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Southern Baptist Membership Falls to 1970s Low as Attendance and Baptisms Rise

Lifeway says self-reported rolls shrank from roll cleanups plus closures, not from a drop in weekly participation.

FILE - Messengers attending the Southern Baptist Convention listen to remarks by president Clint Pressley during the 2025 SBC Annual Meeting, June 10, 2025, in Dallas. (AP Photo/Richard W. Rodriguez, File)
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Overview

  • The 2025 Annual Church Profile reports 12.3 million members, a 3% decline, alongside gains to 4.5 million in weekly attendance and 263,075 baptisms.
  • Membership is now at its lowest level since 1973, extending a nearly two-decade slide from a peak of 16.3 million in 2006.
  • Scott McConnell of Lifeway attributes part of the drop to church closures and congregations removing inactive names from their rolls, based on church self-reports.
  • Southern Baptist leaders, including Executive Committee president Jeff Iorg, point to rising baptisms and Bible study participation as signs of ministry momentum.
  • The SBC remains the largest U.S. Protestant body, even as nondenominational churches grow and the share of religiously unaffiliated Americans shows recent signs of leveling.