Conferences & Events
2026 Annual Conference
The Baptist History & Heritage Society (BHHS) invites paper and panel proposals for its 2026 Annual Conference, May 18–20, in metro Atlanta at Smoke Rise Baptist Church, Tucker, Ga.
The 2026 Annual Conference again will be held in collaboration with the National Association of Baptist Professors of Religion (NABPR) and the Association of Ministry Guidance Professionals (AMGP).
BHHS invites scholars, clergy, laity, practitioners and students to submit papers and proposals in any area related to Baptist history and identity.
BHHS also welcomes proposals related to the theme of the joint plenary sessions, Church and Global Migration—examining how global movements of people have intersected with Baptist history and identity.
Potential topics include but are not limited to histories of Baptist missionary movements, global expansions and declines; Baptist churches serving as sanctuaries and places of belonging for immigrants and refugees; Baptist responses to immigration policy, nationalism and paternalism; the emergence of multicultural and bilingual Baptist congregations; and Baptist interpretations of biblical themes of exile, sojourning, diaspora and hospitality.
We invite proposals on these and other related topics connected to our theme to shed light on the many ways migration has shaped—and been shaped by—the Baptist story.
Proposals for themed sessions are also encouraged. These sessions should include two to three paper presentations focused on a unified theme and name a suggested moderator. Creative session proposals that diverge from the traditional paper format are also welcome. Each paper will be allotted 30 minutes, including discussion time.
Individuals may submit different proposals to multiple organizations (BHHS, NABPR, AMGP), but the same proposal may not be submitted to more than one organization. Please indicate in your submission if you are submitting a proposal to more than one organization.
Graduate students are especially encouraged to submit proposals. Graduate students must register for the conference, but the cost is reduced to a $5 administrative fee, regardless of whether a paper is proposed.
Graduate students who present papers and request travel funding from BHHS Executive Director Aaron Weaver (aweaver@thebhhs.org) will receive a $250 travel stipend.
Proposals are due January 15, 2026. Submissions should include the name(s) and contact information of the presenter(s), the title of the presentation and a 300-word abstract. Notifications of decisions will be sent by March 1, 2026.
Submit your proposal here.
For questions, please contact BHHS Executive Director Aaron Weaver at aweaver@thebhhs.org.
Purpose and History of Annual Conferences
Previous Annual BHHS Conferences
2025 Addressing Abuse in Baptist Communities (Waco, TX)
2024 Baptist History and Identity (Raleigh, NC)
2023 Baptists in the Great Southwest (San Antonio, TX)
2022 Baptists and Science (Virtual)
2021 Baptists and Public Advocacy (Virtual)
2020 Canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic
2019 Baptist Engagement with Social Justice and Those on the Margins (Raleigh, NC)
2018 Baptist Women in the Twentieth Century (Atlanta, GA)
2017 Biographies and Narratives: Baptist Experiences and Convictions (Augusta, GA)
2016 Perspectives in Baptist History and Identity (Waco, TX)
2015 Seeking Justice: Baptists, Nashville and Civil Rights (Nashville, TN)
2014 Exploring the ‘Other’ Baptists (Sioux Falls, SD)
2013 Faith, Freedom, Forgiveness: Religion and the Civil War, Emancipation and Reconciliation in Our Time (Richmond, VA)
2012 Baptists and Theology (Raleigh, NC)
2011 Baptists and Education (Dallas, TX)
2010 Baptists and Revivalism (Georgetown, KY)
2009 Baptist Contributions, 1609-2009 (Huntsville, AL)
2008 Baptists and the First Amendment (Atlanta, GA)
2007 African Americans in Baptist History (Campbellsville, KY)
2006 The Contributions of Baptist Public Figures in America (Washington, DC)
2005 Women in Baptist History (Birmingham, AL)
2004 Baptist Footprints in the Northwest (Vancouver, WA)
2003 Baptists on the Frontier (Belton, TX)
2002 Baptists and Diversity (Jefferson City, TN)
2001 Baptists and World War II (Pensacola, FL)
2000 Reflections on Baptist Life in the Twentieth Century (Savannah, GA)
1999 Baptist Theological Education (Liberty, MO)
1998 Texas Baptists and the Southern Baptist Convention (Dallas, TX)
1997 Baptists and the Civil War (Richmond, VA)
1996 Two Ways To Be Baptist: J. Frank Norris and George W. Truett (Nashville, TN)
1995 The Spirit of Southern Baptists, 1845-1995 (Augusta, GA)
1994 Ministries of Baptist Laypeople (Memphis, TN)
1993 Baptists and the News Media (Nashville, TN)
1992 World Missions: Two Centuries of Baptist Achievement (Birmingham, AL)
1991 Religious Education in Southern Baptist Churches (Nashville, TN)
1990 Southern Baptists and Relationships with Other Denominations (Nashville, TN)
1989 Baptists in America: 175 Years of National Organization (Nashville, TN)
1988 Ordination in Baptist Heritage (Nashville, TN)
1987 Women in Southern Baptist History (Birmingham, AL)
1986 Baptist Church Music Heritage (Nashville, TN)
1985 Baptists and the History of Church-State Relationships (Nashville, TN)
1984 The Role of the Bible in Baptist History (Nashville, TN)
1983 Ethnic Southern Baptist Heritage (Nashville, TN)
1982 Southern Baptists Nationwide (Charleston, SC)
1981 Black Southern Baptist Heritage (Nashville, TN)
1980 Southern Baptist Theologians (Louisville, KY)
1979 Baptist Polity: A Look at Church Order (Nashville, TN)
1978 The Heritage of Baptist Thought (Fort Worth, TX)
1977 Communicating Baptist History Through Contemporary Media and Art Forms (Nashville, TN)
1976 Baptists and the Struggle for Religious Liberty in Early America (Richmond, VA)
1975 Our Denominational Heritage and the Present: The Role of Baptist Oral History (Nashville, TN)
1974 Baptists and the Bicentennial (Nashville, TN)
1973 Our Denominational Heritage and the Present: The Role of the State Baptist Historical Society (Birmingham, AL)
1972 Baptists and Social Revolution (Nashville, TN)
1971 Libraries: Archives and Indexing (Nashville, TN)
1970 125 Years of Southern Baptist Convention History (Nashville, TN)
1969 Writing Baptist History (Nashville, TN)