By Aaron Earls BRENTWOOD, Tenn. — For the second straight year, baptisms and giving increased among Southern Baptist congregations. In-person worship service and small group attendance also rebounded, but total membership and the number of congregations slid. The Annual Church Profile (ACP) compiled by Lifeway Christian Resources in cooperation with Baptist state … [Read more...]
Southern Baptists experience historic drop in membership
By Aaron Earls NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- A growing number of Southern Baptist churches are home to a shrinking number of Southern Baptists. Total membership in the Southern Baptist Convention fell almost 2% to 14,525,579 from 2018 to 2019, according to the Annual Church Profile compiled by Lifeway Christian Resources in cooperation with Baptist state conventions. The decline of … [Read more...]
Multisite church identification shift can help strengthen SBC ties
By Aaron Earls and Carol Pipes NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- The Southern Baptist Convention is built upon relationships between local churches, associations, state conventions and national entities. A new change to church tracking could help strengthen those relationships and provide more information to better reach communities with the gospel. A growing trend in the … [Read more...]
Southern Baptists look to build momentum despite baptism and worship declines
By Carol Pipes NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Southern Baptists may find cause for hope in the latest Annual Church Profile report. The Southern Baptist Convention added more churches in 2015, due mostly to church planting efforts. Churches also experienced an increase in total giving. However, according to the Annual Church Profile (ACP) compiled by Lifeway Christian Resources in … [Read more...]
SBC reports more churches serving fewer people
By Carol Pipes NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Southern Baptists are adding more churches but serving fewer members who are giving fewer dollars, 2014 data compiled by Lifeway Christian Resources shows. The number of cooperating churches within the Southern Baptist Convention rose for the 15th consecutive year, but the churches lost more than 200,000 members, the biggest one-year … [Read more...]