NASHVILLE (BP and local reports) – A special called meeting of the Southern Baptist Convention Executive Committee has been announced for April 28 to consider relocating the 2023 annual meeting from Charlotte, N.C., to New Orleans to accommodate an anticipated increase in attendance.
In news related to the 2022 SBC annual meeting June 14-15 in Anaheim, Ca., the submission portal for proposed resolutions is now open.
“The good news is the attendance at the annual meeting is trending up, which is the primary reason for the move,” said Rolland Slade, Executive Committee chairman and senior pastor of Meridian Church in El Cajon, Ca. “The footprint or space needed to hold our meeting is significantly larger than back in 2016 when the city was chosen.”
Charlotte was confirmed as the 2023 host city by messengers to the 2016 annual meeting in St. Louis. Since that meeting, however, attendance at the annual event has grown and the 280,000-square-foot Charlotte Convention Center is not large enough to host the expected 15,000 attendees, guests, and ancillary events.
If approved in the April 28 meeting, the annual meeting will be held at the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center, the same location as the last annual meeting in New Orleans in 2012.
“New Orleans easily meets the four main objectives for a host city,” said Jonathan Howe, vice president for communications for the SBC Executive Committee. “We look for cities with ample space, with available dates, with available hotels, and that are in proximity to Southern Baptists. New Orleans was the only city in the southeast United States that met those criteria just 14 months from the scheduled gathering.”
“We are excited to welcome back the annual meeting of the Southern Baptist Convention in 2023,” said Steve Horn, executive director of the Louisiana Baptist Convention in Alexandria. “It’s been 11 years since Louisiana last hosted this gathering, and we’ll be ready to roll out the welcome mat for our Baptist family from across the nation.”
The April 28 meeting announcement also indicated that Executive Committee members would receive financial updates, legal updates, personnel updates, and details related to the June Executive Committee meeting. The April 28 meeting, to be conducted via Zoom teleconference, will not be livestreamed.
Resolutions submissions
Resolutions Committee chairman Bart Barber, senior pastor of First Church, Farmersville, Texas, said “The Committee on Resolutions has met and is organized around one goal: To play our role in letting the Holy Spirit speak through the messenger body of the Southern Baptist Convention. Just as we are committed to playing our role, we encourage you to pray about playing your role as individual convention messengers.”
Proposed resolutions and accompanying certification materials should preferably be uploaded via the website, but also may be sent by email to resolutions@sbc.net or mailed to the Committee on Resolutions in care of the SBC Executive Committee, 901 Commerce St., Nashville, TN 37203.
Drafts must be typewritten, titled, dated, and include complete contact information for the person and his/her church. The deadline for submitting resolutions will be May 30. Those unable to access the portal for any reason may contact the office of the vice president for communications at (615) 782-8645 to receive a proper form. For more information, click here.
