957, in Corinth, Mississippi
) is an American Southern Baptist pastor
. He is currently serving at Bellevue Baptist Church
in Cordova
(a suburb
of Memphis, Tennessee
), one of the largest congregations in the Southern Baptist Convention
. On Sunday, July 10, 2005 the Pastor Search Committee of Bellevue Baptist Church presented Dr. Steve Gaines to the church congregation. At the conclusion of the services the Bellevue family overwhelmingly voted to call Steve Gaines as the seventh Pastor of Bellevue Baptist Church. Gaines succeeds the longtime Bellevue pastor Adrian Rogers.
Before arriving at Bellevue Baptist, Gaines pastored for 14 years at the Gardendale First Baptist Church
, an 8,500-member church in suburban Birmingham, Alabama
. There he became one of the leading voices in the conservative
wing of the SBC. In 2004, Gaines was elected president of the Southern Baptist Pastors' Conference, and was the keynote speaker at the SBC annual meeting in Nashville
. He served with his predecessor at Bellevue and three-time SBC president, Adrian Rogers
, on a committee charged with revising The Baptist Faith and Message
. The document, which is the primary doctrinal statement for all SBC
agencies, including its six seminaries and International Mission Board, was adopted by the SBC in 2000.
Gaines' theology
is best described as conservative and evangelical
.
. Their father worked for the Illinois Central Railroad
and retired in 1976 as a track supervisor. Their mother founded and supervised a janitorial business in Dyersburg, for which both Gaines and his brother worked. He was baptized by his pastor at First Baptist Church in Dyersburg, Dr. Robert Orr.
During his senior year at Dyersburg High School, Gaines was selected as first team defensive end in the Big Ten Conference
and as All-District in track. He entered the University of Tennessee at Martin
on a full football scholarship in the fall of 1975. By the third game of his freshman season, he shared a starting defensive end position with a senior team mate. At UTM
, he began attending weekly meetings of the Fellowship of Christian Athletes
. In the fall of 1977 he gave up his football scholarship to transfer to Union University
, a Christian college in Jackson, Tennessee
. On October 23, 1977, Steve Gaines was licensed to the Gospel ministry by his home church in Dyersburg.
, Gaines met Memphian Donna Dodds, a campus leader who was selected as Miss Union University. Their first date was in December 1978, and they were married on June 14, 1980. Donna Gaines is a Bible teacher and author who leads women's ministries at Bellevue
and speaks at churches and conferences across the nation. She has a Master's of Education from Texas Woman's University
in Denton, Texas, and is board certified as an educational diagnostician. Steve and Donna Gaines have four children.
degree at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary
in Fort Worth, Texas. For seven years he served as Professor Roy Fish’s grader, longer than anyone else to ever hold that position. In the final year of his master’s program, the seminary preaching faculty awarded Steve with the H. C. Brown, Jr. Preaching Award for “Outstanding Achievement in the Study and Practice of Preaching.” At the same time, the evangelism faculty presented him with the W. Fred Swank Evangelism Award for best demonstrating the spirit of evangelism as a graduating student. Fred Swank was the legendary pastor or Sagamore Hill Baptist Church in Fort Worth, Texas.
He was the only Southwestern Seminary graduate to ever receive both awards. For Senior Preaching Week, Gaines was selected to preach in the seminary’s chapel services before his professors and peers. He graduated with his Master’s of Divinity
on May 11, 1984.
He began doctoral seminars at Southwestern in the fall of 1985, majoring in preaching and minoring in evangelism. Dr. Fish’s course on The History of Spiritual Awakenings particularly inspired him to pray and seek genuine revival for America. His doctoral dissertation was entitled, “An Analysis of the Correlation between Representative Baptist Hour Sermons by Herschel H. Hobbs and Selected Articles of The Baptist Faith and Message.” He graduated from Southwestern Seminary
with a Ph.D. on May 10, 1991.
. When the pastor resigned, he was asked to serve as the church’s interim pastor, and six months later the church called him as pastor. The church grew steadily during the next five years, adding an educational wing and renovating the church facility. The church also planted Shady Shores Baptist Church in Shady Shores, Texas
, during Gaines’ tenure as pastor there.
