Large-scale Christian arena conferences in the United States have declined in size and influence. Major evangelism gatherings that once filled stadiums have scaled down, merged or closed altogether. Kenneth Copeland Ministries’ Southwest Believers’ Convention in Fort Worth has gone the other direction.

For 45 consecutive years, Kenneth Copeland Ministries has hosted the Southwest Believers’ Convention at the Fort Worth Convention Center, including through 2020. Admission has remained free throughout that run. Registrations in 2025 reached nearly 18,000 attendees representing all 50 states and 54 countries, eclipsing pre-COVID numbers.

That gathering made measurable contributions to downtown Fort Worth’s tourism and hospitality businesses. Visit Fort Worth, the city’s destination marketing organization, has publicly thanked KCM for the partnership.

Against a National Decline in Faith Conferences 

Patheos contributor Shawn Paul Wood has documented the decline of Christian arena conferences in the United States, from stadium-era crusades tied to evangelists like Billy Graham, Luis Palau, and Oral Roberts through more recent programs such as Promise Keepers and Acquire the Fire, which have since wound down.

Streaming absorbed much of the audience during the same period. Patheos cites industry data showing that roughly 87% of U.S. churches now stream their services and 67% offer apps for remote viewing.

SWBC has held steady against that pattern. Attendance rebuilt after the 2020 pandemic season and returned to pre-COVID levels at the 45th anniversary gathering in 2025. Admission is free, a structure that has not changed since the convention first opened in 1981.

What Happens Over Six Days 

Each year, the Southwest Believers’ Convention runs six days at the Fort Worth Convention Center. Sessions include Bible teaching, worship, corporate prayer, and healing services (known as Healing School), led by Kenneth Copeland and a rotating lineup of invited ministers.

After nearly 60 years of ministry travel, Kenneth Copeland has reduced his itinerant schedule to focus more of his work at home and at the Fort Worth headquarters. That transition has made SWBC a larger share of his annual teaching calendar and reinforced the convention’s role as the ministry’s central gathering.

Speakers in 2025 included Terri Copeland Pearsons (KCM’s eldest daughter and president of Kenneth Copeland Bible College), George Pearsons (pastor of Eagle Mountain International Church), Nancy Dufresne of World Harvest Bible Training Center, and Bill Winston of Living Word Christian Center. A Friday night concert featured the GRAMMY-winning Gaither Vocal Band.

Children and youth have dedicated tracks. Services in 2025 hosted 550 children ages 6 to 12 and 583 youth ages 13 to 18, with 807 salvations and 95 water baptisms recorded across the week.

Economic Impact on Fort Worth 

The 2025 Southwest Believers’ Convention generated an estimated $8.8 million in economic impact for Fort Worth. The convention supported nearly 1,100 food, lodging, and entertainment jobs near or inside Sundance Square, the city’s downtown district. Spending concentrated on hotels, restaurants, and entertainment venues in that area.

“On behalf of Visit Fort Worth and our hospitality community, I want to thank Kenneth Copeland Ministries for bringing their Southwest Believers’ Convention to our city for the past 45 years,” said Bob Jameson, president and CEO of Visit Fort Worth, in remarks following the 2025 event. “Their longstanding commitment to Fort Worth fills a vital time on our summer calendar and supports jobs across the city.”

Similar figures have recurred across the convention’s 45-year run. Hospitality workers benefit from a predictable July-August booking on the city calendar.

A Global Audience, Year After Year 

Attendees traveled from all 50 states and 54 countries to the 2025 convention. Registrations totaled nearly 18,000, including 871 pastors from churches and ministries worldwide. International breadth has been a consistent feature of SWBC across its 45-year run.

KCM covers hosting costs for the free convention through partner contributions and ministry revenue. That funding model has remained consistent since the first convention in 1981.

Victory Channel livestreams services to viewers who cannot travel to Fort Worth in person, carrying SWBC sessions in real time across the network’s satellite, cable, and streaming platforms.

Why the City Has Welcomed SWBC for 45 Years 

SWBC fills a week on the Fort Worth event calendar that returns to the same venue every summer. Attendees from around the world fill hotel rooms, buy meals at downtown restaurants, and shop in Sundance Square before, during, and after sessions at the convention center.

KCM has maintained its headquarters in the Fort Worth area throughout its nearly 60-year ministry. That geography ties the convention to a permanent base rather than a rotating host city. Eagle Mountain International Church, Kenneth Copeland Bible College, and Victory Channel production facilities all operate from within or near Fort Worth.

John Copeland, chief executive officer of KCM, has described SWBC as the ministry’s central annual event. “This is our Super Bowl,” he said after the 2025 convention, “so we needed to turn up the volume and create an attraction to rival any trade show or national convention.”

Copeland added that attendee feedback sought something beyond spectacle. “They sought a more meaningful and unforgettable experience that would change their lives by creating an opportunity to gather with like-minded believers and experience the presence of God.”

Year 46 and Counting 

Forty-five consecutive years of operation at the Fort Worth Convention Center have distinguished SWBC from its peers in the American Christian conference circuit: same city, same venue, same free-admission structure, year after year.

That continuity has produced measurable returns for Fort Worth. Hotels, restaurants, and entertainment venues near Sundance Square count on a reliable August week each year. City leadership has publicly credited the partnership as a pillar of summer tourism.

Registration is open for the 46th annual Southwest Believers’ Convention, scheduled for July 27 through August 1, 2026.

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