ST. CHARLES – Messengers representing churches affiliated with the Missouri Baptist Convention (MBC) are gathering Oct. 26-27 at the St. Charles Convention Center for their 192nd annual meeting.
The theme of this year’s meeting is “When God’s Presence Falls,” taken from 2 Chronicles 7:3 – “When all the people of Israel saw the fire come down and the glory of the Lord on the temple, they bowed down with their faces to the ground on the pavement and worshiped and gave thanks to the Lord, saying, ‘For he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever’” (ESV).
The annual meeting 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 and on the MBC Annual Meeting App.
MBC Executive Director Wes Fowler speaks Monday afternoon, and MBC President Wesley Vance addresses the annual meeting theme Monday evening. Robert Smith, Jr., distinguished professor of divinity at Beeson Divinity School of Samford University, is the keynote speaker Tuesday morning, while Jarrett Stephens, senior pastor of Champion Forest Baptist Church in northwest Houston, Texas, speaks Tuesday afternoon.
Distinguished Christian music artist Charles Billingsley leads worship throughout the two-day event, along with the choir of Crossway Baptist Church of Springfield, Mo.
MBC President Wesley Vance 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 other 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 issues.
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.
Exhibits are in the Grand Ballroom on the upper level of the convention center, as well as on the lower level outside the North and South Exhibit Halls. Hours are 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday, and Tuesday from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m.
All sessions are open to the public. Follow convention activities on X (formerly Twitter) (@mobaptists) and be sure to include #mobaptists in your X, Facebook, and Instagram postings.
The Missouri Baptist Pastor’s Conference also is held at the St. Charles Convention Center from 8:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Monday, Oct. 26.
Speakers include Brad Delaughter, lead pastor of First Baptist Church, DeSoto, Mo.; Rob Gion, Jr., national speaker and teacher; Tommy Schmitt, senior pastor of First Baptist Church, Gray Summit, Mo.; and Martin Winslow, team leader of the MBC’s Missions Mobilization Group.
Complete details are available at mobaptist.org/annual-meeting.
