The Southern Baptist Conservatives of Virginia kicked off their annual meeting Nov. 13-14 with a look back at the 10-year-old convention's history through videos and testimonies telling the story of God's work through the SBCV's nearly 500 churches.
Nearly 1,300 messengers gathered at First Baptist Church in Roanoke around the theme “More Beyond,” based on Jeremiah 29:11, which challenged them to expect God to do even more in the years to come.
Guest speakers included Morris H. Chapman, president of the Southern Baptist Convention's Executive Committee; Paige Patterson, president of Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary; and Johnny Hunt, pastor of First Baptist Church in Woodstock, Ga.
Messengers approved affiliation requests from 11 churches, bringing the total number of churches and church plants in the state convention to 492. Carl Weiser, president of the SBCV and pastor of Hyland Heights Baptist Church in Lynchburg, challenged the convention's churches to give at least 10 percent of their undesignated receipts through the Cooperative Program and to take part in planting new churches.
The SBCV's budget for the coming year, known as the ministry investment plan, was set at $8.7 million, up 6.1 percent from the current year's $8.2 million. As the convention continues to forward 50 percent of its undesignated Cooperative Program contributions to national and international missions and ministries, $4.3 million will be sent to the SBC.
Dennis Culbreth, pastor of River Oak Community Church in Chesapeake, was elected president, and Gene Primm, pastor of Bethany Baptist Church in Portsmouth, was elected first vice president, both by acclamation. In the bid for second vice president, Kevin Cummings, pastor of Fincastle Baptist Church, was elected over John Pouchot, pastor of Poquoson Baptist Church. Steve Markle, pastor of Life Community Church in Lorton, was elected secretary by acclamation.
Messengers approved a resolution of appreciation for the original SBCV churches and leaders who they said demonstrated “courage, faith and vision in standing for biblical truth” in starting a second Baptist convention in Virginia. They also noted that the SBCV was the first state convention in recent history to adopt a 50/50 Cooperative Program allocation between state missions causes and SBC national and international causes.