Southern Baptist Convention

Southern Baptist Convention
AbbreviationSBC; GCB
ClassificationProtestant
OrientationBaptist
TheologyEvangelical
PolityCongregational
PresidentClint Pressley
RegionUnited States
OriginMay 8–12, 1845
Augusta, Georgia, U.S.
Separated fromTriennial Convention (1845)
Separations
Congregations46,906 (2023)
Members12,982,090 (2023)
Weekly attendance = 4,050,668 (2023)
Missionary organizationInternational Mission Board
Aid organizationSouthern Baptist Disaster Relief
Other name(s)Great Commission Baptists
Official websitesbc.net
Southern Baptists
Background
Beliefs
People
Related organizations
Seminaries

The Southern Baptist Convention (SBC), alternatively the Great Commission Baptists (GCB), is a Christian denomination based in the United States. It is the world's largest Baptist organization, the largest Protestant, and the second-largest Christian body in the United States.[1][2] The SBC is a cooperation of fully autonomous, independent churches with commonly held essential beliefs that pool some resources for missions.[3][4][5]

In 1845, the Southern Baptists separated from the Triennial Convention to support slavery, which the Southern churches regarded as "an institution of heaven".[6][7] During the 19th and most of the 20th century, it played a central role in Southern racial attitudes, supporting racial segregation and the Lost Cause of the Confederacy while opposing interracial marriage.[8] Beginning in the late 1970s, a conservative movement began to take control of the organization. By the 1990s, this movement had succeeded in taking control of the leadership of the SBC.[9] In 1995, the organization apologized for racial positions in its history.[10] Since the 1940s, it has spread across the United States, with tens of thousands of affiliated churches[8] and 41 affiliated state conventions.[11][12][13]

Churches affiliated with the association are evangelical in doctrine and practice, emphasizing the significance of the individual conversion experience. This conversion is then affirmed by the person being completely immersed in water for a believer's baptism. Baptism is believed to be separate from salvation and is a public and symbolic expression of faith, burial of previous life, and resurrection to new life; it is not a requirement for salvation.[13][14] The association forbids women from becoming pastors,[15] often citing 1 Timothy 2:12. All affiliated churches deny the legitimacy of same-sex marriage, saying that marriage can only be between a man and a woman and also that all sexual relations should occur only within the confines of marriage.[16] Other specific beliefs based on biblical interpretation vary by congregational polity, often to balance local church autonomy.

Self-reported membership peaked in 2006 at roughly 16 million.[17] Membership has contracted by an estimated 13.6% since that year, with 2020 marking the 14th year of continuous decline.[18] Mean organization-wide weekly attendance dropped about 27% between 2006 and 2020.[17][19] The denomination reported increased participation and a slowing of the rate of overall membership decline for the year 2023. For the same year, it reported nearly 13 million members.[20][21][22]

  1. ^ Cite error: The named reference Pipes-2016 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ Johnson 2010, p. 349.
  3. ^ "An Aid to Understanding". Baptist Press. 2006.
  4. ^ Southern Baptist Convention. "Constitution". Southern Baptist Convention. While independent and sovereign in its own sphere, the Convention does not claim and will never attempt to exercise any authority over any other Baptist body, whether church, auxiliary organizations, associations, or convention.
  5. ^ Southern Baptist Convention. "The Baptist Faith and Message 2000". Southern Baptist Convention. Christ's people should, as occasion requires, organize such associations and conventions as may best secure cooperation for the great objects of the Kingdom of God. Such organizations have no authority over one another or over the churches. They are voluntary and advisory bodies designed to elicit, combine, and direct the energies of our people in the most effective manner.
  6. ^ Griswold, Eliza (June 10, 2021). "Southern Baptist Convention: How the Convention's battle over race reveals an emerging evangelical schism". The New Yorker. Condé Nast. Retrieved August 17, 2023. Founders of the new organization claimed that, according to the Bible, slavery was an institution of heaven. They pushed the idea that Black people were descended from the Biblical figure Ham, Noah's cursed son, and that their subjugation was therefore divinely ordained
  7. ^ Cite error: The named reference Southern Baptist Theological Seminary-2018 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  8. ^ a b Newman, Mark (2001). Getting Right With God: Southern Baptists and Desegregation, 1945–1995. University of Alabama Press. pp. IX of preface. ISBN 978-0-8173-1060-8.
  9. ^ Brumbelow, David R. (2009). "Brief History of the SBC Conservative Resurgence". Baptist History Homepage.
  10. ^ Carter, Gary L. (June 21, 1995). "An Apology For Racism". Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved November 28, 2022.
  11. ^ "Southern Baptist Convention", The Concise Oxford Dictionary of World Religions, Encyclopedia.
  12. ^ Cite error: The named reference aboutus was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  13. ^ a b "Fact box: The Southern Baptist Convention". Reuters. June 10, 2008. Retrieved July 6, 2010.
  14. ^ Cite error: The named reference autonomy was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  15. ^ Diaz, Jaclyn (March 2, 2023). "What's next for the Southern Baptist Convention after it ousted 5 woman-led churches?". National Public Radio. Retrieved March 28, 2023.
  16. ^ Merrell, Bill (September 1, 1999). "Redemption – Not Approval". Baptist Press. Retrieved March 29, 2023.
  17. ^ a b "Annual of the 2006 Southern Baptist Convention" (PDF). Executive Committee, Southern Baptist Convention. Archived (PDF) from the original on June 10, 2021. Retrieved June 10, 2021.
  18. ^ Smietana, Bob (May 21, 2021). "Southern Baptist decline continues, denomination has lost more than 2 million members since 2006". Religion News Service. Religion News Service. Retrieved June 10, 2021.
  19. ^ Howe, Jonathan (May 20, 2021). "Southern Baptists grow in number of churches, plant 588 new congregations amid COVID-19 pandemic – Baptist Press". www.baptistpress.com/. Retrieved June 10, 2021.
  20. ^ Smietana, Bob (May 7, 2024). "Southern Baptists, losing members, find solace in baptisms and better attendance". Religion News Service. Retrieved May 8, 2024.
  21. ^ Shellnutt, Kate (May 7, 2024). "SBC Membership Falls to 47-Year Low, But Church Involvement Is Up". News & Reporting. Retrieved May 8, 2024.
  22. ^ Klett, Leah MarieAnn. "Annual church profile reveals Southern Baptist's resurgence in baptisms, worship: 'Reasons to celebrate'". The Christian Post.