The following report is from the Christian Post:
A year after reporting the largest single-year membership decline in more than 100 years, churches in the Southern Baptist Convention, the nation’s largest Protestant denomination, lost more than 400,000 members in 2020 and set a new record for the single-year decline amid the coronavirus pandemic and a bitter culture war.
The Annual Church Profile report shows membership in SBC congregations declined by a staggering 435,632 in 2020, more than 50% higher than the 287,655 members the denomination reported losing from 2018 to 2019.
While the number of SBC congregations increased slightly by 62 to 47,592 over the previous year, the decline in membership in 2020 continues a sustained negative 14-year trend that began when SBC church membership peaked at 16.3 million in 2006. Since then, the denomination has declined in membership by nearly 2 million.
About 69% of Southern Baptist congregations participated in the reporting for the Annual Church Profile.
Scott McConnell, executive director of LifeWay Research, said in a statement that the steep decline in membership at SBC congregations resulted from fewer additions through baptism and other additions, likely more deaths from COVID-19 and other reductions in the membership of individual Southern Baptist congregations.
Numerous church leaders have described their attempts to stay in touch with their congregation throughout the pandemic. As congregations rediscovered the telephone, they also discovered some on their membership lists who moved away, joined another church, or no longer wanted to be a member.
Scott McConnell
A nearly 50% baptism decline in SBC congregations was also reported for 2020, which was also significantly impacted by the pandemic.
In 2020, 123,160 baptisms were reported compared to 235,748 in 2019, representing the ninth year of a sustained drop in baptisms.
Socially distant behavior is helpful for containing a pandemic, but it hindered meeting new people, inviting people to church, and helping them take a step of obedience to be baptized. The additional outreach through online methods did not make a dent in the smaller number of opportunities to share the gospel in person, including fewer Vacation Bible Schools, live events, and weekly services to invite people to attend. The last year Southern Baptists saw this few people follow Christ for the first time was 1918 and 1919 when the influenza pandemic was sweeping the world.
Southern Baptist baptisms declined by more than 4% in 2019, dropping from 246,442 in 2018 to 235,748 in 2019.
At the time, McConnell blamed the decline on America’s increasing secularization.
These numbers are not able to tell the story of all the evangelistic efforts that many individuals and churches have put in this past year. They do indicate, however, that the efforts of the same number of people in a congregation on average are seeing fewer people come to Christ and being baptized. The Southern Baptist Convention is not immune to the increasing secularization among Americans that is seen in more of our children and our neighbors not having interest in coming to Jesus.
A recent study from the Pew Research Center reports that only 65% of Americans now identify as Christian. Those who identify as religiously unaffiliated — a group that includes atheists, agnostics and people who don’t identify with any religion — swelled to 26% of the population.
Beyond COVID-19, other issues that rankled the SBC in 2020 and continue to do so today include tensions exacerbated by mass protests against racial injustice and police brutality.
Some black leaders left the denomination with their large churches last year over a statement by the Council of Seminary Presidents denouncing critical race theory and intersectionality.
The SBC defines critical race theory in Resolution 9 as a set of analytical tools that explain how race has and continues to function in society. Intersectionality is the study of how different personal characteristics overlap and inform one’s experience.
There is now an impasse over the issue that could likely contribute to more black pastors and their congregations cutting ties with the SBC if Resolution 9, which holds that critical race theory can “aid in evaluating a variety of human experiences,” is rescinded at the SBC’s annual meeting this summer.
Other high-profile leaders such as prominent Bible teacher and Living Proof Ministries leader Beth Moore also announced her exit from the denomination this year, saying she does not “identify with some of the things” in SBC heritage which she claims “haven’t remained in the past.”
AUTHOR COMMENTARY
The evidence presented in this report corroborates with what The WinePress noted in its report, “The Mass Exodus From The Churches.”
And isn’t hilarious, at least it is to me, all these cute little excuses the SBC is coming up with to explain away why their membership is divebombing? Gee, maybe it’s because the people continually are waking up to the fact that these pastors are just hirelings that do not believe the Book they pretend to preach? Maybe it’s because these churches are continually lowering their “moral standards,” and the more outreach they do, the more worldly it gets. Perhaps it’s also because of the endless sexual coverups and lewdness by the leadership, congregations, and youth groups, that are repeatedly slid under a rug.
