News / Education
2007 ACP: Baptisms in SBC fall to lowest level since 1987
Annual study shows dip in growth for first time
According to LifeWay’s Annual Church Profile (ACP), baptisms in 2007 dropped nearly 5.5 percent to 345,941, compared to 364,826 in 2006. Baptism is a public act administered by the local church in which new followers of Christ are immersed in water. Baptism symbolizes believers’ identification with Jesus in His death, burial and resurrection; signifies their new life in Christ; and anticipates the day in which Christ will raise them from the dead, demonstrating His victory over sin and death. Therefore, the number of baptisms is a key measurement of the SBC’s effectiveness in evangelism.
"This report is truly disheartening," said Rainer. "Total membership showed a slight decline. Baptisms have now declined for three consecutive years and for seven of the last eight years, and are at their lowest level since 1987. Indeed, the total baptisms are among the lowest reported since 1970. We are a denomination that, for the most part, has lost its evangelistic passion."
Not all the news coming out of the ACP was so grim. The number of SBC churches grew by 1.1 percent to 44,696; primary worship attendance increased slightly to 6.15 million; and total mission expenditures topped $1.3 billion.
Missions giving is significant and far reaching. Through the denomination’s Cooperative Program, local churches voluntarily pool funds to support mission efforts in their states, throughout the nation and around the world. For example, Cooperative Program funds support more than 10,250 missionaries who engage nearly 1,200 people groups throughout North America and around the world. In addition, CP funds support six seminaries, the International Mission Board, North American Mission Board, the Ethics & Religions Liberty Commission, and other SBC entities. (LifeWay and GuideStone Financial Resources are self-funding.)
At the same time, CP funds support statewide efforts in evangelism, as well as children’s homes, disaster relief efforts, volunteer missions, colleges and universities, camps and much more.
Rainer pointed out that numeric/percent changes for certain categories could not be accurately figured for the 2007 ACP, as some state conventions did not ask for some items to be reported, or asked in a way that gave results that were not comparable to totals reported in the 2006 ACP.
Impacted categories and their 2007 totals include:
Sunday school enrollment: 7,876,611
Discipleship training enrollment: 1,664,348
Total tithes, offerings, and special gifts: $10.85 billion
Music ministry enrollment/participation: 1,444,837
WMU enrollment: 778,555
Men/boys mission education enrollment: 381,355
Additional information, including charts, can be found at the LifeWay News site.
