Annual Meeting of the Baptist State Convention of North Carolina

On November 10 and 11, the Baptist State Convention of North Carolina (BSCNC) will be meeting in Greensboro, NC for their annual convention.  I am excited about this as I will be able to attend the meeting, and I will be going as a messenger from my church!  This will be my first-ever annual meeting to attend and I am thankful I will be able to attend as a messenger.

Why do North Carolina Baptists meet annually?  According to the website, "The Annual Meeting allows North Carolina Baptists to gather and learn about the BSCNC mission and vision. The meeting features worship, ministry reports, an exhibit hall featuring resources for churches and business sessions."  In this years meeting we will elect officers as well as vote on the budget, changes to the by-laws and other resolutions.

What is a messenger?  A messenger is a credentialed representative of a local church who has the ability to vote in the annual meeting.  The Southern Baptist website explains that messengers are "...from cooperating churches, who gather to confer and determine the programs, policies, and budget of the Convention. Each church may be represented by up to 10 messengers, depending on church size and Cooperative Program giving amounts, ensuring equal accessibility for small and large congregations alike."

The BSCNC was established on March 26, 1830 - 15 years before the Southern Baptist Convention was established.  The BSCNC cooperates with the Southern Baptist Convention and has about 4,300 churches and 78 local Baptist associations.  "Our cooperating churches are autonomous and each church voluntarily decides to join the BSCNC in ministry and missions efforts."

The vision of the Baptist State Convention of North Carolina is, "By God’s grace, we will become the strongest force in the history of this Convention for reaching people with the message of the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ.” 

I am very much looking forward to the annual meeting and pray that North Carolina Baptists will glorify the Lord in what we do in this meeting.