SBC charts move for 2021 Annual Meeting

NASHVILLE (BP) – The 2021 Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) Annual Meeting will move to the Music City Center in downtown Nashville June 15-16, the SBC Executive Committee announced April 15.

Ronnie Floyd, president and CEO of the SBC Executive Committee, said the shift was made in order to “provide abundant space conducive to holding a meeting that is efficient, effective and safe for every attendee” while adhering to local COVID-19 protocols.

Nashville was selected as the 2021 site by messengers to the 2016 Annual Meeting. The original location for the 2021 meeting was announced as the Gaylord Opryland Resort and Convention Center in Nashville.

Floyd explained the Executive Committee wanted to keep the annual meeting in Nashville for reasons including the protection of attendee travel plans that are already scheduled. Hotel reservations booked through the Convention housing bureau remain in place, but can be modified through the housing website beginning at 8 a.m. (CDT) on April 26.

The Music City Center, located in the heart of downtown Nashville, offers 1.2 million square feet of convention space, almost twice as much as the Gaylord Opryland Resort and Convention Center. The exhibit hall and childcare arrangements will also move to the Music City Center.

Jeff Pearson, SBC Executive Committee chief financial officer, said although lodging, transportation, and other details have not been finalized, several blocks of hotel rooms have been secured near the Music City Center. “We’re working with partners to secure more lodging near the Music City Center, while we maintain the opportunity for guests to keep their current reservations and take advantage of the great opportunities afforded by the Gaylord,” Pearson said.

The Executive Committee is also working to relocate ancillary events scheduled June 13-16 to the Music City Center and nearby venues. Pearson said many other details, including shuttle services for those remaining at hotels near the Gaylord Opryland or the airport, will be announced in the coming days.

The 2021 Send Conference will also move to the Music City Center. Hosted jointly by the SBC International Mission Board (IMB) and the SBC North American Mission Board (NAMB), the event is scheduled to be held June 13-14.

The Send Conference theme is, Together on Mission. Along with a primary message from nationally-known Bible teacher, author, and pastor Tony Evans, the event will include worship led by recording artist Michael W. Smith, a concert featuring Crowder, NAMB’s Send Luncheon,and IMB’s Sending Celebration.

For more information, visit sbcannualmeeting.net/faq, as well as https://sbcannualmeeting.net/. Both web sites will be updated as details are finalized.