By Carrie Brown McWhorter

TAB Media Group/The Baptist Paper

VIRGINIA BEACH, VA - BGAV's 2026 Annual Meeting begins today (Nov. 9), focusing on the theme “Heart for the Not Yet,” based on Acts 17:6b: “‘These people who have been turning the world upside down have come here also.’”

Pastors, church staffers, lay leaders, and guests have gathered at the Virginia Beach Convention Center to enjoy a time of worship, fellowship, networking, and learning. A virtual option will allow the greater BGAV family to participate in worship, business sessions, and select subsessions.

This year’s annual meeting runs through Wednesday (Nov. 11). It will include two business sessions, four main sessions, a ministry fair, and several small-group options, including in-person and video Learning Labs.

Speakers

Miriam Swanson, national director of Fusion USA, will speak during Main Sessions #1, #2, and #4. In 2020, Swanson started Fusion USA, born out of Fusion, a missional effort that began in the late 1990s to reach young adults and university students in the United Kingdom with the gospel and disciple them in their faith.

Rick Warren (via live broadcast) and Alan Hirsch will speak during Main Session #3.

Warren is a best-selling author and founder of Saddleback Church, the Purpose Driven Network, the PEACE Plan, and Hope for Mental Health. He is cofounder of Celebrate Recovery with John Baker, and is executive director of Finishing the Task, a global movement of denominations, organizations, churches, and individuals working together on the Great Commission goals of ensuring that everyone everywhere has access to a Bible, a believer and a local body of Christ.

Hirsch is widely considered to be a global thought leader on missional movements and leadership. He is the author of numerous award-winning books, including The Forgotten Ways, The Shaping of Things to Come, and The Permanent Revolution. He has worked with churches and organizations across the world, but mainly in North America, Europe, and Australia.

Learning Labs and Art Exhibit

On Monday and Tuesday, in-person Learning Labs will focus on topics ranging from discipleship to financial planning for pastors. Video Learning Labs will cover a variety of topics, including chaplaincy, disability inclusion, support for foster care, and leadership in the church. Each Learning Lab is designed to offer practical ideas that can be implemented right away and resources to help. The video Learning Labs are available on demand. See a full schedule here: Learning Labs 2026 – BGAV Annual Meeting.

Participants on site in Virginia Beach can also visit Art for the Not Yet, a collaborative arts exhibit sponsored by Stoneford and inspired by the 2026 meeting theme. The exhibit gathers over 40 original works of visual art, music, poetry, spoken word, and digital expression from across BGAV congregations — illuminating God’s heart for the world that has not yet heard, not yet believed, and not yet been transformed. The gallery will be open on Monday with a celebration from 10 a.m. to noon. It will close at 6 p.m. on Tuesday.

Free resource

Messengers and pastors attending this year’s annual meeting will receive a paperback copy of Walter Shurden’s The Baptist Identity: Four Fragile Freedoms and a new, accompanying printed study guide written by Bill Bryan. These resources are provided compliments of BGAV’s Religious Liberty Committee with support from EverBless Foundation, Micah 6:8 Fund, and Cooperative Missions giving. A digital version of the study guide is also available, along with video links to “Being Baptist,” an additional resource prominently featured in the guide.

The resource invites congregations to explore four convictions that have shaped Baptist life: Bible freedom, soul freedom, church freedom, and religious freedom. As the United States marks its 250th anniversary, the project encourages Virginia Baptists to consider how these freedoms inform their faith, congregational life, and public witness today.

Bill Bryan, author of the study guide, has served as senior pastor of Abingdon Baptist Church in Abingdon, Virginia, since July 2018. A pastor and educator, he has taught seminary courses in the United States and overseas since 1998 and teaches in the master’s and doctoral programs at B. H. Carroll Theological Seminary at East Texas Baptist University. Bryan holds Master of Divinity, Doctor of Ministry, and Doctor of Philosophy degrees and has served on BGAV’s Religious Liberty Committee, bringing both congregational experience and theological scholarship to this resource.

Learn more and access these resources at A Living Trust: New Resource Explores Four Baptist Freedoms.

Missions project

This year’s hands-on missions project is providing school art supplies for students in Northampton County. The supplies will support elementary art teachers and classroom projects across all subject areas. Supplies needed including drawing paper, sketchbooks, crayons, paints, markers, and cleaning supplies. Read this article for more information, including a printable supply list. All attendees, whether in person or virtual, are invited to give to support this opportunity here (select "Annual Meeting Art Supply Project.")

Additional information

As in past years, main sessions and business sessions will be livestreamed through the Whova app. All voting messengers, whether in person or joining online, will be instructed how to cast their votes electronically. 

Messengers from participating BGAV churches should have received registration and voting information ahead of today’s (Nov. 9) opening session. All are welcome to attend the on-site or virtual sessions by registering at Registration – BGAV Annual Meeting.

See a full schedule of sessions and events here: Schedule 2026 – BGAV Annual Meeting.

To log in to watch and participate, go to Home - BGAV 2026 Annual Meeting: Heart for the Not Yet and use your registration credentials.

‍