Hello BRN Family it is good to be with you today!

Every year thousands upon thousands of Southern Baptists meet for the SBC Annual Meeting. It is next week in Orlando, Florida! The two-day annual meeting is the only time in a year that the convention sets the work and agenda of the SBC for the year to come.

Did you know this meeting is one of the largest business meetings in the world? It is beautiful, because we worship together, we celebrate the sending of missionaries out to the mission field, and we hear testimonies of how our cooperative mission giving is impacting lives all around the world. 

And check out some of the amazing opportunities ahead of us:

  • June 1-7 will be Crossover, a week of Kingdom impact as churches serve the communities in and around Central Florida. 
  • This year, the 2026 SBC Pastors’ Conference will feature four specifically designed micro-conferences for the entire church staff in addition to the traditional preaching and worship content. 
  • The SBC’s Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission will host “One Nation Under God: Reflections on 250 Years of Faith and Democracy” Monday evening in honor of America’s 250th anniversary.
  • There will be a pastors’ wives and women in ministry conference, a ministers’ wives luncheon, several opportunities focused on preventing abuse in churches, several seminary and college alumni gatherings, and many gatherings representing a multitude of ethnic groups within the SBC.

With nearly 200 events, meetings, and gatherings taking place throughout the week, no doubt, you will be encouraged in your calling, equipped for your mission, and inspired for the work ahead.

These annual meetings are always filled with glorious highlights but, if I am honest, there are lowlights, too. But that can be expected. Anytime you have this many people meeting for business not everyone is going to come away having felt their voice and opinion heard.

We know the main topic of the day concerns pastoral roles, which your BRN Executive Board addressed two years ago in our “Statement Pertaining to Church Offices.” My prayer in the midst of it all is that God will be glorified and that Southern Baptists would be unified in the mission God has called us. And especially in the business sessions, may our hearts lean into God’s perfect will and plan for Southern Baptists.

Our main concern as Baptists should always be how do we stay faithful to Christ, His Word, and His mission in conducting ourselves in the place that He has planted our lives and His local church. 

Let’s remain united in our mission. Let’s continue to reach the vision of every church becoming so healthy that it reproduces disciples, raises up and sends more leaders, starts new ministries in our communities and cities, and starts more new churches than ever before. 

Heading to Orlando? Let me know so we can get a cup of coffee together! You can call or text the Help Desk who will let Barry know or simply fill out the form linked below. I can’t wait to see you! Can’t make it? No worries! You can watch the livestream at live.sbcannualmeeting.net.

As always, thanks for listening in today, and God bless you.