October 1, 2026
NASHVILLE (BP) – The 2026 SBC Annual is now available digitally and in print. The annual is the yearbook for the Southern Baptist Convention, capturing ministry reports, financial data, the minutes of the annual meeting, and more.
“The annual offers the message of Christ to the world through the proclamation of the Gospel in both the dedication and publication of our confession of faith,” said SBC Recording Secretary Travis Kerns.
Because the SBC is Gospel-focused, even the annual offers an opportunity for Southern Baptists to thank God for His work through the Convention in a given year, Kerns said.
“The annual gives Southern Baptists a reason to celebrate because it contains information about salvations, baptisms, new church plants, missionaries and the like,” he said.
The volume is available at SBC.net, here.
Each year the SBC recording secretary works with SBC Executive Committee staff members to gather data from Southern Baptist entities. In compliance with the Convention’s Business and Financial Plan, the annual includes accountability letters from the entities outlining the resources received and a summary of how they were used.
“Hundreds of hours of work from each board, institution, commission, auxiliary and committee are put into preparing the annual as reports are created and edited regarding missionary activity, student education, public policy stands, publishing efforts, financial statements, audit reports and leadership lists,” Kerns said.
He added that another value in the annual is that it allows Southern Baptists to see not only where the Convention has been but where it is going through “official data for study and comparison.”
While data entry ramps up following the annual meeting every summer, the annual is a yearlong process that is built piece by piece. This year has been a year of transition as Kearns took over from Nathan Finn, who had served as recording secretary since 2022.
“The work is sometimes tedious and slow but is always rewarding as we are able to see, upon publication, the full scope of the work of the Convention,” Kerns said.
Annuals dating back to 1845 are available in print and digital format at the Southern Baptist Historical Library and Archives.
Kerns says the annual publication is a team effort.
Organizational work for the annual is spearheaded by Jonathan Howe, Andy Beachum and Hilary Krantz on the EC staff.
“No one person can be credited for the work on the annual as it takes a large team, each working in his or her respective place, to create and publish the annual,” Kerns said. “It is indeed a team effort.”
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This article appeared in Baptist Press.
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