It turned out to be a more than 12-hour first day for the 2021 SBC Annual Meeting in Nashville with most of the more than 15,000 messengers gathering at the Music City Center or nearby locations for events starting at 7 a.m. and many still around after 7 p.m.

*After several hours of waiting in between ballots, Alabama Baptist Pastor Ed Litton was announced as the new SBC president with 52% of votes on a second ballot. Four candidates were nominated and a runoff between Litton and Georgia pastor Mike Stone was needed, resulting in a difference of only 556 votes out of more than 13,000 cast.

*Messengers also spent a good bit of time at microphones today and squeezed in really tight in the meeting hall, so much so that guests were asked to move to the overflow room so all messengers could be in the meeting hall.

*Nine resolutions were approved, countless motions proposed and lots and lots of amendments, points of order and general discussion took place throughout the day. Messengers even voted to bring one resolution declined by the Resolutions Committee back to the floor for debate today. 

*Messengers also rejected two proposals brought by the Executive Committee, one that would give the EC more oversight responsibility and another that would amend Lifeway’s ministry assignment

*In his final address to messengers as president of the SBC, pastor J.D. Greear said he was putting his cards on the table. The SBC is at a crossroads, he said — perhaps the most important crossroads in our generation. Greear asked messengers to consider what unifies Southern Baptists and appealed for them to build bridges.

View a gallery of photos from SBC 2021 by clicking here.