SBC Decline

“Religious historians will look back at 2006 as the absolute peak of denominationalism in the United States….Then the cracks started to form. Slowly at first, and then the pinholes became the size of golf balls and the hull of the SBC began taking on water in an incredibly rapid fashion.” - Ryan Burge

“Churches must change or risk dying. I don’t mean they should change their theology, but they should change their programs and methods. Churches that refuse to change choose to die.” - SBC Voices

“The Southern Baptist Convention lost 259,090 members in 2024, with its total membership now at 12.7 million, according to the denomination’s Annual Church Profile report, released Wednesday (April 30).” - RNS

More…

“The smallest churches are an increasing percentage…. In 2018, 38% of congregations fell in the smallest category, fewer than 50 in attendance. In the 2023 ACP, those churches represented 43%” - Religion Unplugged

“According to Lifeway Research analysis of the Annual Church Profile (ACP) data collected by Southern Baptist state conventions, a decline in reporting among churches is likely leading to an undercounting of attendance numbers.” - Baptist Press

“Membership declined for the 17th straight year… the less than 2 percent decline was the smallest in recent years. Additionally, Southern Baptist-affiliated congregations experienced increases in baptisms, average weekly worship attendance and average small group attendance.” - Baptist Press

“According to Lifeway Research’s analysis of the 2022 Annual Church Profile of the Southern Baptist Convention, 1,253 congregations that were part of the Convention in 2021 were no longer connected in 2022.” - Lifeway

“Combined with the 26% increase in 2021, Southern Baptists have seen a 46% increase over the past two years emerging from the COVID-19 pandemic. Despite those recent jumps, the numbers are still part of a negative trend since the early 2000s.” - Lifeway

“among people born in the 1980s, over 40 percent expressed a great deal of confidence in organized religion when they were coming into adulthood…. Now less than 20 percent of these birth cohorts think they can trust organized religion.” - TGC

“The current total membership of Southern Baptist congregations is 13,223,122, down from 13,680,493 in 2021. The 457,371 members lost is the largest single-year numerical drop in more than 100 years.” - BPNews