2016 SBC Annual Meeting

ST. LOUIS (BP) -- Greg Davidson, pastor of Trinity Baptist Church in Vacaville, Calif., will be nominated for vice president of the Southern Baptist Convention Pastors' Conference, according to an announcement from Alabama pastor Fred Wolfe. Wolfe, pastor of Luke 4:18 Fellowship in Mobile, Ala., stated in a June 7 email to Baptist Press, "Pastor Greg Davidson is one of the finest personal witnesses I have ever known. I have been his pastor since he was in the 10th grade. He is a godly man who has done a wonderful job in every church he has pastored. Greg's church in California has experienced 26 percent growth in the last two years and is sixth in Cooperative Program giving [among churches cooperating with the California Southern Baptist Convention]. I wholeheartedly recommend him to this position of leadership."

ST. LOUIS (BP) -- Toby Frost, pastor of South Main Baptist Church in Greenwood, S.C., will be nominated for treasurer of the Southern Baptist Convention Pastors' Conference, according to an announcement by former SBC President Johnny Hunt. Hunt, pastor of First Baptist Church in Woodstock, Ga., stated in a June 2 email to Baptist Press, "I have been privileged to know Toby Frost for 35 years. I know him to be a man of integrity, compassion and personal soul winning. He's the type leader the SBC will enjoy in leadership to our Pastors' Conference."

ST. LOUIS (BP) -- Paul Smith, pastor of the Phoenix-area First Baptist Church of Chandler, Ariz., will be nominated for vice president of the Southern Baptist Convention Pastors' Conference, according to an announcement from Louisiana pastor James Law. Smith also serves as associate professor of Old Testament studies at Golden Gate Baptist Theological Seminary. His 25-year pastoral ministry has included churches in Arkansas, Louisiana and Illinois.

ST. LOUIS (BP) -- Jim Wells, a church consultant and retired Missouri Baptist Convention staff member, will be nominated for a 15th term as Southern Baptist Convention registration secretary, Missouri pastor Eddie Bumpers announced today (June 2). "Jim has served as registration secretary for over a decade and has proven himself to be a man who is faithful, competent and joyful in welcoming messengers to the Southern Baptist Convention," Bumpers, pastor of Crossway Baptist Church in Springfield, Mo., said in an email to Baptist Press announcing his intention to nominate Wells during the June 14-15 SBC annual meeting in St. Louis.

ST. LOUIS (BP) -- Hotel reservations for the upcoming Southern Baptist Convention annual meeting are up 23 percent from last year's total in Columbus, Ohio, leading some convention leaders to project an increased messenger total as well. Some 13,275 hotel room nights in St. Louis have been reserved for the annual meeting while 4,923 messengers have been pre-registered online so far, the SBC Executive Committee reported. That's up from 10,829 hotel room night reservations in 2015 and 3,267 pre-registered messengers.

ST. LOUIS (BP) -- Missouri pastor Malachi O'Brien will be nominated for second vice president of the Southern Baptist Convention, Oklahoma pastor Brad Graves announced May 31. O'Brien has been pastor of The Church at Pleasant Ridge in Kansas City-area Harrisonville, Mo., since 2011 and associate pastor of prayer and church revitalization at nearby First Baptist Church in Raytown, Mo., since 2014. He is immediate past president of the Missouri Baptist Convention Pastors' Conference and has served on the SBC Committee on Committees.

ST LOUIS (BP) -- Interviews with the three Southern Baptist Convention presidential candidates and the launch of a new missions blog spot will highlight the Cooperative Program booth in conjunction with the 2016 SBC annual meeting June 14-15 in St. Louis. The offerings will be included in three days of dialogue and celebration of the Gospel advancement the Cooperative Program affords among Southern Baptists, said Ashley Clayton, SBC Executive Committee vice president for Cooperative Program and Stewardship.

ST. LOUIS (BP) -- Already a hub of ethnic outreach, Tower Grove Baptist Church in central St. Louis will extend the Gospel to a nearby Hispanic community during Crossover. A yearly evangelistic outreach, Crossover precedes the Southern Baptist Convention's annual meeting in the host city. It will peak on Saturday, June 12, as local Baptists and volunteers from across the country conduct block parties and other community events throughout the metro St. Louis area. For Tower Grove, its Hispanic initiative will entail:

ST. LOUIS (BP) -- Louisiana pastor David Crosby, one of three pastors to be nominated for Southern Baptist Convention president in June, responded to six questions Baptist Press posed to each candidate. Crosby's nomination was announced March 24 by former SBC President Fred Luter, pastor of Franklin Avenue Baptist Church in New Orleans.

ST. LOUIS (BP) -- Tennessee pastor Steve Gaines, one of three pastors to be nominated for Southern Baptist Convention president in June, responded to six questions Baptist Press posed to each candidate. Gaines' nomination was announced March 9 by former SBC President Johnny Hunt, pastor of First Baptist Church in Woodstock, Ga.