After eight years in Texas, Gaines returned to Jackson, Tennessee
, in 1988 to serve as pastor of West Jackson Baptist Church. In 1991, First Baptist Church in Gardendale, Alabama
called him to be the pastor. For 14 years of his ministry at Gardendale, the church membership grew exponentially. For the Easter 2005, services were held at the Birmingham-Jefferson Civic Center where more than 10,000 people attended.
in Memphis, Tennessee
, at the invitation of Pastor Adrian Rogers
. After Rogers’ retirement in 2005, the church voted to call Gaines as pastor. On July 10, 2005, Gaines accepted the call and preached to more than 10,000 people in two morning worship services. He preached his first sermon as pastor on September 11, 2005. Numerical growth in every area of the church’s life marked Gaines’ first year at Bellevue, but the church experienced leadership transition difficulties in the second year.
issued a proclamation recognizing Bellevue as an institution that has demonstrated “unflagging capacity for love, dedication of spirit, and faith in God” and for enriching the lives of people in their community. The proclamation cited pastor Gaines’ for leading the way in showing “Jesus’ love to the City of Memphis by meeting practical needs of residents” and for “embracing Bellevue Loves Memphis as a way of life.” The document mentioned the church’s sponsor of a Christian Mobile Dental Clinic that provides free dental care to the underprivileged, and the church’s funding of The Vue, a ministry for college students located near the University of Memphis
and accessible to students of other local colleges and universities. The proclamation noted that on six workdays, 5,300 volunteers have contributed between 30,000-35,000 hours through yard work, painting, construction, and more to benefit 40 schools, two post-secondary schools, 44 churches, 55 family homes, 14 parks, nine city/government buildings, 16 hospitals, 47 ministries, and ten Memphis City School
football fields. The proclamation also noted that Bellevue Loves Memphis provided every city fire station with a copy of the movie “Fireproof,” assisted with the City of Memphis clean up, and assisted with ten block parties. The document also recognized the church for hosting the Tennessee Technology Center’s 2008-2009 graduation. The proclamation is posted on the church web site www.bellevue.org under Serve/Missions. The church has also has opened its facilities for city and county school in-service meetings and for city and county school graduation ceremonies.
in the 1980s. The next day, December 19, Gaines released a statement that acknowledged that he had been aware of the allegation since June 2006 but that he did not address it for several months because the staffer had been attending professional counseling and also because of confidentiality concerns and compassion for the staffer. The same day, Michael Spradlin, who is president of Mid-America Baptist Theological Seminary
(located across the street from Bellevue's campus), told the Commercial Appeal that "[i]f a minister has first hand knowledge of allegations of child molestation and does nothing about it then that minister should resign."
On December 20, 2006, Gaines addressed several hundred members of his congregation, saying he would like to remain pastor at Bellevue. On January 28, 2007, a church committee released a report on the incident. The report criticized Gaines for not immediately coming forward with the information related to the alleged abuse, either to the church or to authorities. No criminal charges were ever brought regarding the allegations'
Corinth, Mississippi
Corinth is a city in Alcorn County, Mississippi, United States. The population was 14,054 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Alcorn County. Its ZIP codes are 38834 and 38835.- History :...
) is an American Southern Baptist pastor
Pastor
The word pastor usually refers to an ordained leader of a Christian congregation. When used as an ecclesiastical styling or title, this role may be abbreviated to "Pr." or often "Ps"....
. He is currently serving at Bellevue Baptist Church
Bellevue Baptist Church
Bellevue Baptist Church is a large Southern Baptist megachurch in the Cordova area of Memphis, Tennessee, United States.-History:Bellevue Baptist was founded in 1903 by Central Baptist Church as a mission church on the outskirts of Memphis...
in Cordova
Cordova, Tennessee
Cordova is a community in Shelby County, Tennessee, United States. Cordova lies on Memphis' northeast side, north of Germantown, and northwest of Collierville....
