NASHVILLE, Tenn. (BP) — The Southern Baptist Convention reported a 2.2 percent increase in baptisms in 2009, stemming a four-year decline, but membership in the denomination fell and the sagging economy led to a drop in missions giving, according to the Annual Church Profile compiled by LifeWay Christian Resources.
Baptisms last year totaled 349,737, up from 342,198 in 2008, a year in which Southern Baptists recorded the fewest baptisms since 1987. Total membership fell 0.42 percent to 16.16 million, and Sunday school enrollment dropped 0.04 percent to 7.75 million.
While the baptism numbers are encouraging, they do not necessarily signal a reversal of fortune for the SBC, said Thom Rainer, LifeWay’s president and CEO.
“Every baptism is a celebration of another person finding new life in Jesus Christ,” Rainer said. “The fact that more people were baptized this year than last year gives us a reason to hope we’re on the right path. At the same time, we as Southern Baptists continue to show signs of drifting from our historic commitment to evangelism, as reflected in the fact that it still takes 46 Southern Baptists to lead one person to faith in Christ.”
ACP data revealed a slight rise (0.36 percent) in the number of Southern Baptist churches, to 45,010, and an increase of 0.37 percent in primary worship attendance, to 6.21 million.
Giving to missions totaled $1.33 billion in 2009, a decline of 1.8 percent.