The largest convention of Baptists lost 2% of its membership during the last calendar year, according to the annual report from the Southern Baptist Convention.
The SBC — the nation’s largest Protestant denomination, founded in 1845 — counted growth in areas outside traditional Bible Belt states. But the convention’s rolls lost 288,000 members in 2019, lowering its total SBC membership to 14.5 million. It peaked with 16.3 million in 2003.
Total baptisms also saw their lowest number since World War II, reports Christianity Today, at 235,748.
“These numbers are not able to tell the story of all the evangelistic efforts that many individuals and churches have put in this past year,” said Scott McConnell, executive director of LifeWay Research, SBC’s publishing arm. “They do, indicate, however, that the efforts of the same number of people in a congregation on average are seeing fewer people come to Christ and being baptized.”
“Increasing secularization” among Americans, according to Mr. McConnell, is to blame for the loss in numbers.
Last fall, a leading poll found more U.S. citizens than ever before identifying as disaffiliated from a regular, religious practice.
• Christopher Vondracek can be reached at cvondracek@washingtontimes.com.
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