October 1, 2026
ORLANDO, Fla. — More than 800 Georgia Baptists gathered Monday evening in Orlando for fellowship, food, and encouragement before turning their attention to the work of representing their churches at the Southern Baptist Convention annual meeting.
The Georgia Baptist Fellowship, hosted by the Georgia Baptist Mission Board during the SBC annual meeting, gave pastors, messengers, church leaders, and families a chance to reconnect with friends from across the state, meet other Georgia Baptists, and celebrate the relationships that strengthen the work churches do together.
But for many Georgia pastors, the week was about more than fellowship. It was also about showing up, speaking for their churches, understanding the issues before the Convention, and bringing home a firsthand report of Southern Baptist cooperation.
James Merritt, senior pastor of Cross Pointe Church in Duluth, said his first SBC annual meeting was in 1980. Decades later, Merritt said he still believes deeply in both the Georgia Baptist Convention and the Southern Baptist Convention, adding that GBMB Executive Director Thomas Hammond “has done a fantastic job” leading Georgia Baptists.
Merritt said he believes the SBC remains uniquely positioned for evangelism and missions if churches stay focused.
“I believe that the SBC is still the greatest force for evangelism in the world,” Merritt said. “If we will stay on task and stay focused on the Great Commission, the sky’s the limit for us.”
He said messengers have a responsibility to help keep that focus.
“It’s important that we try to do all that we can as messengers to hold the line and to keep the main thing the main thing,” Merritt said.
Matt Jones, pastor of Tennille Baptist Church in Tennille, said this year marked his first SBC annual meeting in nearly three decades. He said he came because he believed God had opened the door for him to represent not only his church, but also his region and the state.
Jones said attending the annual meeting gives pastors a clearer picture of the work Southern Baptists are doing together through the Cooperative Program.
“For our church, we can’t send out a foreign missionary, but the International Mission Board can,” he said. “Our pooled resources going to this cooperative program, cooperating with other churches, allow the spread of the gospel around the world and in our country.”
Jones said that cooperation extends beyond international missions to church planting, missions education, ethics and religious liberty work, and advocacy in both Washington and at the state Capitol.
“These are things we cannot do on our own,” he said. “It’s so important that we cooperate.”
Jones said being present also helps him give church members a more accurate picture of the Convention than they may receive from outside sources.
“You cannot beat that firsthand experience,” he said.
Brandon Foottit, pastor of Carver Road Baptist Church in Griffin, agreed, saying the annual meeting reminds him that his congregation is part of a larger family of churches.
“I believe we’re better together,” Foottit said. “Everything we do is about cooperation.”
Foottit said he pastors a smaller church and is relatively new to Georgia, having come to the state after seminary. Seeing the network of Georgia Baptist churches working together has been encouraging, he said.
“I’m grateful to be part of a bigger family,” Foottit said.
Jarrod Kinsey, pastor of Cave Spring Baptist Church, said this year marked his fifth consecutive SBC annual meeting. He said Georgia Baptists who give to Great Commission causes should be able to see the impact of that giving.
For Kinsey, one of the highlights of the meeting is the International Mission Board Sending Celebration, where new missionaries are presented to messengers. He said that moment helps him report back to his church family on the work that their giving helps support.
Kinsey, who serves on the Georgia Baptist Convention Executive Committee, said Georgia Baptists also bring a significant presence to the wider SBC.
“We, as Georgians, have a huge footprint in SBC life,” he said.
Bill Compton, pastor of Belmont Baptist Church in Gainesville, said he has attended “quite a few” SBC annual meetings because the decisions made there affect pastors and churches.
“It’s important to be present to understand issues that are affecting SBC life, which would affect not only me as a pastor, but also my church,” Compton said. “It’s good to know and be up to date with what is going on so that I can be the pastor I need to be for the church that I pastor.”
Compton said some church members read denominational reports and later ask him to explain what happened. Being present allows him to speak from personal experience.
“I was here,” he said. “I saw what happened, I heard what happened, I saw the vote, so I understand, and I can give them a personal perspective of what was happening at the Convention.”
Keith Norris, pastor of Eastside Baptist Church in Tifton, said the annual meeting provides fellowship, ministry resources, and accountability. He said the exhibit hall gives pastors access to ideas, curriculum, and denominational partners, while the business sessions allow messengers to hear reports from SBC entities and see how Cooperative Program dollars are being used.
“It’s like a big family reunion,” Norris said.
Norris said Georgia remains one of the key states in SBC life because of its membership and baptisms, and Georgia Baptists’ presence at the annual meeting encourages work beyond the state as well.
For Shane Roberson, senior pastor of Maysville Baptist Church, the annual meeting has been part of his life for more than 30 years. He said he continues to attend because he believes involvement matters.
“If we’re going to make a difference, we’ve got to be involved,” Roberson said. “We’ve got to understand that the SBC is all of us together, cooperating together.”
Roberson said Southern Baptists may disagree on some issues, but they agree on the central mission.
“There’s a lost world out there that needs Christ,” he said. “We work together, and working together makes a great difference.”
When he returns to Maysville, Roberson said he reports to his church on the health of the SBC, the resolutions adopted, and the work Southern Baptists are doing through missions and ministry.
“When we cooperate together, we can do more together than we can do independently,” he said. “When you stand in front of our congregation, you’re able to say, ‘Look, this is what your tithes and offerings went to. This is what we’re doing as Southern Baptists.’ It makes all the difference in the world.
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