Or maybe, just maybe, these congregants finally saw through the veneer that these “churches” have been hiding behind. As soon as the government told them to shut their doors, the leadership in these “babel buildings” not even so much as put up a fight, but willingly obeyed the government. Then they doubled-down by not even addressing these issues when the people seriously needed help and guidance due to all the turmoil and chaos. Rather than hearing “God is love” and “the fruit of the Spirit” for the umpteenth time, they needed to have assurance from the Lord and have their fears quenched. But on the contrary: these businesses filed for loans to the Small Business Association to be further indebted to the government. Then these “faithful tithers” ask the logical question: “where has my money been going?”
But of course, this has nothing to do with just some* what I have mentioned: the SBC will just blame it on “critical race theory” and “liberalism permeating the church.” -It’s the same old crappy alibi all these hirelings say year-over-year.
South Baptist Convention Ousts Churches Over LGTBQ Inclusion. The SBC Under Turmoil
[2] Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine. [3] For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; [4] And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables.2 Timothy 4:2-4
For more analysis on this continued trend, definitely read our report on this clear exodus from the church buildings.
[7] Who goeth a warfare any time at his own charges? who planteth a vineyard, and eateth not of the fruit thereof? or who feedeth a flock, and eateth not of the milk of the flock? [8] Say I these things as a man? or saith not the law the same also? [9] For it is written in the law of Moses, Thou shalt not muzzle the mouth of the ox that treadeth out the corn. Doth God take care for oxen? [10] Or saith he it altogether for our sakes? For our sakes, no doubt, this is written: that he that ploweth should plow in hope; and that he that thresheth in hope should be partaker of his hope. (1 Corinthians 9:7-10).
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This report is another sight for sore eyes. Mega or mini, church buildings will wither away like a dry shriveled branch.
Jacob, here is a request: do a report and exposé on Josh Duggar. That sick pervert from 19 Kids and Counting. They are a cult and they’re not true believers, given that they were on TV, which no real believer has any business being a celebrity. Josh Duggar was caught allegedly with child pornography and has molested five girls including his four sisters when he was a teenager. They need to be reproved harshly.
I’ll put it on the list. Anyone that made it on the idiot box is fake. 1 John 2:15 Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him.
Thanks Jacob. Also, pray that there’ll be a good judge worth his salt that won’t give one jot about his or their goofy status or namby pamby reputation and he will throw the book at Josh Duggar so hard the judge dislocates his shoulder!
There was another lukewarm christian named Lowell W. Paxson who founded a family friendly family values TV network called PAX TV, that network had all the entertainment appeal of swallowing a razor blade and that network was drowned in debt and went south after roughly six years, thank God! People need to be witnessed to, convicted and edified with King James, not some lame TV channel.
My church’s reaction to the plandemic was a huge disappointment and eye opener. I realized their priorities had little to do with saving souls, and everything to do with staying compliant with unconstitutional mandates. Sad, sad, sad. It proves to me that this church building I used to frequent ia a fraud, and is the last place I want to be during the end times. Only two out of seven end times churches actually get it right in Revelation two and three. That is probably the only covid related statistic that is spot on, lol.
Praise the Lord you got out. These places are so dead and fruitless its pathetic.
I was disengaging from an IFB church for a few reasons that did not include the “he didn’t shake my hand” or some other nonsense. As a matter of fact, that ritual handshaking is something I always thought the Roman Catholic Church drummed up, and it seems that little by little this church is taking on the habits of Rome. IFB churches I attended in the past did not do this. I also found out this church has an EIN number, but when I asked, no one could tell me if this church was a 501c3. One deacon was very lax when it came to Bible versions, but he was given a talking to by a visiting pastor for this and other things. Just too many quirky things…..like church members possessing an NIV that I inadvertently noticed. Plus another one who put an NIV verse on the church website. When I made a polite comment about it, it was my comment was taken down. One person crossing herself before taking part in a “potluck” meal. I prayed for guidance and God sent a false pandemic run by a bunch of Jesuits soon after. To his credit, the pastor kept the doors open, went online, but didn’t expect anyone to attend until the governor gave the o.k. I decided to stay away for good because this congregation had absolutely no distrust for the medical establishment…..something I gleaned from their postings. I don’t know for sure, but I am guessing some members ran and got those jabs at the first opportunity. I posted warnings about these vaccines and all I ever got back in response was “crickets”.