The Southern Baptist Convention said Tuesday its membership fell by 457,371 last year, the largest single-year numerical shortfall in over a century and erasing decades of growth.
Statistics reveal the 13.2 million-member denomination is still America’s largest Protestant group, although it’s seen declines of 3% the past three years. The new figure is equal to the 13,196,979 reported in 1978, the denomination said.
SBC membership peaked at 16.3 million in 2006, according to numbers recorded by the independent Association of Religion Data Archives. Membership declines began in 2008, data from SBC publishing arm Lifeway Christian Resources indicates. “It’s not about the church today,” he said of the 16% hike in baptisms. “It’s about what the church will be in five or 10 or 15 years when those [baptized] who are young people stay part of the church. If they’re baptized, the likelihood is higher than if they weren’t,” he said.
“Much of the downward movement we are seeing in membership reflects people who stopped participating in an individual congregation years ago, and the recordkeeping is finally catching up,” Mr. McConnell said in a statement. “The SBC’s decline began just after 2006, which was the year I did my first sidewalk press conference outside SBC headquarters in Nashville,” Ms. Brown told The Washington Times via email.
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Southern Arizona authors pen romance, reflection, mystery, historyLooking for your latest literary adventure? Pick up one of these reads by a Southern Arizona author.
Read more »
Tourist boat capsizes in southern India, at least 20 deadLocal media say a double-decker boat carrying more than 30 passengers capsized off a beach in southern India on Sunday night, and more than 20 people including children died. Sports Minister V Abdurahiman told the Press Trust of India that the boat was being hauled ashore and more bodies were expected to be recovered from inside the vessel. Four people in critical condition were in a hospital. The dead included children who had come for a ride on the boat during their school vacation. It’s not clear what caused the tourist boat to overturn in Tanur, a coastal town in Kerala state’s Malappuram district.
Read more »
Tourist boat capsizes in southern India, at least 22 deadOfficials say a double-decker boat carrying more than 30 passengers capsized Sunday night off a beach in southern India, and more than 22 people including children died
Read more »
Tourist boat capsizes in southern India killing 22At least 22 people have died after a tourist boat capsizes in Malappuram district of India’s southern state of Kerala, officials say
Read more »
Fire deep in gold mine in southern Peru kills 27 workersRelatives of the victims were brought by buses to the mine in Yanaquihua in the Arequipa region, where they were briefed by security agents.
Read more »
Donate to send Southern Arizona kids to camp; get an Arizona tax creditPlease help us send Southern Arizona boys and girls to camp.
Read more »