(a suburb
Suburb
The word suburb mostly refers to a residential area, either existing as part of a city or as a separate residential community within commuting distance of a city . Some suburbs have a degree of administrative autonomy, and most have lower population density than inner city neighborhoods...
of Memphis, Tennessee
Memphis, Tennessee
Memphis is a city in the southwestern corner of the U.S. state of Tennessee, and the county seat of Shelby County. The city is located on the 4th Chickasaw Bluff, south of the confluence of the Wolf and Mississippi rivers....
), one of the largest congregations in the Southern Baptist Convention
Southern Baptist Convention
The Southern Baptist Convention is a United States-based Christian denomination. It is the world's largest Baptist denomination and the largest Protestant body in the United States, with over 16 million members...
. On Sunday, July 10, 2005 the Pastor Search Committee of Bellevue Baptist Church presented Dr. Steve Gaines to the church congregation. At the conclusion of the services the Bellevue family overwhelmingly voted to call Steve Gaines as the seventh Pastor of Bellevue Baptist Church. Gaines succeeds the longtime Bellevue pastor Adrian Rogers.
Before arriving at Bellevue Baptist, Gaines pastored for 14 years at the Gardendale First Baptist Church
Gardendale First Baptist Church
Gardendale First Baptist Church is a Southern Baptist megachurch in Gardendale, Alabama. The church's senior pastor is Dr...
, an 8,500-member church in suburban Birmingham, Alabama
Birmingham, Alabama
Birmingham is the largest city in Alabama. The city is the county seat of Jefferson County. According to the 2010 United States Census, Birmingham had a population of 212,237. The Birmingham-Hoover Metropolitan Area, in estimate by the U.S...
. There he became one of the leading voices in the conservative
Conservative Christianity
Conservative Christianity is a term applied to a number of groups or movements seen as giving priority to traditional Christian beliefs and practices...
wing of the SBC. In 2004, Gaines was elected president of the Southern Baptist Pastors' Conference, and was the keynote speaker at the SBC annual meeting in Nashville
Nashville, Tennessee
Nashville is the capital of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the county seat of Davidson County. It is located on the Cumberland River in Davidson County, in the north-central part of the state. The city is a center for the health care, publishing, banking and transportation industries, and is home...
. He served with his predecessor at Bellevue and three-time SBC president, Adrian Rogers
Adrian Rogers
Adrian Pierce Rogers served three terms as president of the Southern Baptist Convention , a Southern Baptist pastor, and a conservative author....
, on a committee charged with revising The Baptist Faith and Message
Baptist Faith and Message
The Baptist Faith and Message is the confession of faith of the Southern Baptist Convention . It summarizes key Southern Baptist thought in the areas of the Bible and its authority, the nature of God as expressed by the Trinity, the spiritual condition of man, God's plan of grace and salvation,...
. The document, which is the primary doctrinal statement for all SBC
Southern Baptist Convention
The Southern Baptist Convention is a United States-based Christian denomination. It is the world's largest Baptist denomination and the largest Protestant body in the United States, with over 16 million members...
agencies, including its six seminaries and International Mission Board, was adopted by the SBC in 2000.
Gaines' theology
Theology
Theology is the systematic and rational study of religion and its influences and of the nature of religious truths, or the learned profession acquired by completing specialized training in religious studies, usually at a university or school of divinity or seminary.-Definition:Augustine of Hippo...
is best described as conservative and evangelical
Evangelicalism
Evangelicalism is a Protestant Christian movement which began in Great Britain in the 1730s and gained popularity in the United States during the series of Great Awakenings of the 18th and 19th century.Its key commitments are:...
.
Early life
Born to parents Edgar and Dorothy Gaines, Steve and his only sibling, Ed, spent most of their youth in the small town of Dyersburg, TennesseeDyersburg, Tennessee
Dyersburg is a city in and the county seat of Dyer County, Tennessee, United States, north-northeast of Memphis on the Forked Deer River. The population was 17,145 at the 2010 census.-Geography:Dyersburg is located at...
