Christian Post
Overall Declining Numbers for Southern Baptists Heartbreaking, Says Leader
By _Alex Murashko_ (http://www.christianpost.com/author/alex-murashko/)
June 6, 2013|12:04 pm
Statistics compiled from churches belonging to Southern Baptist Convention
for the association's Annual Church Profile for last year show declining
numbers in several key areas, including membership, average attendance,
baptisms and total monetary giving. Despite some positive news shown by an
increase in the amount of membership churches, SBC Executive Committee
President
Frank Page expressed his discouragement.
"When I first heard the report of our ACP, I said, 'God forgive us and God
help us.' We are thankful for every person won to Christ and every person
enrolled in Bible study and discipleship and involved in missions," said
Page, as reported in a Baptist Press article by the communications director
for LifeWay Christian Resources.
"We are thankful for the millions who are a part of worship in our Southern
Baptist churches," he said. "However, my heart breaks when we realize the
overall decline in our numbers."
The ACP, compiled by LifeWay Christian Resources in cooperation with
Baptist state conventions, showed that the number of churches in the SBC grew
by
270 to 46,034, a 0.6 percent increase over the previous year. SBC churches
also reported 4,992 church-type missions last year, 40 more than in 2011,
although some state conventions no longer use that designation which may
have impacted the total.
Although the number of SBC-affiliated congregations grew, reported
membership of those churches declined by more than 100,000, down 0.7 percent
to
15.9 million members. Primary worship attendance declined 3.1 percent to 5.97
million Sunday worshippers.
LifeWay Christian Resources states that although baptisms were a bright
spot in the 2011 report, increasing 0.7 percent, the report for 2012 shows a
decline of 5.5 percent to 314,956 people. Reported baptisms have declined
six of the last eight years with 2012 recording the lowest since 1948. The
ratio of baptisms to total members increased to one baptism for every 50
members.
"While we celebrate every new baptized believer represented by these
numbers, fewer reported baptisms is heartbreaking," said Thom S. Rainer,
president and CEO of LifeWay.
"Southern Baptists cannot rest on what God accomplished through us in prior
years. The message of the gospel is alive, relevant and powerful today,
and the Great Commission task of sharing it should excite and embolden us as
Christians," Rainer said.
Page added, "Let's get perspective on this. Where are people won to Christ?
Where do people go to church? Everything depends on the local level. It is
where everything of significance occurs.
"The questions that every Southern Baptist must answer are, 'What am I
doing for the Lord? Am I winning more or less people to Christ? Am I giving
more or less to missions? Am I being faithful in my support of my church?'"
Although LifeWay said changes in monetary giving to SBC congregations are
difficult to assess because not all Baptist state conventions gather the
same data, the research group reported that the total and undesignated
receipts reported through the ACP were down 2.4 percent and 1.5 percent,
respectively. Total mission expenditures were also down, but the amount of
giving to
Southern Baptist mission causes increased by more than $48 million (7
percent) to $744 million.
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