“This report should break the heart of every Southern Baptist. It should have us on our faces, crying out for awakening. It should have us asking God for our old men to dream dreams and our young men to have visions. We need freshness. We need repentance. We need revival.”

Southern Baptist churches reported 332,321 baptisms in 2010, down from 349,737 in 2009, as shown in the recently released Annual Church Profile compiled by LifeWay Christian Resources in cooperation with Baptist state conventions. Total membership also declined by 0.15 percent from 2009, making it the fourth straight year of decline. And primary worship attendance dropped 0.19 percent.

According to Ed Stetzer, vice president of research and ministry development for LifeWay Christian Resources, baptisms in the Convention are at their lowest level in 60 years.

Echoing concerns, Thom S. Rainer, president and CEO of LifeWay, stated, “I pray that all of us will see the urgency of the moment. We must make the Great Commission the heart of all we do and say. These latest numbers should be received with a broken spirit and a God-given determination to reach people for Christ.”
……

The report did say that the number of Southern Baptist churches rose 1.59 percent to 45,727 from 45,010 in 2009.

“I do find encouragement in the increase in the number of churches,” Rainer said. “Hopefully a church planting trend in our convention will lead to the gospel of Christ being shared with more people than ever before.”

As SBC leaders evaluate the data, their responses vary.

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