SBC ANNUAL MEETING
The Southern Baptist Convention meets yearly to conduct business, elect officers, set budgets, hear reports, among other things.
The regular minutes of the SBC Annual Meetings are a detailed report of the work of the Southern Baptists, their seminaries, mission boards, and other entities. All of the minutes of the annual meetings are available and searchable through the Southern Baptist Historical Library and Archives.
EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE
The Executive Committee of the SBC exists to conduct business on behalf of the Convention when it is not in session. With officers elected and appointed at the annual meetings, the EC helps coordinate the work of the entities of the Southern Baptist Convention and coordinate the work of Southern Baptist Churches through the Cooperative Program.
Graphic from sbc.net
COOPERATIVE PROGRAM
Since it’s beginnings in 1926, the CP has served to unify Southern Baptists in all the work they do, including missions, education, local outreach, and more. The CP becomes a mighty tributary when the thousands of small streams connect together to accomplish the work of God’s kingdom.
Each of the histories written about IMB, NAMB, or the seminaries is a history of the Cooperative Program, and of the belief of Southern Baptist’s that we can do more together. Listen to Dr. Frank Page share about why the CP is so important to Southern Baptists.
The Cooperative Program is Southern Baptists’ unified plan of giving through which cooperating Southern Baptist churches give a percentage of their undesignated receipts in support of their respective state convention and the Southern Baptist Convention missions and ministries. (From the EC website)
History of the Cooperative Program
The Executive Committee of the SBC has oversight of allocation of the CP funds.
View every states contributions to the CP since 1925, including the percentage kept in state
Statistics related to the Cooperative Program of the SBC.
Recent budget reports of the Cooperative Program.
The Memphis and Shelby County Auditorium was the site of the 1925 Southern Baptist Convention annual meeting when the Cooperative Program was approved; 5,600 messengers were in attendance.
Photo from Baptist Press
BAPTIST PRESS
Baptist Press is a news gathering and distribution service sponsored by the Executive Committee of the Southern Baptist Convention. Baptist Press began in 1946 as the Southern Baptist Press Association (SBPA) issued by the Sunday School Board’s Department of Survey, Statistics, and Information. (From SBHLA)
The Southern Baptist Historical Library and Archives has an excellent digital archive of BP press releases from the years 1948-1996.
The BP Photo Archive contains over 30,000 searchable images from their archives.
Officers of the SBC
The President of the Southern Baptist Convention heads the denomination and is elected at the yearly convention. The term is for one year, and a candidate can serve a maximum of two consecutive terms. Prior to 1932, each SBC president was elected at the beginning of the annual meeting and would preside immediately.
SBC Life had a special article about the history of the SBC Presidency and unique facts
List of presidents of the Southern Baptist Convention.