JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (BP) – Scott Connell and other organizers of the Southern Baptist Church Music Conference felt that 2026 could bring around 500 attendees to the annual event. That was big dreaming, considering that three years ago it was canceled due to lack of interest. The conference came back in 2024 with 200 participants. Last year, 250 showed up.
Connell, worship pastor at this year’s host church, First Baptist Jacksonville, served as president and led in the planning. Confident they could double 2025’s attendance, perhaps even reach 750, the final numbers approached 1,500 attendees, volunteers and choir members passing through the doors from April 19-22.
“We are overwhelmed with how well it went,” he told BP. “There was a lot of effort put forth to make it a quality conference. We have a tremendous team here in Jacksonville, and they have a lot of experience from many years of hosting pastor conferences. And of course, we thank the support from [Heath Lambert] our pastor.”
The church’s preaching conference was renowned for a speakers list that included Adrian Rogers, W.A. Criswell, Charles Stanley and David Jeremiah, alongside host pastors Jerry Vines, Homer Lindsay, Jr. and Mac Brunson. That event, however, has not been held since COVID-19.
Connell attended his first SBCMC in 2022 and was blown away. Also a church music professor at Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, he wanted to save the conference. Many hands led to this week’s success, led by partnerships with Lifeway Worship, The SBC Worship Initiative, PraiseCharts and other music providers. More collaborators included universities and educators throughout the SBC, state convention leaders and local churches.
The prep included two lunches for attendees. Not boxes with your choice of turkey or a ham sandwich, either. Hamburgers fed some 900 people on Monday, with 1,000 feasting on fried chicken Tuesday.
When Connell and others relaunched the conference, they added “Southern” back in the title, something that had been dropped years ago. The lunches joined snack offerings of Crumbl Cookies and Publix desserts alongside “never-ending” coffee, said Connell. If you count pans of mac-and-cheese, even casseroles made an appearance.
The combination of music and food made an event that couldn’t be more Southern … or Baptist.
That sense of togetherness, of community, also spoke to the “Let the People Sing” theme. A student choir from William Carey University performed and led worship. So did an a capella choir of some 600 voices from area churches that measured 98 decibels.
“Congregational singing has always been ordained by God as an emphasis in church music,” said Connell. “We were able to communicate that from the stage in compelling ways with our musicians. It’s important to let the people sing.”
Sing, they did. Special guests Keith and Kristyn Getty joined Travis Cottrell, Shane & Shane, Matt Boswell and others.
The conference included instruction. Fifty-seven breakout sessions covered a variety of topics such as production, student music and worship theology.
It is also to help attendees explore a call to worship ministry or encourage others to do so. The topic of a shortage of music leaders among churches was not overlooked.
“It was brought up in discussions,” Connell said. “We’re trying to generate attention to those kinds of needs.”
Jonathan Rodgers, worship professor at Samford University, is the president for next year’s conference at Hunter Street Baptist Church in Birmingham. Plans are for Nashville in 2028.
“This year exceeded expectations,” said Connell. “Logistics went incredibly smooth. God’s presence was in our midst and there was unity among everyone there.”
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