May 3, 2024
SNELLVILLE, Ga. — Georgia Baptists will hear sermons from an array of pastors during this year's annual meeting set for Nov. 12-14 at the Church on Main in Snellville.
Johnson Ferry Baptist Church Pastor Clay Smith will be first up at the three-day meeting of the Georgia Baptist Convention, the state’s largest religious organization with some 1.4 million people.
The annual meeting always includes powerful preaching and inspirational singing mingled among business matters that will include the election of a president and a vote on a proposal to update the convention’s 200-year-old governing documents.
Georgia Baptist Convention President Josh Saefkow, who will be seeking re-election to a second term, has described the annual get-together as the equivalent to a homecoming or family reunion.
“It’s the one time of year that we come together from the four corners of the state, and we celebrate what we’re doing together for the kingdom of God,” he said.
The opening, on a Sunday evening, typically has the feel of a pep rally with church leaders highlighting spiritual victories from across Georgia.
In that backdrop, Smith, who has been senior pastor at Johnson Ferry in Marietta since 2019, will step to the podium.
Smith holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of South Carolina, a Master of Divinity from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary and is currently working on his Ph.D. at Southwestern.
On Monday evening, Jason Dees, pastor at Christ Covenant Church in Atlanta, will preach.
Dees, who grew up in Alabama, moved to Atlanta to plant Christ Covenant in one of the most secular areas in the Southeast. He received a bachelor’s degree from Auburn University, and a Master of Divinity and Ph.D. from The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary.
Also on Monday evening, Chuck Chambers, pastor of Woolsey Baptist Church, will preach.
Chambers has been lead pastor at Woolsey Baptist Church in Fayette County since 1987. He is a graduate of Columbia International University and Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. He holds a Doctor of Ministry from Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary.
On Tuesday morning, Saefkow will preach.
Saefkkow has been pastor of Flat Creek Baptist Church in Fayetteville since 2016. An Ohio native, Saefkow has a bachelor’s degree and two master’s degrees from Liberty University and a doctorate from Gateway Seminary in California.
On Tuesday afternoon, North American Mission Board next gen director Shane Pruitt will preach.
Pruitt, a resident of Rockwall, Texas, has served in ministry for more than two decades as a denominational leader, church planter, lead pastor and student pastor. He holds a bachelor’s degree in biblical studies, a master’s in history and a Ph.D. in clinical Christian counseling.
