More than 500 attendees from Baptist churches across North Carolina gathered at First Baptist Church of Charlotte on Nov. 10 for the 190th annual meeting of the Baptist State Convention of North Carolina’s (BSC). The theme of the meeting was “God’s Great Hope,” based upon Romans 15:13.

Due to the coronavirus pandemic, this year’s meeting was rescheduled to a one-day, abbreviated meeting by vote of the convention’s board of directors in September. The meeting had originally been scheduled for Nov. 9-10 in Greensboro.

Following are highlights of this year’s meeting.

• As of 1:15 p.m.,187 pastors, 31 church staff, 141 pastor’s spouses and 128 laity had registered and checked in for this year’s meeting for a total of 487 messengers. An additional 15 visitors registered and checked in afterwards for a total of 502 in attendance.
• Messengers approved a recommendation from the board of directors to adopt a $27 million Cooperative Program (CP) budget for 2021, representing an 11.5% decrease, or $3.5 million, from the 2020 CP budget. The approved budget also left the percentage of undesignated CP receipts that will be forwarded to the Southern Baptist Convention at 42%, marking the first time in 14 years that the SBC percentage has not been increased.
• Messengers approved a second recommendation that any undesignated CP receipts in excess of the approved 2021 CP budget be allocated 50% to the SBC and 50% to ministry groups of the state convention.
• Messengers also set the 2021 goal for the North Carolina Missions Offering (NCMO) at $2.1 million, which is unchanged from 2020.
• Messengers elected Micheal Pardue, pastor of First Baptist Church of Icard in Connelly Springs, as convention president. Pardue received 280 votes (57%), and Ronnie Parrot, lead pastor of Christ Community Church in Huntersville, received 207 votes (43%). Pardue was nominated by Ed Yount, recently retired senior pastor of Woodlawn Baptist Church in Conover. 
• Quintell Hill, lead pastor of Multiply Community Church in Monroe, was elected first vice president. Hill ran unopposed and was nominated by David Mills, lead pastor of Journey Church in Havelock.
• Messengers elected Jason Miller, pastor of Dutch Cove Missionary Baptist Church in Canton, as second vice president. Miller received 311 votes (65%), and Allan Murray, pastor of Centerville Baptist Church in Kelly, received 162 votes (35%). Miller was nominated by Perry Brindley, associational mission strategist of the Buncombe Baptist Association in western North Carolina.
• Messengers celebrated the ministry of BSC Executive Director-Treasurer Milton A. Hollifield Jr., who is retiring on Feb. 28, 2021. The special recognition service included highlights of Hollifield’s life and ministry that included in-person and video testimonials from family, friends, colleagues and leaders from across North Carolina and Southern Baptist life. In his final address to messengers, Hollifield encouraged messengers to strengthen their personal prayer life, integrate the Word of God in their daily lives, grow in their love of God, magnify the gospel and make disciples, and cooperate together to advance God’s kingdom. Hollifield has served the BSC for 27 years, including the last 14 as the convention’s 14th executive director-treasurer.
• State convention President Steve Scoggins, pastor of First Baptist Church of Hendersonville, preached a message during the annual president’s address on the meeting’s theme of “God’s Great Hope” from Romans 15:13.
• Richard Brunson, executive director of N.C. Baptists on Mission, also known as N.C. Baptist Men, shared a report with messengers about how God has blessed ministry efforts amid COVID-19 and ongoing disaster relief rebuild efforts in eastern North Carolina more than two years after Hurricane Florience. Baptists on Mission was the only faith-based organization to receive a USDA grant to deliver fresh food to needy families through the “Farmers to Families” food box program.
• Sam James, longtime missionary with the International Mission Board, delivered the annual convention sermon. James preached on living and witnessing for Christ from Colossians 1:24-27. James said believers are called to surrender, submit and serve Christ.
• Sandy Marks and Terry Long of the BSC’s Church Health and Revitalization team, shared a report on the state convention’s church revitalization efforts, which focuses on the man, the ministry and the mission. Marks and Long encouraged N.C. Baptists pray for churches that are involved in the revitalization process, for new churches to start the process and for humility to depend upon God.
• Messengers approved a motion for next year’s annual meeting to be held Nov. 15-16, 2021, in Greensboro. Messengers also approved a motion for H.B. Charles Jr., pastor of Shiloh Metropolitan Baptist Church in Jacksonville, Fla., to deliver the 2021 convention sermon.
• Virtual breakout sessions addressing a variety of ministry topics are available for viewing online at ncannualmeeting.org/breakouts.