Currently, I am planning to attend the Southern Baptist Convention’s Annual Meeting in Orlando on June 15-16th. Call me strange, but I enjoy this kind of stuff. I have attended two of these meetings in the past: Greensboro, NC and Nashville, TN. This year’s annual meeting is one of the most widely anticipated in recent memory. Not only is it an election year, messengers will also hear the recommendations from the Great Commission Resurgence Task Force elected last year in Louisville. You can read about the purpose of the task force here. I feel their recommendations will shape the direction of the SBC for years to come.

As a Southern Baptist pastor, I do my best to keep up with the current state affairs across the convention. I feel this is my responsibility toward the church that I pastor. So, based on past annual meetings, baptist news over the past year, and personal experience, I would like to make the following predictions for this year’s annual meeting.

1. I predict that a pastor from the state of Florida will be elected as president of the Southern Baptist Convention.

2. I predict that a motion will be made to amend the SBC operating budget in order to allow a greater percentage of Cooperative Program dollars to be forwarded to the International Mission Board.

3.  I predict that a motion will be made to allow alternate forms of missions giving to be counted as Cooperative Program giving.

4. I predict that a resolution will be offered in recognition of the Disaster Relief efforts in Haiti.

5. I predict that a motion will be made to ask Lifeway Christian Resources to not carry the TNIV version of the bible in their stores.

6. I predict that a motion will be made to remove “Southern” from the official denominational title of the Southern Baptist Convention.

7. I predict that a motion will be made to establish an agency within the SBC whose primary responsibility will be resourcing and supporting the small church (those under 200 in primary worship).

8. I predict that, in terms of enrolled messengers, this year’s annual meeting will have the highest attendance in the past 15 years.

9. I predict that a motion will be made for a study to be conducted on the effects of Calvinism across the SBC.

10. I predict that a motion will be made asking the SBC to consider FBC Decatur, GA out of fellowship as a result of them calling a female pastor.

11. I predict that a motion will be made asking the SBC to explore ways in which technology can be used to increase the participation of all churches during the annual meetings.

12. I predict the report from the International Mission Board will be the most passionate and emotional report in many years.

13. I predict someone will ask the convention to boycott something.