. Their father worked for the Illinois Central Railroad
Illinois Central Railroad
The Illinois Central Railroad , sometimes called the Main Line of Mid-America, is a railroad in the central United States, with its primary routes connecting Chicago, Illinois with New Orleans, Louisiana and Birmingham, Alabama. A line also connected Chicago with Sioux City, Iowa...
and retired in 1976 as a track supervisor. Their mother founded and supervised a janitorial business in Dyersburg, for which both Gaines and his brother worked. He was baptized by his pastor at First Baptist Church in Dyersburg, Dr. Robert Orr.
During his senior year at Dyersburg High School, Gaines was selected as first team defensive end in the Big Ten Conference
Big Ten Conference
The Big Ten Conference is the United States' oldest Division I college athletic conference. Its twelve member institutions are located primarily in the Midwestern United States, stretching from Nebraska in the west to Pennsylvania in the east...
and as All-District in track. He entered the University of Tennessee at Martin
University of Tennessee at Martin
The University of Tennessee at Martin is a campus in the University of Tennessee system. Other campuses include the flagship campus in Knoxville, the Chattanooga campus, the Center for the Health Sciences in Memphis, and the Space Institute in Tullahoma...
on a full football scholarship in the fall of 1975. By the third game of his freshman season, he shared a starting defensive end position with a senior team mate. At UTM
University of Tennessee at Martin
The University of Tennessee at Martin is a campus in the University of Tennessee system. Other campuses include the flagship campus in Knoxville, the Chattanooga campus, the Center for the Health Sciences in Memphis, and the Space Institute in Tullahoma...
, he began attending weekly meetings of the Fellowship of Christian Athletes
Fellowship of Christian Athletes
The Fellowship of Christian Athletes is a non-profit interdenominational Christian organization founded in 1954 and that has been based in Kansas City, Missouri since 1956. It falls within the tradition of Muscular Christianity. Although established by evangelical Protestants, the concept has...
. In the fall of 1977 he gave up his football scholarship to transfer to Union University
Union University
Union University is a private, evangelical Christian, liberal arts university located in Jackson, Tennessee, with additional campuses in Germantown, Tennessee, and Hendersonville, Tennessee...
, a Christian college in Jackson, Tennessee
Jackson, Tennessee
Jackson is a city in Madison County, Tennessee, United States. The total population was 65,211 at the 2010 census. Jackson is the primary city of the Jackson, Tennessee metropolitan area, which is included in the Jackson-Humboldt, Tennessee Combined Statistical Area...
. On October 23, 1977, Steve Gaines was licensed to the Gospel ministry by his home church in Dyersburg.
Family
At Union UniversityUnion University
Union University is a private, evangelical Christian, liberal arts university located in Jackson, Tennessee, with additional campuses in Germantown, Tennessee, and Hendersonville, Tennessee...
, Gaines met Memphian Donna Dodds, a campus leader who was selected as Miss Union University. Their first date was in December 1978, and they were married on June 14, 1980. Donna Gaines is a Bible teacher and author who leads women's ministries at Bellevue
Bellevue Baptist Church
Bellevue Baptist Church is a large Southern Baptist megachurch in the Cordova area of Memphis, Tennessee, United States.-History:Bellevue Baptist was founded in 1903 by Central Baptist Church as a mission church on the outskirts of Memphis...
and speaks at churches and conferences across the nation. She has a Master's of Education from Texas Woman's University
Texas Woman's University
Texas Woman's University is a co-educational university in Denton, Texas, United States with two health science center branches in Dallas, Texas and Houston, Texas...
in Denton, Texas, and is board certified as an educational diagnostician. Steve and Donna Gaines have four children.
Education
After graduating from Union University in 1979, Gaines began studies for a Master of DivinityMaster of Divinity
In the academic study of theology, the Master of Divinity is the first professional degree of the pastoral profession in North America...
degree at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary
Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary
Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, headquartered in Fort Worth, Texas, is a private, non-profit institution of higher education, associated with the Southern Baptist Convention...
in Fort Worth, Texas. For seven years he served as Professor Roy Fish’s grader, longer than anyone else to ever hold that position. In the final year of his master’s program, the seminary preaching faculty awarded Steve with the H. C. Brown, Jr. Preaching Award for “Outstanding Achievement in the Study and Practice of Preaching.” At the same time, the evangelism faculty presented him with the W. Fred Swank Evangelism Award for best demonstrating the spirit of evangelism as a graduating student. Fred Swank was the legendary pastor or Sagamore Hill Baptist Church in Fort Worth, Texas.
