For the first time, Southern Baptists can say membership has reached a tipping point and the nation's largest Protestant denomination is now declining, says one long-time Southern Baptist.
"The decline that many of us have already believed is there is now becoming real," said Ed Stetzer, director for LifeWay Research, in an interview featured on MondayMorningInsight.com, a Web site for pastors and church leaders.
Baptisms in the Southern Baptist Convention fell for the third straight year in 2007 to the denomination's lowest level since 1987, dropping nearly 5.5 percent to 345,941, according to LifeWay Christian Resources' Annual Church Profile (ACP), which was released this week.
Total membership also declined by 0.24 percent to 16,266,920.
"This report is truly disheartening," said LifeWay president Thom S. Rainer, according to Baptist Press. "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."
While technically membership has only dropped for one year, Stetzer cautioned fellow Baptists from dismissing the data.
"We don't want people to say 'it's not a big deal.' It is a big deal," he said.
"Southern Baptists have always said 'We're growing. We're growing slow.' You can't say it anymore."
Total membership dipped once before, and then grew in the following years. But this time, Stetzer believes the growth over the past five decades has plateaued.
"Many have predicted that membership (an inflated statistic anyway) would soon begin to decline, but the statement, 'Southern Baptists are a declining denomination' was not 'officially' accurate.
"Until today," he said in his blog on Wednesday.
And while the Southern Baptist Convention added 473 new churches in 2007, gave more than $1.3 billion to support mission activities around the world, and saw a 0.16 percent increase in worship attendance, Stetzer believes the denomination cannot ignore the trend moving toward decline.
"Some might want to point to the good news (attendance up slightly, more churches, etc.). However, you cannot miss the fact that a dubious historical milestone has been reached – and it needs to be noted in denominational and church offices across the country," he said.
"My hope is this will cause people to wake up and change," he commented.
Offering a few suggestions for change, Stetzer said the Southern Baptist Convention needs ethnic and generational diversity in its leadership. Also, the "infighting" has to stop. Debates over theological differences and boundaries at every denominational meeting would only accelerate the trend toward decline, he said.
Most importantly, the recovery of the Gospel in Southern Baptist life is key, he said.
"We must recover a Gospel centrality and cooperate in proclaiming that gospel locally and globally," Stetzer stressed, as he expressed hope for a Great Commission Resurgence.
"It is time for us to once again rise to a new day," he stated. "The temptation will be that the news of the day will result in a new denominational obsession to fix the problem with a new plan. It won’t work. Instead we must refocus on the Divine Obsession (Luke 15), the obsession with lost people."
Comments
It would be good if Baptists would go back to being local, autonomous New Testament Churches instead of trying to be denominational. That is the only way, I see, we can get true Holy Spirit power back in our churches. I have been liberated from this foolishness and could not be more excited about pastoring one of the Lord's churches in, what could be, the last days!
P.S, stop worrying about numbers, just let Christ give the increase!!!
I pray this report card, added to the recent confession by the Willow Creek Association, will make it clear to all, the real thrust of the New Testament Church is not about nickels, noses and noise - not about numerical results or integrated relationships, growth goals, vision statements, pradigms, target marketing or appropriate age-graded theology, but about proclaiming Jesus Christ in the power of the Holy Spirit, and leaving the results in His hands. Some 30 years ago, we won the battle over the inerrancy of Holy Scripture, and a liberal-listing ship was arighted on its course. Now, we must fight the battle for the sufficiency of Scripture - put the "church growth" and "church marketing" books aside and return to the gospel - for "it" is the power of God unto salvation! As hard as it may be to endure, my prayer is - "Let the cleansing begin!" A pure church will once again produce pure fruit - lasting fruit - multiplying fruit. A mixed church can only produce mixed fruit, which is why the unbelieving world has no respect for us.
Most of the main denominations vary little when it comes to core orthodox doctrinal issues. What is causing most of the division is in practices. There is a realignment going on where the core issues are not so much doctrinal positions, as was the case in the Reformation, but in issues such as sexuality and cultural relativism.
