[1]Florida Baptists called to ‘renewed fervor to evangelism’
By Margaret Colson/Florida Baptist Convention
ORLANDO, Fla. – Focused on the theme “Out of the Fire: A Call to Evangelism,” Florida Baptist messengers gathered for the 163rd Florida Baptist annual meeting Nov. 10-11 at First Orlando, where they celebrated God’s movement throughout the Sunshine State, conducted business, enjoyed fellowship and looked forward to God’s future for Florida with a commitment to four mission imperatives.
Calling attendees to a renewed commitment to evangelism, Mike Orr, Florida Baptist State Convention president in his second term, said, “It is unfathomable that we would not, as Christians, tell others about Jesus.”
Orr focused on Jude 22-23 and stated, “We must evangelize with urgency.” Responding to the urgency requires compassion, courage and clarity.
In a biblical message titled Gospel Demands, Stephen Rummage, Florida Baptists’ executive director-treasurer, focused on Romans 10:13-17 and stated that the apostle Paul “reverse engineers the Gospel.”
Rummage said the Apostle Paul, “starts with the picture on the box – people getting saved – and then he works backward to show what it takes for that to happen.”
The five “Gospel demands,” he said are: “crying out to Jesus, trusting Jesus, hearing Jesus, preaching Jesus and sending preachers.”
The. meeting drew 1,450 in attendance, including 1,070 messengers, representing 475 churches, along with 380 guests.
Budget adoption
Messengers approved a 2026 Cooperative Program goal of $29 million to be distributed 51 percent to Southern Baptist Convention causes and 49 percent to Florida Baptist Convention causes. The 51/49 split is the same distribution Florida Baptists have used since 2016. The 2026 budget goal is $500,000 less than the 2025 budget goal.
Officers elected
Four Florida Baptist leaders were elected to serve as 2025-26 officers of the Florida Baptist State Convention. Brian Stowe, who has served as senior pastor of First Baptist Church Plant City since 2013, was elected to serve as president. Scott Wilson, lead pastor of First Baptist Church Melbourne, was elected to serve as first vice president. Milvian Lema, a member of First Baptist Church of Pompano Beach, was elected to serve Florida Baptists as second vice president. Janey Frost, who serves at The Point Church (Jackson campus) in Pensacola, was elected to a fourth term as recording secretary.
Mission imperatives
Messengers to the 2025 annual meeting of the Florida Baptist State Convention had multiple opportunities to learn about Florida Baptists’ four mission imperatives: evangelize and baptize, call out and disciple, plant and revitalize churches and give more generously. In presenting the mission imperatives to annual meeting attendees, Rummage said, “Until the world knows that our God reigns and Jesus saves, let’s make it our ambition to start right here and let God use us for His glory!”
Fellowship gatherings
Attendees at the 2025 Florida Baptist annual meeting enjoyed a number of fellowship gatherings. Hispanic, Asian, Haitian and Black multicultural gatherings celebrated how God is moving in their cultural contexts. Hundreds of Florida Baptists gathered for a Cooperative Program 100th anniversary celebration and were encouraged to commit to leading their churches to give $100 more per month through the Cooperative Program for the remainder of 2025 through 2026. NextGen and missions gatherings provided an opportunity to develop mission connections and exchange ministry approaches.
Other business
Messengers approved a resolution of appreciation for Stephens Baumgardner, who retired Aug. 16, 2025, after serving the Florida Baptist Convention in multiple roles since 1983, most recently as director of support services since 2015.
Messengers approved a recommendation from the State Board of Missions to amend Florida Baptist State Convention Bylaw 2 on cooperation. The revision reaffirms the Baptist Faith and Message as the shared theological foundation for cooperation among Florida Baptist churches and goes further by emphasizing that cooperation is more than agreeing on doctrine but also requires demonstration in practice.
In miscellaneous business, Doug Rothenbush, a messenger from First Baptist Church [2] of Merritt Island, presented a motion that the State Board of Missions create a task force or study group to consider the feasibility of five initiatives related to disability ministries. The motion was referred to the State Board of Missions, which will bring its report back to the 2026 Florida Baptist State Convention annual meeting set for Nov. 9-10 at First Orlando.
Mississippi Baptist annual meeting sees 20 percent jump in attendance
By Tony Martin/The Baptist Record
MADISON, Miss. – The 189th Mississippi Baptist Convention conducted business Oct. 28-29, at Broadmoor Church in Madison. This was the first time Broadmoor had hosted the Convention. The final count was 807 messengers and 252 guests for a total in attendance of 1,059. This represents an increase of 186 attendees over the 2024 total of 873, which at the time was the highest attendance since 2016.
Messengers heard from Jeff Iorg, president and CEO of the SBC Executive Committee, and Robert Smith, Jr., Distinguished Professor of Divinity, Beeson Divinity School, Birmingham, Ala. Smith provided the “Bible Treasures,” a series of devotional thoughts. The theme of his messages was “I Don’t Know Where I’m Going, but I ain’t lost” from Hebrews 11:8. David Eldridge, pastor, Dawson Memorial Church, Homewood, Ala., who used as his text Luke 10:38-42, preached a sermon titled “One Thing Is Necessary.”
Shawn Parker, executive director-treasurer of the MBCB, preached from Jonah 4:1-11. Bill Hurt, MBC President and pastor of Pleasant Hill Church in Columbia, gave an address entitled “A New Commandment of Love” from John 13:34-35 and John 15:9-17. Smoky Gibson, senior pastor of First Baptist Church of Biloxi, shared the convention sermon.
Music and worship were provided by Bobby Sanderson, worship pastor at Pleasant Hill Church in Columbia; the Pleasant Hill Praise Team; the Mississippi Singing Churchmen; the Worship Collective from Mississippi College; First Baptist Biloxi; Gulf Coast Baptist Association worship ministries; and William Carey University’s worship choir and band.
Business
Officers elected were Second Vice President Matt Olson, head pastor, FBC Sharon; President Andrew Chesteen, senior pastor, FBC New Albany; First Vice President Shane Freeman, pastor, Macedonia BC, Petal; Associate Recording Secretary Bill Kirkpatrick, Pastor, Dockery BC, Cleveland; Recording Secretary Michael Weeks, Pastor, Pleasant Hill BC, Olive Branch.
The Cooperative Program budget for 2026 totaled $31,100,000. The portion allocated for national Southern Baptist Convention missions and ministries is 39.5 percent, the same as last year’s percentage.
During the 2024 convention, messenger Jacob Vollm, pastor of Grace Memorial Church in Gulfport, made a motion that the Mississippi Baptist Convention authorize a new method of cooperative giving for its churches, allowing churches the option to withhold funds from selected Southern Baptist Convention entities without withdrawing from Cooperative Program support altogether. It was seconded from the floor.
After discussion, another messenger made a motion to refer the original motion to the Mississippi Baptist Convention Board’s Executive Committee. That motion was approved by a two-thirds vote, which meant the state’s executive committee would present a report on the issue at the meeting.
This year, Andrew Chesteen, chairman of the board’s executive committee, gave a report from the Cooperative Program (CP) Study Committee. The committee was tasked with researching the possibility of a new method of cooperative giving. The Executive Committee recommended that we continue with unaltered support of the Cooperative Program. The motion passed.
The sole resolution offered during the Convention expressed appreciation to Broadmoor Church and the speakers, singers, instrumentalists, all who have served the Convention faithfully, and to President Bill Hurt.
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