99th Annual Meeting • February 12-15 • Phoenix, Arizona
Plan now to be in Phoenix for the 2024 ASBP Annual Meeting!
“I look forward to seeing representatives from our member publications at our 99th annual meeting. The gathering will mark our 130th year as an association! The meeting’s host city (Phoenix), hotel, church, and state convention are outstanding. Even better, friends and colleagues from across our Southern Baptist Convention will attend. The camaraderie mixed in with both professional and informal conversations is always a highlight of the gathering. This year includes time with the executive directors and a special treat, an IMB Sending Celebration at North Phoenix Baptist Church. I hope you’ll plan to attend, engage, and enjoy every moment. Welcome to the southwest!” – Kevin Parker, current ASBP president and editor, The Baptist New Mexican
Meeting Registration and Hotel Reservations
Meeting Registration Form: PDF | DOCX
Complete and mail the meeting registration form above with a check as soon as possible.
Hotel reservations within the ASBP group block can be booked through January 12.
Your meeting registration includes the Monday welcome reception, the dinner and program with the executive directors on Tuesday evening and lunch on Tuesday and Wednesday. No meal is provided for Wednesday evening or Thursday lunch. Breakfast is part of your hotel reservation and is served at the hotel at your convenience. It is not a programmed activity on the schedule.
Meeting Location
Embassy Suites by Hilton Scottsdale Resort • 5001 N. Scottsdale Road, Scottsdale, Arizona 85250 • (480) 949-1414
The resort hotel is located less than a mile from Old Town Scottsdale, home to the Arts District, Entertainment District, the waterfront and Fashion Square. It has a restaurant, two heated outdoor pools, and a fitness center. A free hot breakfast buffet and complimentary evening reception are served daily.
Reservations within the group block can be booked through January 12. Click the link in this sentence or the hotel name to reserve your room now.
Special room rate for a two double bed suite: $264. The room rate includes breakfast, a daily resort charge, and self-parking at the hotel.
The hotel is approximately 9 miles from the Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport (PHX). You will need to arrange your own transportation if flying in.
Meeting Description
The annual meeting will feature times for fellowship, worship, interaction and learning – all focused on the meeting theme: Gospel-focused journalism. One aim of the meeting is to produce an ASBP statement on Gospel-focused journalism. During the meeting, we will draft, refine and vote on adopting the statement.
Beginning each day, local Phoenix church leaders will guide us into various aspects of the Gospel and lead us in a time of worship. They will be talking about how the Gospel demonstrates God’s love for people, saves people from God’s wrath, and offers people the hope of eternal life in Heaven with God.
In addition, ASBP members will have opportunities to interact with various Southern Baptist Convention entity leaders. Those scheduled so far include Paul Chitwood, IMB; Kevin Ezell, NAMB, Hance Dilbeck, Guidestone; Jeff Iorg, Gateway Seminary; and Sandy Wisdom-Martin, WMU.
The meeting will end with a business session to elect a new president-elect, adopt resolutions, and hear a report and take action regarding recommendations from the ASBP/BCA Collaboration Workgroup.
Optional Event: IMB Sending Celebration, North Phoenix Baptist Church
On Wednesday evening, Feb. 14, North Phoenix Baptist church is hosting an International Mission Board Sending Celebration. Before dismissing the ASBP meeting early that afternoon, the group will see who needs to carpool to the church and who is heading out for a special Valentine dinner on the town.
General Meeting Schedule
Meeting Location: ASBP sessions will meet at First Southern Baptist Church, Scottsdale (FSBC). The church is an 8-minute walk or short drive from the church. We will coordinate together to help folks who need to ride, rather than walk. We will also watch the weather and adjust transportation plans accordingly. Other events are at locations as noted.
Breakfasts: Daily breakfasts are provided as part of hotel room cost.
Monday Evening: 6:00 p.m. Welcome Reception with executive directors at hotel.
Tuesday: 9:00 a.m. – 4:45 p.m. (lunch included) at FSBC. 6:00 p.m. dinner program with executive directors at the hotel.
Wednesday: 9:00 a.m. – 3:30 p.m. (lunch included) at FSBC. Optional evening event: IMB Sending Celebration event at North Phoenix Baptist Church. Dinner is on your own.
Thursday Morning: 9:00 a.m. – noon (lunch is on your own) at FSBC.
Meeting Theme: Gospel-Focused Journalism
State Baptist publications have changed significantly since the days when almost every state convention operated its own Baptist newspaper. Realities of culture, Baptist expectations, and operational costs have forced changes through the years.
Much Baptist and religious news is instantly available for free elsewhere. And, pressure is mounting to focus denominational spending on ministries that lead people to Jesus. Where does that leave Southern Baptists’ state publications?
Now, with a new generation coming up focused on “causes they believe in” and a surging interest in Gospel-focused ministries, how can state Baptist publications carve out a new niche by defining and practicing Gospel-focused journalism? How can they engage directly in the Gospel enterprise while still doing journalism?
Christian journalism merged traditional journalistic methods and purposes with a Christian moral ethic. Gospel-focused journalism presses farther, joining traditional journalism methods and purposes, Christian moral ethics, and a Great Commission purpose and work.
Can journalists and state Baptist publications both report on stories from a third-person, outside perspective and directly engage themselves in a larger story of journalistic Gospel work at the same time? How can Southern Baptist journalists simultaneously practice good journalism and rigorously engage the role of ambassador for Christ? Can they tell two stories at the same time? Those are the questions of Gospel-focused journalism.
Meeting Sponsors
We are grateful to our sponsors for making our meeting more engaging, fruitful and enjoyable.
Gold Sponsors ($2,500): International Mission Board, North American Mission Board
Silver Sponsors ($1,500): LifeWay Christian Resources, Guidestone Financial Resources
ASBP Friends ($500): WMU