ORLANDO, Fla.—More than 11,000 registered messengers from Southern Baptist churches across the United States and globe gathered in Orlando, Fla. for the 2026 Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) Annual Meeting and related events. More than 300 messengers from Oklahoma participated from nearly 120 churches.
At the annual meeting, Southern Baptists gathered to elect a new president, take actions that will shape the SBC in years to come and celebrate the sending of missionaries.
In the week prior to the annual meeting, Southern Baptists intentionally engaged the host city of Orlando to serve the community and proclaim the Gospel through a series of events in Crossover, an annual evangelistic emphasis that takes place in the city where the SBC Annual Meeting is held.
Preceding the annual meeting, the 2026 SBC Pastors’ Conference took place on June 7-8. This year’s conference featured several prominent speakers and introduced four “micro-conferences” designed to equip local churches in worship, discipleship, student ministry and kids ministry.
During the opening session of the 2026 SBC Meeting on June 9, the International Mission Board (IMB) Sending Celebration took place, as 63 newly commissioned missionaries are being sent to the nations. Among the 63 IMB missionaries, six Oklahoma Baptists were featured, including Tanner and Sallie from OKC, Frontline Church-South.
Oklahoma Baptists Executive Director-Treasurer Todd Fisher said, “At the annual meeting, the IMB commissioned 63 missionaries going out to proclaim the Gospel and make disciples in the nations. Many of them have their identities and destinations hidden for security reasons. These are incredibly committed and courageous soldiers of the cross! This is why our churches cooperate. This is what makes us at our best. How grateful I am that 6 of the 63 commissioned today are Oklahoma Baptists. The unity, strength and mission among the churches of our state convention is bearing fruit not just in Oklahoma, but all over the globe. Praise the Lord!”
Over the two-day SBC Annual Meeting, messengers considered various key business items.
On June 10, messengers approved a plan for the International Mission Board to begin receiving 51 percent of national Cooperative Program receipts annually beginning in the 2026-2027 fiscal year.
IMB President Paul Chitwood announced that the missionary pipeline is “exploding,” noting a 500 percent increase in recent years, an announcement that was met with applause.
Messengers voted on various motions throughout the SBC Annual Meeting. One motion was submitted by Southern Baptist Theological Seminary President Albert Mohler to the SBC Constitution limiting friendly cooperation to churches with only men serving in the office and function of pastors, specifically, in the role of preaching to an assembled congregation. That motion received the first of two required two-thirds votes of approval.
The messengers also received a report from a task force dedicated to studying the need for ministry to those with disabilities.
“It is quite possible that individuals affected by disabilities are the largest lost people group on the planet,” said task force chairman and Maryland/Delaware Executive Director Tom Stolle. “We cannot leave them behind.”
Reports from various SBC entities were heard, including GuideStone, the IMB, the NAMB, the Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission (ERLC), all six SBC seminaries, the WMU and others.
Numerous ethnic groups held meetings in Orlando in conjunction with the annual meeting. Conversations included spreading the Gospel, advocacy, building connections, encouragement, immigration concerns and submission to God.
Florida pastor Willy Rice was elected SBC president with 57 percent of the vote over South Carolina pastor Josh Powell.
Rice, pastor of Calvary Church in Clearwater, will lead the slate of SBC officers that include First Vice President Craig Carlisle, associational missions strategist for Etowah Baptist Association in Gadsden, Ala.; Second Vice President J. Allen Murray, pastor of Mt. Pisgah Baptist Church in Supply, N.C.; Registration Secretary Don Currence, administrative pastor at First Baptist Church in Ozark, Mo.; and Recording Secretary Travis Kearns, associational missions strategist for Three Rivers Baptist Association in Taylors, S.C.
Messengers approved resolutions addressing Southern Baptists’ commitment to the sanctity of life through opposing euthanasia and assisted suicide. Messengers also approved resolutions on the importance of bivocational pastors, the office of pastor/elder/overseer as limited to men, and support for efforts to encourage all ministers to finish well. Additional resolutions affirmed the enforcement of borders as well as the dignity of immigrants, and the importance of in-person church amid the growth of technology.
A resolution commemorating the 250th anniversary of the United States noted the founders’ belief in unalienable rights “given by God and secured by government.” Others opposed the rise of antisemitism and political violence.
The 2027 SBC Annual Meeting is set to take place in Indianapolis, Ind., June 13-17. For more coverage of the 2026 Annual Meeting, visit www.baptistpress.com.
Oklahoma Partnership Reception at the SBC Annual Meeting
In partnership with Oklahoma Baptists and WatersEdge, Oklahoma Baptist University hosted a special evening reception on June 9 during the 2026 Southern Baptist Convention Annual Meeting in Orlando, Fla. More than 500 attendees, including OBU alumni and friends, Oklahoma Baptists messengers and WatersEdge guests, gathered at SeaWorld Orlando for fellowship and connection. The evening featured remarks from OBU President Heath A. Thomas and Oklahoma Baptists Executive Director-Treasurer Todd Fisher, as well as special appearances by SeaWorld animal ambassadors. This annual reception continues to be one of the largest gatherings during the SBC Annual Meeting each year.
