Baptists, Just Without the Baptisms

For several years, membership in Southern Baptist churches has been in decline. The American denomination hit its peak in 2005 with 16.6 million members, and since then, communities have seen a steady drop, hitting 15.8 million members in 2012.

 

That’s nearly one million members lost in roughly a decade—a period during which the overall U.S. population grew by more than 18 million.

 

But arguably, the more significant decline is happening within church communities: They’re not performing as many baptisms anymore. The top baptismal year was 1999; since then, the ritual has become more and more infrequent, dropping by about 25 percent.

Read More: Baptists, Just Without the Baptisms – Emma Green – The Atlantic.