DALLAS (BP) — Preparations are underway for the 2025 Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) annual meeting. The volunteer group preparing the way for Southern Baptists is holding a kickoff rally Aug. 22 in Fort Worth.
“The SBC annual meeting takes hundreds of volunteers to pull off. From those helping in registration, praying in the prayer room and greeting at the doors, each volunteer is needed to make for a smoothly run meeting,” said Jonathan Howe, SBC Executive Committee vice president for communications.
One of the highlights for the 2025 meeting will be celebrating the 100th anniversary of the Cooperative Program (CP).
“The CP is fundamental to our cooperation and mission as Southern Baptists, and for us to gather in Dallas to celebrate our cooperative work will most assuredly be a special time together,” Howe said.
The Aug. 22 meeting will feature encouragement from SBC President Clint Pressley, SBC Pastors’ Conference President D.J. Horton and SBC Executive Committee President Jeff Iorg among others.
There were 10,946 messengers registered at the 2024 SBC annual meeting in Indianapolis.
In addition to messengers, 3,132 guests and 2,740 exhibitors registered for the 2024 meeting, bringing the total attendance to 16,818. Messengers hailed from all 50 states, D.C. and Puerto Rico, representing 3,988 churches.
“We want every Southern Baptist church to be represented at the annual meeting each summer,” Howe said. “As it stands only about 10% of churches send messengers right now. That’s up 50% from where it was five years ago, but it’s still not where we want to be.”
Preparing in advance is key for churches sending messengers and guests to the annual meeting.
“We encourage churches to plan ahead, budget to send messengers and join us in our cooperative work next June,” said Howe.
Essential dates for SBC 2025:
- Hotel reservations open: Oct. 7, 2024
- Messenger pre-registration opens: Feb. 3, 2025
- Childcare registration opens: Feb. 3, 2025
- Resolution portal opens: April 1, 2025
After initial planning meetings, Howe expects the Lone Star state to live up to its reputation.
“I’m excited for our friends in the Dallas area to prove how ‘everything is bigger in Texas’ and show up to make this one of the biggest and best annual meetings we’ve had in recent memory,” he said.
The 2025 SBC annual meeting and pastors’ conference is set for June 8-11 at the Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center in Dallas.
(EDITOR’S NOTE — Brandon Porter serves as associate vice president for convention news at the SBC Executive Committee.)
