Meeting set for St. Charles, contingency plans announced
ST. CHARLES – Messengers representing churches affiliated with the Missouri Baptist Convention (MBC) are planning to gather Oct. 26-27 at the St. Charles Convention Center for their 186th annual meeting.
However, if federal, state, or local restrictions are imposed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the MBC missionary staff has arranged for alternative meetings.
Plan A is to hold the annual meeting as proposed Oct. 26-27 in St. Charles, which includes the full slate of exhibits, the pastors’ conference, and other related meetings. At press time, MBC leaders are maintaining this as the preferred and intended plan.
Under Plan B, if necessary, the annual meeting would be held Oct. 27 from 10 a.m. – 4 p.m. at Concord Baptist Church in Jefferson City. The schedule would feature reports, elections, and other business, but no exhibits, pastors’ conference, or related meetings. Further, churches would be asked to send no more than two messengers to allow for social distancing.
Under Plan C, if necessary, the annual meeting would be held as a virtual two-hour meeting Oct. 27. The schedule would feature elections and other essential business, with electronic voting enabled per revised Robert’s Rules of Order.
Check the MBC website – mobaptist.org/annual-meeting – for the latest information.
The theme of this year’s meeting is “Jesus Saves,” taken from Luke 19:10: “for the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.”
The annual meeting, under Plan A, begins at 3:30 p.m. Monday and closes Tuesday at 4 p.m. The full program is available online at mobaptist.org/annual-meeting.
Ronnie Floyd, president and CEO of the Southern Baptist Convention’s Executive Committee, is the featured speaker Monday afternoon.
Jeremy Muniz, MBC president and senior pastor of Ridgecrest Baptist Church in Springfield, and MBC Executive Director John Yeats address the convention on Monday evening.
Paul Chitwood, president of the Southern Baptist Convention’s International Mission Board, addresses the convention Tuesday morning.
The Ridgecrest Worship Team leads worship on Monday. The Apostles Church Band leads worship on Tuesday.
MBC President Jeremy Muniz presides over the annual meeting. Local churches elect messengers to the convention; the messengers in turn select a new slate of officers and vote on other business matters.
In addition to hearing reports from MBC and Southern Baptist Convention entities, messengers introduce, debate and vote on motions, or actions they wish the convention’s executive board, staff, committees, or entities to take. They also may introduce, debate, and vote on a variety of resolutions, which express the opinion of messengers on particular issues.
For more information on motions, amendments, and resolutions, visit mobaptist.org/annual-meeting.
Missouri Baptist Disaster Relief volunteers are providing childcare Monday and Tuesday. Space is limited, and registration for each child is required at mobaptist.org/annual-meeting.
All sessions are open to the public. Follow convention activities on Twitter (@mobaptists) and be sure to include #mobaptists in your Twitter and Facebook postings.
The Missouri Baptist Pastors’ Conference also is held at the St. Charles Convention Center from 8:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Oct. 26.
Complete details are available at mobaptist.org/annual-meeting.
