20,000 Southern Baptists Are About to Descend on Orlando: Largest SBC Annual Meeting Since 2021
The Southern Baptist Convention is preparing for its largest annual meeting in five years. From 7 to 10 June 2026, an estimated 20,000 attendees, including over 13,000 delegate messengers, will gather at the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando, Florida.
SBC Anticipates Highest Attendance in Five Years as Baptisms Surge, Leadership Transitions Settle, and Two Pastors Compete for the Presidency
The Southern Baptist Convention is preparing for its largest annual meeting in five years. From 7 to 10 June 2026, an estimated 20,000 attendees, including over 13,000 delegate messengers, will gather at the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando, Florida.
The projected turnout, the highest since the Nashville meeting in 2021, "reflects a growing spirit of optimism about the SBC's future," according to Dr Richard Land, former president of the SBC's Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission.
Southern Baptist Convention Annual Meeting Builds on Five Year Baptism Growth
The optimism is grounded in data. SBC baptisms grew nearly 5 percent in 2025, the fifth consecutive year of growth. Worship attendance has surpassed pre COVID levels at 4.5 million weekly.
Sunday School and Bible study participation has ticked upward. Leadership transitions at Southeastern Seminary, Lifeway publishing, and the Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission have all settled smoothly.
The presidential race features two pastors: South Carolina Pastor Josh Powell and Florida Pastor Willy Rice. Current President Clint Pressley cannot seek a third consecutive one year term. Jonathan Howe, SBC VP for convention administration, and Lynn Richmond, Convention Manager, are leading logistics. Complimentary shuttles will connect partner hotels to the convention centre.
The Crusader's Opinion
The Southern Baptist Convention is the largest Protestant denomination in America. After two decades of slow institutional decline and high profile public controversies, the SBC is now riding a five year wave of growth in baptisms, attendance, and discipleship. Twenty thousand Baptists in Orlando is not a comeback. It is a continuation of a movement of God that secular analysts keep missing. Pray for the messengers. Pray for the new president, whoever wins. Pray for revival across America's largest Protestant tradition. The Holy Spirit is not finished with the SBC.
Take Action
- Pray: For SBC messengers, the presidential candidates Powell and Rice, and the work of the convention
- Read: Full SBC annual meeting coverage at Baptist Press
- Donate: SBC Cooperative Program funding global missions
- Attend: Stream the Orlando meeting if you can't be there in person
- Share: The 20,000 attendance projection and challenge dying Church narratives
