CONVENTION Southern Baptists discuss stagnation
Moderates report a decline since the rightward swing began in 1979.
INDIANAPOLIS (AP) -- With more than 16 million members, the Southern Baptist Convention remains America's largest Protestant denomination and continues to grow even as more liberal Protestant groups decline. But as the SBC ended its annual meeting, some leaders said the denomination appears to be stagnating.
The Rev. Jimmy Draper, president of the SBC publishing house, reminded the 8,500 church representatives Wednesday of a decline in new member baptisms in each of the past four years. He said it reflects "a denomination that's lost its focus."
The SBC's newly elected president, the Rev. Bobby Welch of Daytona Beach, Fla., said at a news conference it would be a compliment to say the SBC has "plateaued."
In fact, he said, baptism figures show "we are declining."
Moderates' report
Associated Baptist Press, operated by moderates who oppose the SBC's conservative leadership, reported that statistics show a slowdown since the denomination began its rightward swing in 1979.
The article said SBC membership increased by 22 percent since 1979 but by 64 percent during the quarter-century before 1979.
In 1954, the SBC posted one baptism per 22 current church members compared with one per 43 last year. And the SBC statistician said the constituency is aging as fewer children under 12 attend Sunday school.
The warnings came even as the SBC adopted a resolution that the rightward shift it began 25 years ago strengthened its churches and re-energized mission efforts.
Also Wednesday, the group:
UIssued a statement endorsing a Constitutional amendment against gay marriage.
URejected a highly sectarian proposal that would have urged parents to pull all students out of American public schools and place them in Christian schools or home schooling.
URejected a study of whether to change the denomination's name and drop "Southern." Some debaters said the venerable label turns off potential converts while others thought it symbolizes biblical fidelity.