By Michael Gryboski, Editor Thursday, March 12, 2026

Former Southern Baptist Convention President Steve Gaines has entered hospice care, over two years after he was diagnosed with kidney cancer.

Bellevue Baptist Church Pastor Ben Mandrell, who replaced Gaines as lead pastor of the Cordova, Tennessee-based megachurch last year, wrote a letter to the congregation earlier this week explaining the situation.

“Steve has faithfully served the Lord and shepherded so many people through the years,” wrote Mandrell, as quoted by The Baptist Press on Thursday. “He’s been a great pastor, mentor and friend. Let’s honor him and his family by lifting them up before the Lord.”

Mandrell called on people to “join us in faithfully praying for Steve, for Donna, and for their entire family — that the Lord would surround them with His peace, comfort and strength.”

Gaines was SBC president for two one-year terms from 2016-2018, served on the committee to revise the Baptist Faith & Message in 2000, and served as lead pastor at Bellevue Baptist from 2005 until stepping down last year.

In November 2023, Gaines announced that he had been diagnosed with kidney cancer, though he was confident that he had “some great doctors” treating him.

Gaines reported in March 2024 that his condition was improving, explaining in a video that “I still have cancer, but it’s really, really going away, and I’m grateful to God for miracles and medicine.”

Gaines also explained that “the last PET scan that I had showed that there were no more polyps of cancer in my lungs,” but added that his “myasthenia gravis, which literally means grave or severe muscular weakness, has been re-enacted.”

In September 2024, Gaines told his congregation that he was stepping down as senior pastor to focus on itinerant preaching, clarifying that this resignation was not for health reasons.

"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 and in His Word where he has told me from Psalm 118: 17, 'I will not die," Gaines said at the time. "Now I'm going to die one of these days, but not from this."

A clear majority of the Bellevue Baptist congregation would vote in July of last year to select Mandrell, the chief executive officer of Lifeway Christian Resources, to replace Gaines, who would receive the title of “pastor emeritus.” 

News Source : https://www.christianpost.com/news/steve-gaines-former-sbc-president-entering-hospice-care.html