Skip to main content

SBC Baptisms Declining


According to this article, although "the number of Southern Baptist churches in 2006 increased by 524... total baptisms in the Southern Baptist Convention fell for the second consecutive year."

This has caused me to ponder: is this because the SBC is attracting mainly people from church backgrounds (i.e. already baptized), or is it because the SBC doesn't put enough emphasis on the doctrine of baptism? While I've never belonged to a SBC, my church background is similar (a conservative baptistic evangelical church), and baptism has never been stressed as very important. In fact, I wasn't baptized until many years after I became a Christian and joined a church.

Comments

Anonymous said…
When I visited Southern Seminary, one of the things the president stated that identified the school as "Baptist" in the first place was their emphasis on the ordinance of baptism.

I do know that many people who are unsatisfied with the liberal direction of other mainline denominations are attracted to the SBC, primarily because of its unwavering stand on the authority of Scripture and on the gospel.

Of course, there's always the possibility that God happens not to be saving as many people through the SBC right now, which (as you know) has a direct bearing on the number of baptisms in a church which practices believer's baptism.
May 4, 2007 at 12:25 PM
Unknown said…
Unfortunately, I only have experience with one Southern Baptist Church (the Venue), which was probably not representative of most SB churches. To be fair, though, the Venue did have their own series on Baptism.

I do wonder how the number of baptisms in baptist churches compare with the number of baptisms of paedobaptist churches as a ratio of church growth.
May 4, 2007 at 3:55 PM
Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

How Many Will Enter Heaven?

Check out this quote I found online: "[C]onsider this fact: fewer than 20% of people actually think they are going to hell. And yet, in answering that question, Jesus says in Matthew 7 that FEW pass through the gate that leads to eternal life. 80% doesn't sound like few to me... do some of us have the wrong idea?" There are a number of problems with this quote. First of all, you it is assuming that "few" refers to the current ratio of professing Christians to non-Christians. What's to say that Jesus isn't referring to the entire population of all the earth over all time? In that case, it's entirely plausible that 80% of people now are really Christians, as long as there are still few total Christians when all is said and done. Maybe it applies only to the people in the crowd listening to Jesus. Or, it could refer to something else entirely (as I believe). Jesus was talking to a specific people living in a specific time. We cannot decontextualize his ...
11 comments
Older Posts »

Sunny California

I'm settled into a church family's house here in Valencia, and boy is it great. I like listening to my pastor talk about theology. He is also a wonderful counselor, and has been helping me work with some of my personal problems (yes, I know it's hard to believe, but I do have problems). Here is his blog site, if anybody is interested: The Craw . Also, here is the website of my church, along with its blog: Saint Andrew's Community Church , The Chronicles of Saint Andrews . In the meantime, I have been reading The Shape of Sola Scriptura by Mathison, who also wrote Given For You . Both of these books have had an enourmous impact on me, and I strongly encourage all of you to get out and read The Shape of Sola Scriptura , particularly if you've ever struggled with the authority of the Bible, and how it squares away with church tradition. The thesis is that most evangelicals treat the issue of the Bible and tradition wrongly, particularly those in radically reformed chu...
9 comments
Older Posts »

Jesus, Lover of my Soul

An old friend and spiritual mentor of mine left a comment on my last "Religious Conversation" Post . It provoked so much thought that I wanted to share it with everybody, because I know quite a few of my religious friends are reading this, and I know quite a few of you who would make a similar statement. Here it is: There is an element in this conversation that is being overlooked (at least, I presume). There is an aesthetic beauty and, more, an affection, which Steven appears to have for God. This is not illogical; in fact, all human beings exhibit it for something. It may be subjective, and it is not conclusive, but it is completely logical. And I can't imagine an argument that would refute it. It is something like a man saying, "I love my wife. I appreciate her many virtues and charms; I believe her to be the woman most worthy of my affection and lifelong commitment." If I say this and someone were to say to me, "But EVERY man says that of his bride!...
9 comments
Older Posts »