A new report released about the Southern Baptist Church(SBC) on Tuesday shows a huge drop in members for this protestant Christian group.
In 2023, membership dropped for the SBC to 12.9 million according to the SBC’s 2024 Annual Church Profile. This number is the lowest number of members the SBC has had since the 1970s.
Annual Church Profile
The Annual Church Profile (ACP) for 2024 was put together by Lifeway Christian Resources and showed a 17th straight year of church membership decline.
The SBC is America’s largest protestant Christian group and their membership peaked in 2006 with 16.3 million members. Despite the US population growing in that time by nearly 40 million, the SBC has still managed to lose nearly 3 million members since then.
Decease in Churches
According to the ACP, the total number of churches affiliated with the SBC has decreased by 292, now having only 46,906 churches in the country.
The report also noted a decrease in church-type missions but was able to report that multi-site church campuses grew to 680.
Good News For Worshippers
Although this 47-year low in membership is disappointing, there were some silver linings for the SBC in the report.
The SBC saw a growth of 1% of undesignated receipts to reach more than $10 billion in 2023 from states that collect financial information.
Increase in Baptism and Attendance
Interestingly, although overall membership was down, the ACP found that those who stayed attended more services and there were more new baptisms.
“Southern Baptist-affiliated congregations experienced increases in baptisms, average weekly worship attendance and average small group attendance. Total baptisms climbed to more than 226,000,” the ACP said.
Pre-Pandemic levels
The SBC celebrated a return to pre-pandemic levels of baptisms this year, beating expectations.
“A linear trendline of baptisms before the pandemic using data from 1999 to 2019 would have predicted fewer baptisms in 2023,” said executive director of Lifeway Research Scott McConnell. “It is reassuring that the God who has changed the lives of the people represented by these baptism numbers is not limited by trendlines or history.”
Importance of Baptisms
While baptism is a common practice in many Christian denominations, the SBC, true to its name, places a special emphasis on the religious ritual.
“Baptism is special, not only for the individual being baptized but for our entire church family,” said Lexington Baptist Church Pastor Matt Bartlett . “Many being baptized have grown through our children’s or youth ministries, influenced by numerous members of our community, including their parents and families. It’s a church-wide celebration of God’s work in their lives. It motivates us further. We often say we welcome a large water bill because it signifies continuous baptisms.”
In-Person Attendance
Another positive spot in the report was an increase in weekly worship service attendance both in person and online.
“In-person weekly worship service average attendance topped 4 million for the first time in three years, while in-person small group average attendance reached nearly 2.5 million. Average online worship service participation also increased,” the report said.
SBC Executive Committee Comments
Jeff Iorg, the president-elect of the SBC Executive Committee addressed his feelings on both the good and bad news from the ACP.
“Southern Baptists are a force for good. We are sharing the gospel with more people, gathering for worship and Bible study in increasing numbers, giving billions to support churches serving communities across our country and sending millions to support mission enterprises around the world,” Iorg said. “While we often address our shortcomings, it’s also good to pause and celebrate the global good Southern Baptists are accomplishing.”
Focus on Baptism
SBC congregations in Florida, Georgia, California, North Carolina, and Tennessee reported the largest baptism increases, with some churches increasing their focus on baptism training and readiness. Baptism overall among SBC congregations increased almost 26% in 2023.
“When I would visit churches, most of the baptistries were filled with Christmas decorations and boxes and supplies,” said Todd Unzicker, executive director-treasurer of the Baptist State Convention of North Carolina. “And I always thought, if the Lord moved, they’re not even ready.”
Membership Numbers Versus Church Attendance
Bart Barber, current president of SBC, downplayed the drop in membership, saying that it is a less reliable statistic than church attendance numbers.
“The numbers that are up are the numbers I am watching,” Barber told Religion News Service. “We know who came to our Sunday school. We know who came to our small-group Bible study. And we are good at counting baptisms. We have walked people through a process and we have dunked them in water and we know their names. We can tie every one of those numbers to an individual person.”
Abuse Scandals
The SBC has been struggling recently to deal with perceptions around allegations of church member abuse, which this report revealed still needs some work.
Only 58% of SBC congregations require background checks for staff members who work with children, and training for staff in reporting sexual abuse cases and caring for sexual abuse survivors is reported in even fewer congregations.
