{"id":1493,"date":"2024-05-24T15:45:15","date_gmt":"2024-05-24T19:45:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/latestnews\/?p=1493"},"modified":"2024-05-24T17:35:39","modified_gmt":"2024-05-24T21:35:39","slug":"sbc-membership-drops-to-new-low-but-positive-signs-remain","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/latestnews\/2024\/05\/24\/sbc-membership-drops-to-new-low-but-positive-signs-remain\/","title":{"rendered":"SBC Membership Drops to New Low, but Positive Signs Remain"},"content":{"rendered":"

Before the conclave of believers from over 47,000 congregations nationwide in the Southern Baptist Convention, Lifeway Christian Resources released its Annual Christian Profile<\/a> (ACP) detailing the decrease in SBC overall membership despite areas of steady ecumenical growth in most states.<\/p>\n

A quote from the ACP says, “[Southern Baptist Convention] membership declined for the 17th straight year, dropping below 13 million for the first time since the mid-1970s. However, the decline of less than 2% was the smallest in recent years.”<\/p>\n

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The 2023 ACP graph tracks the total membership of Southern Baptist-affiliated congregations at 12,982,090. That number marks two significant metrics: almost 250,000 believers dropped their membership in one year, and the dip below 13 million is its lowest in decades.<\/p>\n

Jeff Iorg, the president-elect of the SBC Executive Committee, shared that the drop in overall membership will be addressed at the 2024 convention, but “it’s also good to pause and celebrate the global good Southern Baptists are accomplishing.”<\/p>\n

Dropping Membership May Be Related to Women Leadership Expulsion<\/h2>\n
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Growth in an SBC church isn’t a problem; it is caused by female leadership. (Image credit: Rosie Sun via Unsplash)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The Southern Baptist Convention made headlines during its 2023 annual conference because of a ruling that has caused several ripples<\/a> in its membership.<\/p>\n

Last year, in New Orleans, the SBC voted in formidable fashion to remove women from all leadership offices within its member churches.<\/p>\n

Michael Law, a pastor at Arlington Baptist Church in Virginia, addressed the official motion. He attested to the Southern Baptist Convention constitution’s current rhetoric and said that the oversight document “does not affirm . . . a woman as pastor of any kind.”<\/p>\n

Law referred to a letter he submitted to the SBC Executive Committee, which over 2,000 pastors and professors cosigned.<\/p>\n

“Personally, I felt the need to offer this amendment because five Southern Baptist churches, roughly within a five-mile radius of my own congregation, are employing women as pastors of various kinds, including women serving as ‘Sr. Pastor.’<\/em><\/p>\n

Many others have found that a number of Southern Baptist churches appoint, affirm, or employ women as pastors in their areas, too. These churches often use a modified title\u2014co-pastor, worship pastor, women and children\u2019s pastor, discipleship pastor, or youth pastor\u2014but all trade on the office of ‘pastor.<\/em>‘”<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Before the vote to remove female leadership from SBC churches, Rick Warren, best-selling author and pastor of the 40,000-member Saddleback Church, took strong objection.<\/p>\n

Warren, who appointed Andy\u00a0and\u00a0<\/em>Stacey Wood to succeed him following his 2021 retirement, appealed to those in attendance<\/a> to “act like Southern Baptists who have historically ‘agreed to disagree’ on dozens of doctrines to share a common mission.”<\/p>\n

Following the resounding 9,437 versus 1,212 votes to his appeal, Warren informed the Southern Baptist Convention that Saddleback Church would remove its membership.<\/p>\n

In support of Warren’s dissent from the SBC, Elevation Church, another of the country’s most prominent churches, stood firm. Led by Steven Furtick, Elevation Church has been a part of the SBC since 2006 but shared an official statement with the Baptist Press<\/a>.<\/p>\n

“We would like to thank the Southern Baptists for the privilege of partnering with you, especially through the Baptist State Convention of North Carolina, for nearly two decades.<\/em><\/p>\n

This letter is to inform you that Elevation Church is withdrawing its affiliation with the Southern Baptist Convention, effective immediately. You will find that our Statement of Beliefs on our website is very much in line with the Baptist Faith and Message \u2014 we have no intention of changing those core beliefs.<\/em><\/p>\n

We have no plans to make a public announcement on this decision \u2014 we have too much to do in reaching a world that needs the love of Jesus.”<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Two churches with 60,000 members left one of the nation’s most influential religious organizations in two days. Yet, for this year’s SBC convention, leadership hopes to have a different result and reason to gain hope.<\/p>\n

Despite Controversy, SBC is Looking Up in 2024<\/h2>\n
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With SBC church numbers in recovery, leadership has reason to keep their heads up. (Image credit: Lea Fabienne via Unsplash)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The areas of growth within member churches show people are still hungry for righteousness.<\/p>\n

During 2023, the Southern Baptist Convention reported the following numbers via the ACP.<\/p>\n