It’s less than a month to the convention in Birmingham. Southern Baptists will show up by the thousands and mix and mingle with all the construction crews tearing up downtown. One hopes that there is no reverend road rage. These guys are just working stiffs, doing their job.
Here’s a list of SBC meetings for the past 52 years, courtesy of the Baptist Courier (I added the 2018 figure). This is for registered messengers, not guests, press, or Secret Service personnel.
1967 Miami Beach – 14,794
1968 Houston – 15,071
1969 New Orleans – 16,678
1970 Denver – 13,692
1971 St. Louis – 13,153
1972 Philadelphia – 13,153
1973 Portland – 8,871
1974 Dallas – 18,190
1975 Miami Beach – 16,421
1976 Norfolk – 18,637
1977 Kansas City – 16,271
1978 Atlanta – 22,872
1979 Houston – 15,947
1980 St. Louis – 13,844
1981 Los Angeles – 13,529
1982 New Orleans – 20,456
1983 Pittsburgh – 13,740
1984 Kansas City – 17,101
1985 Dallas – 45,519
1986 Atlanta – 40,987
1987 St. Louis – 25,607
1988 San Antonio – 32,727
1989 Las Vegas – 20,411
1990 New Orleans – 38,403
1991 Atlanta – 23,465
1992 Indianapolis – 17,956
1993 Houston – 17,768
1994 Orlando – 20,370
1995 Atlanta – 20,654
1996 New Orleans – 13,706
1997 Dallas – 12,420
1998 Salt Lake – 8,585
1999 Atlanta – 11,608
2000 Orlando – 11,959
2001 New Orleans – 9,584
2002 St. Louis – 9,609
2003 Phoenix – 7,015
2004 Indianapolis – 8,600
2005 Nashville – 11,641
2006 Greensboro – 11,639
2007 San Antonio – 8,630
2008 Indianapolis – 7,277
2009 Louisville – 8,795
2010 Orlando – 11,075
2011 Phoenix – 4,852
2012 New Orleans – 7,874
2013 Houston – 5,103
2014 Baltimore – 5,298
2015 Columbus – 5,407
2016 St. Louis – 7,321
2017 Phoenix – 5,015
2018 Dallas – 9,632
This year? Probably considerably less than last year in Dallas. Nothing drives convention attendance (or social media numbers) like controversy. There is no election of note this year and no big issue. The sex abuse activits and survivors have a rally planned but I’d guess that will not drive messenger attendance.
And, no, you cannot and should not be able to be a messenger unless you show up in Birmingham and get construction dust on your nice, dry cleaned blue jeans and your spiffy Huarache sandals or your expensive Nike Adapt BB, self-lacing, Bluetooth-enabled sneakers.
I didn’t realize that the SBC hasn’t met in Alabama for more than 50 years. I’d bet that Alabama ranks among the top five states in terms of the number of messengers that have attended conventions, along with Mississippi, which they don’t appear to like as a convention gathering place either. Nor Arkansas. But I’m guessing that’s because those places probably don’t have convention facilities large enough or hotel facilities. I haven’t seen anyone here comment about difficulty getting a hotel room close to the convention center or with shuttle service, so I’ll guess attendance will come in somewhere around 7,500. There are a lot of Southern Baptists who live close enough to Birmingham to commute, and there might be a lot of messengers who just come for the first day.
I’m predicting 6500. I’m predicting difficulties with the logistics. I hear B’Ham can be a mess in this way.
I’m hoping there’s not a lot of stifling virtue signaling on a bunch of issues.
It would not surprise me if there is a line to take selfies outside the building that used to be the Birmingham Jail. I await to see how many speakers bring up that they went by there to pray etc.
Then there’s the 16th Street Baptist Church. Poor congregants. I am wondering if they’ll be besieged the Sunday before the Convention with SBC dignitaries trying to get seats for the Sunday services. Does anyone know if any SBC person got a speaking gig or platform spot for the Sunday before the Convention? Do you know if any tried?
The Resolutions Committee, to my knowledge, has never had so many connections to one SBC institution.
I am hopeful that we can concentrate on what we do best. Handle the business we need to handle. Hear reports from agencies, especially the IMB and NAMB – the reason for our convention in the first place.
I am looking forward to seeing everyone.
Virtue signaling generally needs to evaporate as a term.
If I agree, then it’s virtue.
If I disagree, it’s virtue signaling and somehow bad.
I mean, we’ve come up with a way to make speaking out on racial issues and against abuse a moral negative by labeling it virtue signaling.
What about just calling it doing the right thing?
But that’s the point. If they’re doing something, that’s action.
If it’s just talk with no action, that’s what the term applies to.
In that regard, it’s very useful.
Language that is useful and apt generally survives.
4217 unless there is a big problem between now and then.