Annual Meeting

In the spring of 2023, Hannah Hopkins, a senior at East Texas Baptist University (ETBU) and Texas Baptists’ 2024 Prestidge Endowment Music & Worship Scholarship recipient, transferred to the school with a passion to lead worship. She’d heard the original song “New Day” performed by Lampsato, ETBU’s worship band, and wanted to audition to be a part of the group.

2,030 messengers and visitors gathered in Waco Nov. 10-12 to take part in the 139th Annual Meeting of the Baptist General Convention of Texas (BGCT). The theme, drawn from Luke 4:18-19, focused on “His Kingdom Agenda.”

On Sunday evening, Nov. 10, the African American Fellowship Worship Rally took place at Carver Park Baptist Church in Waco. The rally is one of several held in conjunction with the opening of the 2024 Texas Baptists Annual Meeting.

“Are we creating theological people that have an inability to serve? Or are we raising up people who are moving the kingdom of God forward?” Mikey Osborne, Discipleship & Outreach coordinator at Texans On Mission (TXM), said during his workshop at the 2024 Texas Baptists Annual Meeting.

The Center for Missional Engagement hosted their annual Missions Team Banquet on Nov. 11 at the 2024 Texas Baptists Annual Meeting, highlighting and celebrating BOUNCE. Attendees heard from Scott Stevens, vice president of Texas Baptist Missions Foundation and former BOUNCE coordinator, and a panel of ministers on the impact of BOUNCE. 

“We’ve had conversations about the role of women in ministry for the past 35 years, perhaps even longer… We are trying to listen to each other and to have a representative sample of the views based on biblical interpretation in the Texas Baptists family,” Julio Guarneri, Texas Baptists executive director, said to attendees of a special panel, entitled “Biblical Perspectives on Women in Ministry,” at the 2024 Texas Baptists Annual Meeting.

During the Tuesday morning business and worship session of the 2024 Texas Baptists Annual Meeting, messengers considered two motions and one resolution, filled the remaining Convention officer positions, heard the President’s Address and worshiped and prayed together.

In his President’s Address during the Tuesday morning business and worship session of the 2024 Texas Baptists Annual Meeting, Convention President and Pastor of First Baptist Richardson Ronny Marriott noted that division is not hard to find in society. 

At their annual banquet held Monday in Waco, Texas Baptists Intercultural Ministries celebrated the work happening in diverse churches across the state. Referring to the Convention’s overall theme of “His Kingdom Agenda,” Intercultural Ministries Director Mark Heavener opened the event by thanking the various congregations present.

“It’s powerful for me to see everything y’all are doing around the state. Being a support to your spouses in ministry is so important, but you’re also doing your own ministries and making a huge impact. And I’ve loved traveling around and seeing that,” Monica Guarneri, wife of Texas Baptists Executive Director Julio Guarneri, said at the Minister Spouse Fellowship at the 2024 Texas Baptists Annual Meeting.

The Texas Baptist Hunger Offering (TBHO) celebrated a year of fruitful giving during their annual luncheon at the 2024 Texas Baptists Annual Meeting. Attendees heard firsthand of the Offering’s impact from a recipient in Sierra Leone and were encouraged to continue being a part of this collaborative offering by keynote speaker Texas Baptists Treasurer/CFO Ward Hayes.

In just three and a half years, the Pave program has seen a major wave of growth not only in their participant numbers but in the churches involved in the revitalization effort. And that impact was celebrated in a workshop held Monday at the Texas Baptists Convention in Waco.

The third worship session of the 2024 Texas Baptists Annual Meeting took place on the evening of Monday, Nov. 11. Messengers and guests gathered at the Waco Convention Center for worship, preaching, prayer and ministry updates.

Using the theme “What is God building?,” the Texas Baptist Missions Foundation (TBMF) celebrated the work of Baptist Student Ministries (BSM) around the state at its annual luncheon held Monday at Truett Seminary. The foundation also provided updates on its most recent project to construct a new BSM building at Baylor University.

Julio Guarneri, executive director of Texas Baptists, gave his report to the 2024 Texas Baptists Annual Meeting messengers and guests during the evening worship session on Monday, Nov. 11. He shared an update from the study group comprised of Texas Baptists staff, pastors, lay people and institutional leaders who had been working over the past year to clarify Texas Baptists’ calling and values.

During the Monday morning business and worship session of the 2024 Texas Baptists Annual Meeting, messengers elected Convention officers, heard reports, passed recommendations and introduced motions. 

“I’m convinced that everything God pours into us he desires to pour out through us. Jesus poured his life out for us so surely we should do the same… The kingdom of God was never designed to stop with us,” Meghan Hendrickson, director of the Dallas Baptist University Baptist Student Ministry (DBU BSM), shared with attendees of the Monday morning worship session. 

Kicking off the first worship session of the Texas Baptists Annual Meeting on Nov. 10 in Waco, Albert Reyes, president and CEO of Buckner International, told attendees that the kingdom we are offering the world is “a kingdom of wholeness” that “offers peace, healing and justice.”