Curt Flewelling, FISM News
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A recent report by Lifeway Christian Resources found that the Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) suffered an unprecedented drop in membership of 457,000 in 2022.
This freefall represents the biggest decline in membership that the world’s largest Baptist denomination has experienced in over 100 years, going from 13.68 million members to 13.22 million. The number of Southern Baptist churches also shrank from 47,614 to 47,198, a loss of 416 houses of worship.
All the news was not dire for the SBC, however. The denomination saw increases in baptisms (16%), in-person worship attendance (5%), small group attendance (4%), and giving (2%). The last statistic, although seemingly slight, is noteworthy as economic woes globally have stifled giving among most denominations.
Many Christian denominations (and other faiths as well) experienced a membership pinch amidst the challenges brought on by COVID-19. The pandemic, and the growing phenomenon of seekers who felt that they did not need to belong to any church, let alone “go” to a church, have made membership retention challenging.
Lifeway Research Executive Director Scott McConnell attempted to downplay the profundity of the decline.
“Much of the downward movement we are seeing in membership reflects people who stopped participating in an individual congregation years ago and the record keeping is finally catching up,” McConnell wrote in the report.
The SBC has always been a traditionally conservative entity and no doubt may be experiencing some exodus because of that. Many Baptists have become much more liberal in their beliefs and the denomination’s stance on Critical Race Theory (CRT), LGBTQ inclusion, and the role of women in the church, might be hamstringing the organization.
SEXUAL ABUSE SCANDAL
In 2018, the SBC was rocked with allegations that the organization suppressed credible reports of sexual abuse at the hands of over 700 ministers and church workers. A federal investigation into the scandal was launched in August of 2022.
Famed Southern Baptist Bible teacher Beth Moore made news in March of 2021 by announcing that she was “no longer a Southern Baptist.” The renowned speaker cited the selective outrage Southern Baptist leaders displayed by rallying around Donald Trump for his alleged indiscretions with women, while those same leaders were outraged at Bill Clinton’s behavior during his presidency.
The resilient organization will tackle the issues of race, sexual abuse, and women in church leadership, at their upcoming annual meeting on June 13-14 in New Orleans. They will also be electing a president at this time as their current president, Bart Barber faces a challenge from Georgia pastor Mike Stone.