BRENTWOOD — For the second straight year, baptisms and giving increased among Southern Baptist congregations. In-person worship service and small group attendance also rebounded, but total membership and the number of congregations slid.
The Annual Church Profile (ACP) compiled by Lifeway Christian Resources in cooperation with Baptist state conventions paints a complicated picture for the Southern Baptist Convention but contains some positive news.
In 2022, baptisms increased by more than 16 percent, in-person worship attendance climbed by more than five percent, small group attendance grew by four percent and giving to Southern Baptist congregations ticked up by almost 2 percent.
The total membership of the Southern Baptist Convention, however, continued its downward trajectory.
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. In total, Southern Baptist churches have suffered membership declines of about 3 percent annually the past three years.
“Much of the downward movement we are seeing in membership reflects people who stopped participating in an individual congregation years ago and the record keeping is finally catching up,” said Scott McConnell, executive director Lifeway Research.
“Membership totals for a congregation immediately reflect additions as well as subtractions due to death or someone removing themselves from membership. But many congregations are slow to remove others who no longer are participating.”
Within the Southern Baptist Convention, multisite congregations reported 585 campuses in addition to their first location.
The SBC saw 416 fewer churches and 165 fewer church-type missions associated with the convention in 2022 than in the previous year.
Rebounding attendance numbers
Emerging from the COVID-19 pandemic, Southern Baptist congregations saw the return of additional in-person worshipers. More than 3.8 million individuals attended a Southern Baptist congregation on an average weekend in 2022, a 5 percent increase over the 3.6 million who did so in 2021.
Most states have more members of Southern Baptist congregations than people who attend on an average weekend. In Iowa (3,464), Pennsylvania-South Jersey (2,564), New England (1,233) and Dakota (432) state conventions, however, more people are attending each week than are on the participating congregations’ membership rolls.
Small group participation also grew overall, climbing 4 percent (almost 100,000 people) in 2022. A total of 2.3 million individuals were part of in-person Sunday School classes or small groups at a Southern Baptist congregation on the average weekend.
Eight states had an average of 100,000 or more participants each weekend for small groups in Southern Baptist congregations: Texas (280,113), Georgia (232,016), Florida (210,306), North Carolina (189,800), Tennessee (148,214), Alabama (136,956), Mississippi (109,897) and Oklahoma (102,719).
On average, 61 percent of those who attend a Southern Baptist congregation on any given weekend are involved in a Sunday School class or small group.
As congregations drew more people in person, Southern Baptist congregations reported fewer people worshiping or attending small groups online in 2022. On average, just over 1 million people participated in an online worship service at a Southern Baptist congregation each week, down from more than 1.4 million in 2021. Online small group participation dropped by more than 58 percent to 82,404.
Increase in baptisms and giving
As more people gathered in-person, they witnessed more baptisms. In 2022, Southern Baptist congregations baptized 180,177 people, a 16 percent increase over 2021.
States with the most baptisms in Southern Baptist congregations in 2022 were Florida (22,015), Texas (20,540), Tennessee (16,008), Georgia (15,021) and North Carolina (11,325).
Collins
“We praise God that baptisms continue to climb. It is a further indication that Tennessee Baptists are still seeking to win Tennessee for Jesus,” said Roc Collins, strategic objectives director for the Tennessee Baptist Mission Board.
Collins noted that Tennessee churches reported an additional 33 baptisms in 2022 after the ACP report was released, thus the discrepancy in actual numbers and the number reported in the ACP chart above for Tennessee.
“We are thankful for the 16,008 people who were saved, baptized and set on the road to discipleship last year. Our prayer is that we will see more people come to Jesus in 2023,” he said.
Among the state conventions that collected financial information, giving increased among Southern Baptists.
In 2022, undesignated receipts totaled more than $9.9 billion, which represented an increase of almost two percent compared to the previous year.
Around 7 in 10 SBC churches (69 percent) reported at least one item on the 2022 ACP, similar to the 70 percent who reported in 2021.
“The increased generosity among churches is a high point in the Annual Church Profile. In a season where pennies are having to be pinched and spending is strategic, church members are demonstrating an increased dependence upon their faith in God,” said Willie McLaurin, interim president and CEO, SBC Executive Committee.
“I am thankful for local Southern Baptist pastors that are equipping their members in biblical stewardship and casting a vision to reach the world for Jesus.” B&R — B&R editor Lonnie Wilkey contributed to this report.
