I am so sadden to see that my friends at The First Baptist Church in Glenwood are struggling. Pastor Dave Schumm left the Church about a month or so ago. Head Deacon Billy Webb is doing his best to hold things together. Attendance is down to 6 to 10 now. It is not just the Southern Baptist Churches, I see too many Churches in New Mexico down to 10 to 25 as I travel. I have reached out to the Southern Baptist Convention for help for the Glenwood Church, but I have not heard anything back. FGGAM has served the FBC in Glenwood for years. Myself and my FGGAM brothers Chuck Akeley and Jerry Lucero have been blessed to fill in. Please pray for discernment for Billy and the Church members.
Baptist Press
Editor’s note: This piece contains analysis of the 2023 Annual Church Profile (ACP). The 2024 ACP data will be released later this year.
BRENTWOOD, Tenn. — The average Southern Baptist church calls the South home, but the only region of the country where those congregations are growing is the Northeast. Churches are baptizing more people, but most churches remain small and fewer attendees are involved in small groups.
Lifeway Research analysis of the 2023 Annual Church Profile (ACP) reveals a more detailed look at the Convention and where evangelism and discipleship efforts have been most effective.
“Each year Southern Baptist congregations share a few statistics about their church,” said Scott McConnell, executive director of Lifeway Research. “Some fear this will be used to judge their church, but the reality is real value lies in what we learn from churches together. Looking at combinations of those responses and looking across time reveals how the context of ministry varies across the country and how churches of different types have different challenges.”
Average Southern Baptist church
The smallest churches are an increasing percentage of the Southern Baptist Convention. In 2018, 38 percent of congregations fell in the smallest category, fewer than 50 in attendance. In the 2023 ACP, those churches represented 43 percent of the SBC. Seven in 10 churches in the SBC see fewer than 100 people at their weekly worship service, including 27 percent that average 50-99 and 43 percent that average fewer than 50 attendees each week. One in 5 (20 percent) are between 100-249. Fewer large churches are part of the Convention, with 6 percent averaging 250-499 for their services and 4 percent climbing to 500 or more. More Here
