Southern Baptist Convention President Clint Pressley has named the roster of tellers to count votes at the 2026 SBC Annual Meeting June 9–10. Pressley named David Haynes, senior pastor of First Baptist Church Senatobia, Miss., to lead the team. Haynes and his wife, April, served as tellers at last year’s meeting in Dallas.
“A mentor of mine, Dr. Ronald Meeks, says, ‘If you’re going to be a Baptist, then be a good one,’” Haynes told Baptist Press. “Service is at the heart of every good Southern Baptist. Those serving on the Tellers Committee allow the convention body as a whole to focus on biblical instruction, worship and presentations while the votes are counted. … We serve so others can experience the convention.”
SBC Registration Secretary Don Currence said he is confident the team of tellers is made up of “dedicated Southern Baptists who I know are up for the task.”
“Like every year, every ballot vote will be counted carefully so that not one messengers vote is missed during the annual meeting,” Currence said. “The most helpful things that a messenger can do is to be in the main hall for all of the business and follow my instructions.”
Based on his experience in Dallas, Haynes shared a bit of what tellers do behind the scenes of the annual meeting.
“Those who have never served on this committee may not be familiar with the process,” he said. “Once ballot votes occur, the ballots are divided and counted twice by the members of the committee.
“The counting process happens by teams of two people. The members of the counting teams do not know each other. Last year, my wife and I could not count ballots together for the purpose of protecting the validity of the process.”
Messengers receive a personalized book of ballots when they register for the meeting. Registration opens on Sunday, June 7, at 2 p.m. on Level 1 of the Orange County Convention Center.
Tellers from South Carolina are Jess Archer, Riverland Hills, Irmo; Katie Bennett, Lake Murray Baptist, Lexington; and Donny Mathis, Christ Fellowship-Cherrydale, Greenville.