We were given four Gospels and they each have distinctive view points and add to understanding or Christ. They do not detract or contradict each other. Paul does not oppose denominations. He opposes factions, which denominations can degenerate in to. But then, factions can develop even within denominations; as the SBC has discovered.
GreatNW,
The reason I say that denominations are inherently evil, is that the Bible specifically condemns them. I do not believe they are presenting a big picture, I believe they are either fracturing the Big Picture, or else they are saying contradictory things, and some of them are right about some points but wrong on others.
God is one, His Truth is one, the Church ought to be one.
In my lifetime, I have attended Baptist, Methodist, Luthern, Catholic, and non-denominational churches. After turning my back on God and the Chruch for the past five years, I recently re-devoted my life to serving Christ and was most certianly lead by the Holy Spirit to join the Baptist Church my family has attended for years. I have been blessed and strengthened spiritually by the worship services. Its all about Jesus!
Hope Page: itsallaboutjesusnotme.blogspot.com
Having been a SB for quite a while, I noted a few years ago, that the SB became a Service Organization. With all the Mission Outreach, building Habitat, hurricane restoration, disaster relief, which I particpated in, forgotten was the Gospel Messge. Katrina exhibited it most dramatically. SB cooked meals, provided support for people, but its delivery method was the RED CROSS. The actual people contact was by the Red Cross people delivering meals to them. I believe the SB has gotten so involved in restoration, and rebuilding, that they have forgotten the real goal is to share the Gospel, with the restoration and rebuilding is to be a secondary function. I can't recall hardly anyone on a building team actually sharing the Gospel with the local people, even on my trip to South Africa to rebuild a church. SB Focus has gotten off track.
am not sure denominations are inherently evil. Taken as a whole they provide us with the big picture of scripture. They each emphasize a different aspect of the bible. Baptists came in to existence as a useful correction to an instutional, passive faith.
The bible does tell us that one of the tests of the true church depends on our following the bible. 1john 1:5-10 states that God is Light, and in Him there is no darkness. The Light is the Truth and the bible is the written Word left for the church to be able to Know truth from error. First Cirinthians 2-16 tells us that we have the mind of Christ through His Spirit living in us, allowing the church the ability to Know and understand His word. Because we are human we will fall short of knowing perfectly but we do have the ability to discern truth from lies. True christian denominations (not the occults "witnesses"etc...) all have to agree on the foundation, that Jesus is the Son of God incarnated as man through the virgin birth crucified for our sins and ressurected on the third day by God the Father. As for the endless arguments over other doctirnal differences Jesus taught us through the apostle Paul in the letter to the Romans chapter 14 that what is good to you may not be good to your brother and if is your brother who is the weaker then it your responsbility not to put a stumbling block before him, but you have to be convinced in your own mind what is acceptable.
argyle,
An interesting perspective, and I do not necessarily disagree with you, however there are some difficulties.
First, Paul clearly told Christians to be united, and not to engage in factions and denominations. Certainly Paul was not saying to engage in spiritual factions, he meant actual physical ones. The actual physical Church Body is supposed to be one. Thus, denominations are inherently sinful at best.
Secondly, the Bible never says that the test of the Church is whether it follows the Bible. There are numerous problems, as many people believe the Bible, and some come up with varying and sometimes mutually exclusive claims about Christianity. For instance Lutherans, Presbyterians, Jehovah's Witnesses, and Seventh Day Adventists all use the Bible and reason. They can all back up there arguments strongly with the Bible (perhaps JW's are a bit weaker, but they can do it, as all must know). How do you solve such a problem?
And I agree on that as well. THis is more or less what i belive about denominatins. My last post may have gotten confused.
