Mormons And Baptist Rule…Others Drool. The Data Is In!

[Bill “Papa” Lee]

I stumbled across this map this morning. It reflects that the South (Baptist or Evangelical)) and Utah (Mormons) have the highest rate of church goers in the Nation. New Hampshire and Vermont seem to have the lowest.

Historically Mormons and Evangelicals (Baptist being among them) are always at odds doctrinally, but have more in attendance than any other.

Here is link,

http://en.wikipedia...._state_GFDL.svg

Just thought it would make a good conversation piece.

Believe it or not…”belief” is what gets people out of bed and to Church. Nothing more will sustain it.

Note...we have always had a thing for the "isles of the sea"...we rule in most.

http://www.allaboutmormons.com/number_of_mormons.php

Edited February 8, 2012 by Bill “Papa” Lee

[Robert F. Smith]

I stumbled across this map this morning. It reflects that the South (Baptist or Evangelical)) and Utah (Mormons) have the highest rate of church goers in the Nation. New Hampshire and Vermont seem to have the lowest.

Historically Mormons and Evangelicals (Baptist being among them) are always at odds doctrinally, but have more in attendance than any other.

Here is link,

http://en.wikipedia...._state_GFDL.svg

Just thought it would make a good conversation piece.

Believe it or not…”belief” is what gets people out of bed and to Church. Nothing more will sustain it.

Note...we have always had a thing for the "isles of the sea"...we rule in most.

http://www.allaboutm..._of_mormons.php

The map is interesting. However, you might want to read Ed Stetzer's sobering “Analysis of SBC Statistics,” June 10, 2011, on The Lifeway Research Blog, online at http://www.edstetzer...statistics.html , where he presents charts and discusses the trends. He says:

Southern Baptists are the largest evangelical denomination in the United States. What happens here will impact all evangelicals.

* * *

SBC membership is in decline, membership change is in a 50-year decline, and baptisms are in a decade-long decline [since 2000] and trending down over time.

* * *

If this 50-year trend continues (and they generally do), the small declines we see now will become big declines in the years and decades to come.

Edited February 9, 2012 by Robert F. Smith

[jskains]

The map is interesting. However, you might want to read Ed Stetzer's sobering “Analysis of SBC Statistics,” June 10, 2011, on The Lifeway Research Blog, online at http://www.edstetzer...statistics.html , where he presents charts and discusses the trends. He says:

Southern Baptists are the largest evangelical denomination in the United States. What happens here will impact all evangelicals.

* * *

SBC membership is in decline, membership change is in a 50-year decline, and baptisms are in a decade-long decline [since 2000] and trending down over time.

* * *

If this 50-year trend continues (and they generally do), the small declines we see now will become big declines in the years and decades to come.

I always am bothered by these generalities. Is growth in a decline? Is actual membership declining? Are Baptists still growing, but not as quickly as they'd like?

It's like that ABC article. "Mormon Faithful in Rapid Decline". Its confusing, sensational, and leaves too many questions, IMHO.

[Bill “Papa” Lee]

I always am bothered by these generalities. Is growth in a decline? Is actual membership declining? Are Baptists still growing, but not as quickly as they'd like?

It's like that ABC article. "Mormon Faithful in Rapid Decline". Its confusing, sensational, and leaves too many questions, IMHO.

If it is like gov’t "cuts in spending”, it just means less intake. Not less spending…extend that to membership and it is an interesting question.

[Robert F. Smith]

I always am bothered by these generalities. Is growth in a decline? Is actual membership declining? Are Baptists still growing, but not as quickly as they'd like?

It's like that ABC article. "Mormon Faithful in Rapid Decline". Its confusing, sensational, and leaves too many questions, IMHO.

Keep in mind that Ed Stetzer is a faithful Southern Baptist and he presents his stats in various charts for our review. He doesn't want a decline any more than do the Methodists or the Community of Christ (RLDS), but he does want to face reality -- with a view perhaps to turning things around. The same is true of the birthrate in most parts of Europe and the USA -- only immigration brings an overall increase. These are demographics which cannot be avoided forever and lead to major changes in society.

I'd like to get Rob Bowman's views on this matter. It may well be that there are sectors of the evangelical community which are not suffering decline (such as the Calvary Chapel movement). Knowing why is always valuable.

[Mudcat]

The map is interesting. However, you might want to read Ed Stetzer's sobering “Analysis of SBC Statistics,” June 10, 2011, on The Lifeway Research Blog, online at http://www.edstetzer...statistics.html , where he presents charts and discusses the trends. He says:

Southern Baptists are the largest evangelical denomination in the United States. What happens here will impact all evangelicals.

* * *

SBC membership is in decline, membership change is in a 50-year decline, and baptisms are in a decade-long decline [since 2000] and trending down over time.

* * *

If this 50-year trend continues (and they generally do), the small declines we see now will become big declines in the years and decades to come.

As a member of a Southern Baptist church myself, I have my concerns about decline as well.

One factor IMO is the size of the average family over the last 50 years. It was 3.37 persons per household and is now around 2.6 per household. This fact alone would give a good reason for a decreasing number. Southern Baptists, like other faiths, gain a significant portion of their membership through generational means. However, are missionary efforts are certainly more robust at present than they were 50 years ago and this is a bit of an offset.

My primary concern with long term decline is related to another trend in the Southern Baptist Convention that is quite startling. Stetzer notes in another study that although there is currently a 10 percent representation of Calvinists among SBC pastors, that 30 percent of pastors graduating from seminaries are identifying themselves as Calvinist.

SBCers have typically been strong Armenians. People hold their beliefs on free agency and God's sovereignty very strongly and the two theological systems are as incompatible as oil and water. I don't see much way round an eventual splintering of the SBC in the future if this trend holds.

To further that, even though there are some dynamic, growing Calvinist churches.. in general Calvinism points towards smaller congregations and diminished evangelical efforts.

I have some very strong feelings on the issue but will avoid writing more as I don't want to appear to be a polemicist towards Calvinism.