He was the only Southwestern Seminary graduate to ever receive both awards. For Senior Preaching Week, Gaines was selected to preach in the seminary’s chapel services before his professors and peers. He graduated with his Master’s of Divinity
Master of Divinity
In the academic study of theology, the Master of Divinity is the first professional degree of the pastoral profession in North America...
on May 11, 1984.
He began doctoral seminars at Southwestern in the fall of 1985, majoring in preaching and minoring in evangelism. Dr. Fish’s course on The History of Spiritual Awakenings particularly inspired him to pray and seek genuine revival for America. His doctoral dissertation was entitled, “An Analysis of the Correlation between Representative Baptist Hour Sermons by Herschel H. Hobbs and Selected Articles of The Baptist Faith and Message.” He graduated from Southwestern Seminary
Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary
Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, headquartered in Fort Worth, Texas, is a private, non-profit institution of higher education, associated with the Southern Baptist Convention...
with a Ph.D. on May 10, 1991.
Ministry
On July 27, 1980, Steve was ordained to the Gospel ministry at First Baptist Church, Dyersburg. In 1978 he became youth pastor at First Baptist Church in Milan, Tennessee, where he served for a little more than two years before beginning studies at Southwestern Seminary. While a student at Southwestern Seminary, he was associate pastor/youth minister at Lake Shore Baptist Church in Lake Dallas, TexasLake Dallas, Texas
Lake Dallas is a city in Denton County, Texas, United States. The population was 6,166 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Lake Dallas is located at ....
. When the pastor resigned, he was asked to serve as the church’s interim pastor, and six months later the church called him as pastor. The church grew steadily during the next five years, adding an educational wing and renovating the church facility. The church also planted Shady Shores Baptist Church in Shady Shores, Texas
Shady Shores, Texas
Shady Shores is a town in Denton County, Texas, United States. The population was 1,461 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Shady Shores is located at ....
, during Gaines’ tenure as pastor there.
After eight years in Texas, Gaines returned to Jackson, Tennessee
Jackson, Tennessee
Jackson is a city in Madison County, Tennessee, United States. The total population was 65,211 at the 2010 census. Jackson is the primary city of the Jackson, Tennessee metropolitan area, which is included in the Jackson-Humboldt, Tennessee Combined Statistical Area...
, in 1988 to serve as pastor of West Jackson Baptist Church. In 1991, First Baptist Church in Gardendale, Alabama
Gardendale, Alabama
Gardendale is a city in Jefferson County, Alabama, United States, and a northern suburb of Birmingham. The population was 11,626 at the 2000 census. 2009 Census estimates propose a population of 13,720.-History:...
called him to be the pastor. For 14 years of his ministry at Gardendale, the church membership grew exponentially. For the Easter 2005, services were held at the Birmingham-Jefferson Civic Center where more than 10,000 people attended.
Involvement with Bellevue
While serving in Alabama, Steve was an annual guest speaker at Bellevue Baptist ChurchBellevue Baptist Church
Bellevue Baptist Church is a large Southern Baptist megachurch in the Cordova area of Memphis, Tennessee, United States.-History:Bellevue Baptist was founded in 1903 by Central Baptist Church as a mission church on the outskirts of Memphis...
in Memphis, Tennessee
Memphis, Tennessee
Memphis is a city in the southwestern corner of the U.S. state of Tennessee, and the county seat of Shelby County. The city is located on the 4th Chickasaw Bluff, south of the confluence of the Wolf and Mississippi rivers....
, at the invitation of Pastor Adrian Rogers
Adrian Rogers
Adrian Pierce Rogers served three terms as president of the Southern Baptist Convention , a Southern Baptist pastor, and a conservative author....