THE CHURCH
The Church is the invisible, or spiritual, body of true and faithful believers of all time. Even now in heaven God sees His Church as One unified Body - as He Himself is not confused by denominational differences. The Church is not a denomination, or even a group of denominations, but comprises of those people who have personally appropriated Jesus Christ, thereafter standing in the grace of God. This Body of Christ is made visible, mainly (though not entirely), through local congregations where the Word of God is preached and converts are added; however, 'churchgoing' is not the same thing as being part of the eternal Church of all the ages whose member's names appear in the Book of Life. The visible congregations of the Church uphold the Two Signs (or, sacraments). The duty of the Church is to feed and support the flock and to take the Gospel to the world. True fellowship can only exist between various congregations where all are faithful to the Gospel.
argyle,
Here is the problem, you say some might view this part of worship as more important, while another views another as more so. And you give the example of Baptism and Holy Communion. Well, in reality one is more important, or they are equally important, but it is not a pick your choice question like picking flavors of ice cream. We can have different styles of worship while being all united under one physical church, but on doctrine we must all be united.
Here is an awesome sermon concerning the decline of the southern Baptists!!!
Closing the Generational Gap
http://www.treasuringchrist.net/audio/baucham/gap.mp3
www.polemos.net
Denominationalism is not about politics. While it is true that most denominations have a political system for maintaining order within, the fact that there are many "Christian" denominations has nothing to do with church politics! A "denomination" is an ordered religious faction that centers its doctrines around one name, hence the word deNOMination (from the Latin - nomine, meaning NAME). The various "Christian" denominationce, therefore, are based on the name of Jesus or Christ. That makes them a legitimate "christian" denomination, but it remains to be seen as to whether or not the adherents are truly Christians. Christians believe that Jesus is the Mighty God, the Everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace who will reign forever over everything. Christians believe that Jesus is the Messiah of God whose death on the cross was the atonement for the sins of all mankind, not just an "elect" few. Christians believe that Jesus is coming again to receive them unto Himself, and because of that fact they are to witness to the love of God for all people until His return. Christians love all people as their Lord Jesus did, even to the point of dying trying to share the Good News of God's love for all people. Christians know that the world hated Jesus and His message, and will also hate them for carrying on the Master's global mission of evangelism until He returns. Denominations that place ANYTHING above the call of Jesus to evangelize and disciple the world may call themselves "Christian" but they are self deceived and are deceiving others by doing so. Jesus said that just before He returns there would be many "christs" in the world. Today there are many denominations with their own version of "christ." Jesus said that the way to Him was narrow and that there would be few who would FIND it. To say that all of the denominations that call themselves "Christian," but do not adhere to the commands of Jesus are equal to the true church of Jesus is to call all automobiles Fords! (Actually I drive a Honda!)
I dont see denominations as evil, i see the idea of a denomination beliving itself to be the best, or only correct denomination as evil. I personally approve of the United Methodist Denomination, The way the majority of their services are set up feels comfortable to me. Denominations help people worship with other people who generally agree with each other on what topics mean more to them. Just as some people see taking care of the environment as more important than public health care, some people might see baptizim as a more meaningful tradition than comunuion. I don't belong to a denomination, but i preferto worship at some churches over others. Denominations are like political parties, they are all "Americans" and all "belive" in freedom, but have different views on particular matters. some people eat meat, some eat greens. I'll conclude with an old Sunday school song quote.
"red or yellow black and white, they are precious in his sight, Jesus loves the little children of the world."
Faith is not a fashion.
Chicago,
Sadly yes I got your joke, and I am not even a Southern Baptist hahaha!
That said, what does it matter if the SBC is declining, I have heard that evangelicals are one of the fastests growing religious groups in the US and across the world. We need to rise above denominations, even if I were to attend a SB Church, I dare not call my self Southern Baptist, I am a Christian. There should only be two camps, Christians and non-Christians.
I have said it before and I will say it again, I believe that denominations are nothing short of evil. (Though they may have done many good things and witnessed to Christ, despite their denominational name, certainly not because of it).