ORLANDO (BP) – With a theme of “Faithful to Multiply,” out of 2 Timothy 2:2, members of the Southern Baptist Conference of Associational Leaders (SBCAL) adopted a substantial budget increase, hosted breakout sessions covering numerous areas of ministry and heard from Southern Baptist leaders as to the inherent cohesiveness modeled by churches working together during the group’s annual meeting, June 7-8.
“SBCAL strengthens associational leaders to optimize kingdom impact,” President/CEO Ray Gentry said in his report to a crowd of over 450 that filled the Grand Ballroom of the Rosen Plaza Hotel. “Our priorities are leadership development, succession planning, associational advocacy and development pathways. We could not do the ministries we do, such as this annual conference, without your prayers and financial support.”
That support has led to a high number of 21 state convention partnerships and 750 total members, up from 350 members five years ago. More than 100 associational mission strategists participated in 14 AMS cohorts from September through May.
Members passed a $325,600 budget for 2026-2027, a 15.66 percent increase, which includes plans to hire a part-time multimedia coordinator as well as provide stipends for regional ministry coordinators. An offering for the AMS Encouragement fund, which benefits associational leaders in times of need, raised $1,425.
Breakout sessions were tailored for associations of various sizes and ministry contexts, as well as covering topics from the use of artificial intelligence to discipleship, women’s ministry and identifying new leaders. One served to launch the Fortify Initiative through SBC Abuse & Prevention Response, which is specified for associations in leading churches to abuse prevention.
“We are here for you year-round,” said Gentry. “We love this [annual] conference … but we also know there are needs throughout the year, and we want to better meet those needs and serve you better.”
Featured speakers
International Mission Board President Paul Chitwood brought the message during the SBCAL Sunday morning worship service on June 7. Evangelist and SBC First Vice President Daniel Ritchie spoke during the luncheon. Bob Bumgarner, associational mission strategist for First Coast Churches in Jacksonville, Fla., was the featured speaker during the afternoon plenary session. GuideStone President Hance Dilbeck addressed those gathered for the evening dinner banquet.
“I know that the relationships you foster with churches and between churches literally help hold the Southern Baptist family together,” Chitwood said. “And that helps hold the IMB together, so thank you. “Thank you for the investment you make, the ministry calling you’ve answered, the work you do that keeps churches together and holds them in partnership and Southern Baptists in partnership.
“What you do matters.”
New Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission President Evan Lenow also addressed the group.
“I hope to get to know so many of you over the years that I get to serve with the ERLC,” he said. “As the new president of the ERLC, my goal is to serve the churches of the Southern Baptist Convention. And I want to do this primarily through resourcing your church to address some of the most difficult moral questions that we have.
“We want to know what you are facing so that we can know how best to prepare you and to resource you to address those questions in your communities.”
Sunday night, June 7, the two candidates for SBC president appeared in a forum before associational leaders. Florida pastor Willy Rice and South Carolina pastor Josh Powell discussed issues of import in current SBC life.
AMS of the Year
Chris Crain, associational mission strategist for Birmingham Metro Baptist Association, was named 2026 AMS of the Year.
BMBA pastors and associational staff signed a statement in support of Crain’s nomination for the honor.
“While Chris leads a large and complex association of more than 180 churches and oversees a significant staff, he remains personally accessible to pastors,” it said. “He brings both relational strength and wisdom to every interaction, effectively ministering to pastors of all ages, levels of experience, and church sizes and structures. Because of his intentional encouragement and investment, the pastors of the BMBA are healthier and better equipped for ministry.”
Crain “is one of the most strategic thinkers I have ever known,” said one pastor, and leads others “with clarity and unity around a shared vision of encouraging, equipping and engaging churches for the glory of God and the advancement of His Kingdom.”
“It’s humbling. I’ve been influenced by AMS leaders all my life and career,” Crain told Baptist Press afterwards. “I never envisioned that I would be here.”
“I have personally noticed that he listens to learn and then leads to transform the opportunity that is before him,” said Buddy Champion, pastor of First Baptist Church in Trussville. “He is stellar at executing a plan, but intentional to ensure that people always come first. He serves others as Jesus did.”
Crain has served in his current role since 2019. Before that, he was the AMS for St. Clair Baptist Association, northeast of Birmingham.
“I’ve been blessed to be a part of a revitalization and replant movement across the city of Birmingham,” he said. “Churches like Valleydale, The Church at Brook Hills, Shades Mountain and many other congregations have decided to invest in their communities, and I’ve been able to work behind the scenes. That’s been a blessing. Collectively, we’ve seen the association become a storehouse of value for local churches because of their investment and trust in the association.
“Our top core value has been to be in touch. We’re not [just] friends or friendly to the church – we are family. We know all about the staff and what’s going on in their communities, and that gives us a platform of instant trust that we can build on.”
