Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) 2025 Report: Growth in Attendance and Baptisms Amid Membership Decline
The Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) saw a decline in membership in 2025, but attendance and baptisms showed an upward trend, as per a recent report by Lifeway Research. The report revealed that SBC membership decreased by over 3% from 2024 to 2025, dropping to around 12.33 million members. Despite this decline, the number of people attending worship at SBC congregations increased to about 4.5 million in 2025, up from approximately 4.3 million in 2024. Moreover, participation in Sunday School classes and small group Bible studies also saw a slight rise, reaching over 2.6 million in 2025.
In 2025, the number of baptisms in the SBC experienced a nearly 5% increase compared to the previous year, with 263,075 individuals being baptized. This growth marked the fifth consecutive year of increased baptisms, surpassing pre-pandemic levels. Jeff Iorg, the president and CEO of the SBC Executive Committee, expressed gratitude for the growth in key metrics like baptisms, worship attendance, and Bible study participation, emphasizing the churches' commitment to sharing the Gospel and making disciples.
While the SBC, like many other Christian denominations in the U.S., has observed a decline in membership and congregations in recent years, it remains the largest Protestant denomination in the country. In 2022, the SBC experienced its largest membership drop in a century, with around 457,000 individuals leaving the denomination, reducing the total membership to approximately 13.22 million. Lifeway Research Executive Director Scott McConnell attributed much of this decline to updates in membership records, noting that some individuals had stopped participating in congregations years ago, leading to delayed adjustments in membership figures.
The current SBC membership of around 12.33 million members in 2025 is significantly higher than the estimated 7 million members reported in 1950 but lower than the approximately 16.3 million members reported in 2006. Despite the challenges faced by the denomination, the focus on core missions such as evangelism and discipleship remains strong among Southern Baptist churches, as evidenced by the positive trends in attendance and baptisms.