Convention

Difference Makers Logo

201st Annual Meeting of the Alabama Baptist State Convention

November 12-13, 2024
Eastern Shore Baptist Church, Daphne

Mark your calendars now for a grand celebration coming in November! The annual meeting of the Alabama Baptist State Convention is really a family reunion for all Alabama Baptists. Woven throughout our time together will be a commemoration of our convention’s 200th anniversary, with a focus on the theme “Unfinished” based on Philippians 3:13–14. You won’t want to miss this glorious time of celebrating God’s wonderful faithfulness while also stepping into a bright future of missions and ministry for the Lord!

Schedule

Tuesday, Nov. 14
Morning Session, 8:30-11:50 a.m.
Afternoon Session, 1:30-4:10 p.m.
Evening Session and Bicentennial Celebration, 6:30-8:00 p.m.

Wednesday, Nov. 15
Morning Session, 8:30-11:20 a.m.

Program-Order of Business

Interpretation for the Deaf will be provided for each session of the Annual Meeting and the Pastors Conference.

Download a PDF copy of the schedule:

Messengers

Pre-registration for the 2023 Alabama State Convention Annual Meeting will once again be done on the SBC Workspace website. Instructional letters have been mailed out to every church eligible for messengers. If you have not received your letter or do not know your SBC username and password, you can obtain it from your local Association Office or by calling the State Board of Missions Office of Communications & Technology Services at (334) 613-2266.

What does it mean to be a messenger?

The Alabama Baptist Convention consists of members known also as messengers. Messengers are members of Southern Baptist churches cooperating with the Convention. Messengers are elected annually by the church where they are members and sent to the annual convention as their churches representative.

How many can a church send?
There are actually two formulas to determine this:

Numerical Basis: Every church is allowed one messenger. One additional messenger is allowed for every two hundred, or fraction thereof, members in excess of two hundred.

Financial Basis: One messenger is allowed from each church for any part of the first one thousand dollars contributed to the Alabama Baptist State Convention during the Convention’s preceding fiscal year. One additional messenger is allowed for the next one thousand dollars above the first one thousand dollars contributed to the work of the Convention, and one additional messenger for each two thousand dollars contributed to the work of the Convention above the first two thousand dollars.

No church will have more than twenty‑five messengers though.

How do you become one?
Contact your Southern Baptist church and ask to be sent as a messenger to the Alabama Baptist Convention Annual Meeting. Every church is autonomous and decides how their messenger allotment will be filled. Many will hold a business meeting before the convention for the church to vote on those wishing to be considered as messengers.

Hotels

The following hotels have offered special rates to those attending the State Convention Annual Meeting. Rates listed do not include taxes. This information is provided as a service and not intended to be a recommendation of any kind. If you have problems making a reservation or securing the posted rate at any of these hotels, please contact Amy Nelson at 1-800-264-1225, ext. 2231, or anelson@alsbom.org. Please note the deadlines on each hotel. No rates are guaranteed after the deadline date for booking and those rates are based on limited availability. Make your reservations early to get the best rate.

Convention 3

Convention Hotel

DoubleTree by Hilton
120 Madison Avenue
Montgomery, AL 36104
(334)245-2320

Distance from Convention: 0.6 miles
Distance from Pastors Conference: 9.7 miles

Rate: $169

Deadline: October 15, 2023

Hampton Inn & Suites – Eastchase
7651 EastChase Parkway
Montgomery, AL 36117
334-277-1818

Distance from Convention: 10 miles
Distance from Pastors Conference: 1.1 miles

Rate: $159

Deadline: October 15, 2023

Hampton Inn & Suites – Prattville
2590 Cobbs Ford Road
Prattville, AL 36066
334-285-6767

Distance from Convention: 9.4 miles
Distance from Pastors Conference:
17.8 miles

Rate: $109

Deadline: October 27, 2023

Hilton Garden Inn – Montgomery East 
1600 Interstate Park Drive
Montgomery, AL 36109
334-272-2225

Distance from Convention: 4.6 miles
Distance from Pastors Conference: 5.6 miles

Rate:  $129

Deadline: October 23, 2023

Homewood Suites by Hilton – EastChase
7800 EastChase Parkway
Montgomery, AL 36117
334-377-9383

Distance from Convention: 10.3 miles
Distance from Pastors Conference: 1.2 miles

Rate: $159 

Deadline: October 15, 2023

Homewood Suites By Hilton
1800 Interstate Park Drive 
Montgomery, AL 36109
334-272-3010

Distance from Convention: 4.6 miles
Distance from Pastors Conference: 5.6 miles

Rate: $149

Group Code: BBM

Staybridge Suites Montgomery – Downtown 
275 Lee Street 
Montgomery, AL 36104
334-532-0703

Distance from Convention: 0.5 miles
Distance from Pastors Conference: 9.8 miles

Rates:  $149 King; $169 Double Queen

2023 Annual Meeting Video Archive

Session One

Session Two

Session Three

Session Four

Additional Videos

About

The Alabama Baptist State Convention was founded on October 28, 1823, as the third permanent state convention organized in the South. … The Baptists, though the largest religious group in the state, were weak and widely scattered. They numbered about 5,000 and had about 125 churches and 75 ministers.” (Baptists in Alabama: Their Organization and Witness, by A. Hamilton Reid. Montgomery, Ala.: Paragon Press, 1967).

Today, the State Convention has grown to more than 3,200 churches with approximately one million members. Each November, the Alabama Baptist State Convention convenes as a two-day meeting of messengers elected by affiliated churches. Messengers and invited guests hear reports about Great Commission ministries.

Between annual meetings, Convention bylaws provide that the Alabama Baptist State Board of Missions will be the “executive, administrative, fiduciary, and promotional agency of the Convention.”

Both the State Convention and State Board of Missions support the missional efforts of a family of Alabama Baptist entities and auxiliary, including:

The Convention also provides primary support for ALCAP (Alabama Citizens Actions Program), “Alabama’s moral compass” regarding biblical and moral concerns.

In addition the Convention continues to honor the historic relationship with Samford University dating back to 1841.

Future Sessions

November 11-12, 2025 | Whitesburg Baptist, Huntsville
November 17-18, 2026 | First Baptist Church, Trussville
November 12-13, 2027 | Eastmont Baptist Church, Montgomery

2022 Annual Meeting Audio Archive

Session One

Session Two

Session Three

Session Four

Convention Officers

Craig Carlisle

Craig Carlisle

President

Jarman Leatherwood

Jarman Leatherwood

First Vice President

Ryan Whitley

Ryan Whitley

Second Vice President

Support Staff