Steve Gaines, longtime pastor of Bellevue Baptist Church in Memphis and a former president of the Southern Baptist Convention, died March 20, after a long battle with cancer. He was 68.
Gaines served as pastor of Bellevue for more than two decades and was known as an evangelist, revival advocate and passionate preacher. He served as president of the Southern Baptist Convention and in other convention roles during more than 40 years in pastoral ministry before stepping away from full-time responsibilities at Bellevue in 2024 to focus on his health and pursue other ministry opportunities.
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Born Dec. 31, 1957, in Corinth, Mississippi, Gaines was raised in Dyersburg, Tennessee, where he first sensed a call to the ministry. He initially attended the University of Tennessee at Martin on a football scholarship but transferred to Union University in 1977 to prepare for ministry. He was licensed to preach that same year.
After graduating from Union in 1979, Gaines continued his education at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, earning a master of divinity in 1984 and a doctorate in preaching and evangelism in 1991. While there, he received both the H.C. Brown Jr. Preaching Award and the W. Fred Swank Evangelism Award.
First ministry assignment
While at Union, Gaines began his first ministry assignment as youth pastor of First Baptist Church in Milan, Tennessee. He later served churches in Texas while attending seminary before returning to Tennessee as pastor of West Jackson Baptist Church in Jackson.
Gaines was called in 1991 as pastor of First Baptist Church Gardendale, Alabama, where he served for 14 years. During his tenure, the church reported more than 3,200 baptisms, leading the Alabama Baptist State Convention in baptisms seven of 10 years. While there, Gaines refined a philosophy of ministry centered on prayer, revival of the church, evangelism and gospel-centered preaching.
That philosophy shaped his ministry for the next two decades. In 2005, he became the seventh pastor of Bellevue Baptist Church, succeeding longtime pastor Adrian Rogers. During his tenure, Gaines led Bellevue, one of the most influential churches in the Southern Baptist Convention, in expanding community outreach through initiatives such as “Bellevue Loves Memphis,” which mobilized thousands of volunteers to serve communities throughout the city.
Active in SBC life
Gaines was active in Southern Baptist life, notably serving on the Baptist Faith and Message Study Committee that produced the 2000 revision of the SBC’s doctrinal statement. In 2016, messengers to the Southern Baptist Convention annual meeting in St. Louis elected him president. He was re-elected in 2017 and concluded his presidency in 2018. During his tenure, he challenged Southern Baptists to pursue denominational unity, prayer, evangelism and spiritual awakening across America and within their churches.
Other roles he held included president of the SBC Pastors Conference in 2005 and president of the Tennessee Baptist Pastors Conference in 2015.
Diagnosis
Gaines was diagnosed with kidney cancer in Nov. 2023, and scans indicated the cancer had spread to his lungs the following month. However, a March 2024 PET scan showed significant improvement, with cancer spots in his lungs clearing and the kidney cancer substantially diminished.
In 2024, it was announced that Gaines would transition from the senior pastor role to an itinerant preaching ministry. When Bellevue called Ben Mandrell as senior pastor in July 2025, the congregation bestowed on Gaines the honorary title of pastor emeritus.
The cancer became more aggressive in early 2026. Gaines entered hospice care March 12 and died March 20 at age 68.
“As a native son of Tennessee, all Tennessee Baptists are thankful for, and proud of, the well-lived life of Dr. Steve Gaines,” said Randy C. Davis, president and CEO of the Tennessee Baptist Mission Board and a longtime friend of Gaines.
“He was an anointed preacher, a soul winner, and an encourager of pastors. He and his wife, Donna, were prayer warriors. He spoke boldly, but always kindly and compassionately. Southern Baptists will miss his prophetic voice,” Davis said.
He is survived by his wife, Donna; four married children — Grant (Melisa) Gaines, Lindsey (Ryan) Wingo, Allison (Gentry) Hill, and Bethany (David) Golding— and 18 grandchildren.
EDITOR’S NOTE — This story was written and released by Tennessee’s Baptist and Reflector.
