(RNS) — The number of Southern Baptists in the United States is the lowest it has been in 50 years, but more of them seem to be showing up in church.
And the number of baptisms in the nation’s largest Protestant denomination continues to rebound from the lows of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Southern Baptist Convention lost 259,090 members in 2024, with its total membership now at 12.7 million, according to the denomination’s Annual Church Profile report, released Wednesday (April 30).
That’s a 50-year low — in 1975, the SBC reported 12.5 million members. It’s also the 18th consecutive year of membership decline. In 2006, the SBC hit a peak membership of 16.3 million, and over the past two decades it has lost 3.6 million members.
“Southern Baptist Convention membership falls 18th straight year” (Graphic courtesy of Lifeway Research)
But for Southern Baptists, there was some good news in the report.
About 4.3 million people attended SBC churches weekly nationwide in 2024, according to the report conducted by Lifeway Research. That means attendance is up more than a quarter-million from the previous year. And more than 2.5 million showed up weekly for Sunday school and small-group Bible studies, up 5.7% from the previous year.
Total baptisms were up 10%, topping 250,000 for the first time since 2017.
“Southern Baptists love to focus on evangelism, and these ACP numbers back that up,” Jeff Iorg, president and CEO of the SBC Executive Committee, said in a statement. “We rejoice that God is using Southern Baptist churches to reach people with the gospel. We celebrate the upward trends in baptisms that we haven’t seen in the past 30 years. These ACP results help us see that God is at work among Southern Baptists.”
“SBC baptisms top quarter of a million, highest level since 2017” (Graphic courtesy of Lifeway Research)
The report is an annual statistical census of Southern Baptist congregations conducted by local associations and state conventions in conjunction with Lifeway. Around 7 in 10 Southern Baptist churches (69%) reported at least one item in the current report covering 2024, according to Lifeway.
Total reported giving to SBC churches was down about $500 million — from just over $10 billion in 2023, to $9.55 billion in 2024. Giving to missions dropped from $798 million in 2023 to $791 million in 2024, per the report.
Like most denominations in the United States, the SBC has seen declining membership in recent decades, as older churchgoing generations of Americans are replaced by younger generations that are less interested in organized religion.
The recent Pew Religious Landscape Study found two-thirds of adults who identify as Southern Baptists are 50 or older. Only 31% are under 50, and only 10% between the ages of 18 and 29. Overall, 4% of Americans identify as Southern Baptists, according to Pew’s study.
“The largest portion of membership declines come from churches acknowledging that certain members are gone for good and removing their names. Other drops come from churches that close or leave the convention,” said Scott McConnell, executive director of Lifeway Research. “Newcomers to the entrances of churches definitely help, but membership will continue to decline as long as the exits remain active.”
“SBC membership still declining, worship and group attendance growing” (Graphic courtesy of Lifeway Research)
Despite membership decline, the SBC remains a powerful institution, particularly in the South, where the denomination is known for its disaster relief work. Southern Baptists in North Carolina have repaired hundreds of homes damaged by Hurricane Helene last year and plan to continue rebuilding efforts for years.
The denomination’s seminaries also play an outsize role in theological education — with more than a quarter of seminarians in the U.S. attending the six SBC schools. The denomination’s Cooperative Program, which turns 100 this year, still raises hundreds of millions of dollars each year for missions and ministries.
Along with demographic decline, the SBC has experienced significant conflict over the past decade, with leadership turnover at several of its major agencies, feuds over politics and a sexual abuse scandal, which led to millions in legal costs and a series of reforms passed in 2022. Those reforms, including a database listing abusive pastors, have stalled in recent years, with leaders saying that for now, the database is no longer a priority.