. After Rogers’ retirement in 2005, the church voted to call Gaines as pastor. On July 10, 2005, Gaines accepted the call and preached to more than 10,000 people in two morning worship services. He preached his first sermon as pastor on September 11, 2005. Numerical growth in every area of the church’s life marked Gaines’ first year at Bellevue, but the church experienced leadership transition difficulties in the second year.
Bellevue Loves Memphis
In 2007 Gaines initiated a church-wide, ongoing volunteer ministry to Memphis and the community. On September 28, 2009, the State of Tennessee House of RepresentativesTennessee House of Representatives
The Tennessee House of Representatives is the lower house of the Tennessee General Assembly, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Tennessee.-Constitutional requirements:...
issued a proclamation recognizing Bellevue as an institution that has demonstrated “unflagging capacity for love, dedication of spirit, and faith in God” and for enriching the lives of people in their community. The proclamation cited pastor Gaines’ for leading the way in showing “Jesus’ love to the City of Memphis by meeting practical needs of residents” and for “embracing Bellevue Loves Memphis as a way of life.” The document mentioned the church’s sponsor of a Christian Mobile Dental Clinic that provides free dental care to the underprivileged, and the church’s funding of The Vue, a ministry for college students located near the University of Memphis
University of Memphis
The University of Memphis is an American public research university located in the Normal Station neighborhood of Memphis, Tennessee and is the flagship public research university of the Tennessee Board of Regents system....
and accessible to students of other local colleges and universities. The proclamation noted that on six workdays, 5,300 volunteers have contributed between 30,000-35,000 hours through yard work, painting, construction, and more to benefit 40 schools, two post-secondary schools, 44 churches, 55 family homes, 14 parks, nine city/government buildings, 16 hospitals, 47 ministries, and ten Memphis City School
Memphis City Schools
Memphis City Schools is the school district operating public schools in the city of Memphis, Tennessee. Its headquarters are in the Francis E. Coe Administration Building...
football fields. The proclamation also noted that Bellevue Loves Memphis provided every city fire station with a copy of the movie “Fireproof,” assisted with the City of Memphis clean up, and assisted with ten block parties. The document also recognized the church for hosting the Tennessee Technology Center’s 2008-2009 graduation. The proclamation is posted on the church web site www.bellevue.org under Serve/Missions. The church has also has opened its facilities for city and county school in-service meetings and for city and county school graduation ceremonies.
Recognition
In April 2009, Dr. Gaines was honored with the "Open Door Award" by the April 4th foundation. This was in recognition "His passion for evangelism (which) has galvanized his congregation to reach their city with the Gospel in unprecedented ways by meeting practical needs throughout Memphis."Handling of minister misconduct
On December 18, 2006, the church announced that a minister and staffer at the church for thirty-four years had been placed on leave with an investigation pending regarding a "moral failure," identified by Gaines and others as alleged child molestationChild sexual abuse
Child sexual abuse is a form of child abuse in which an adult or older adolescent uses a child for sexual stimulation. Forms of child sexual abuse include asking or pressuring a child to engage in sexual activities , indecent exposure with intent to gratify their own sexual desires or to...
in the 1980s. The next day, December 19, Gaines released a statement that acknowledged that he had been aware of the allegation since June 2006 but that he did not address it for several months because the staffer had been attending professional counseling and also because of confidentiality concerns and compassion for the staffer. The same day, Michael Spradlin, who is president of Mid-America Baptist Theological Seminary
Mid-America Baptist Theological Seminary
Mid-America Baptist Theological Seminary prepares students for vocational ministry. It provides associate, masters and doctorate theological degrees, and is accredited by The Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools....
(located across the street from Bellevue's campus), told the Commercial Appeal that "[i]f a minister has first hand knowledge of allegations of child molestation and does nothing about it then that minister should resign."
On December 20, 2006, Gaines addressed several hundred members of his congregation, saying he would like to remain pastor at Bellevue. On January 28, 2007, a church committee released a report on the incident. The report criticized Gaines for not immediately coming forward with the information related to the alleged abuse, either to the church or to authorities. No criminal charges were ever brought regarding the allegations'
Books authored
- Morning Manna, a 365-day devotional book (2003)
- When God Comes to Church (2007)