Southern Baptist Decline and God's Bottom Line

[Are_grits_groceries]

Times are tough, even in the salvation market. After decades of growth, the nation's largest group of Protestants, the Southern Baptist Convention, is reporting losses (in church membership and recorded baptisms) for the third year in a row. Baptisms are at a 20-year low, a figure liable to put an eternity-conscious church into a severe depression.

Cutbacks at Southern Baptist seminaries and agencies are even hitting the denomination's bold, new marketing strategy designed to spread the gospel (and increase the flock) to every soul in North America by 2020. The campaign, called "God's Plan for Sharing" (Yes, GPS), includes a new image media campaign, "We Are Southern Baptists."
<snip>
The numbers might be about changing demographics or declining brand loyalty. But those are secular explanations based on secular measurements of success.

Shouldn't the church find more faithful ways of measuring its success? Mercy instead of membership? Forgiveness instead of financial contributions? Baptisms lived in the world instead of baptisms recorded in a book? Justice instead of just stats?
<snip>
http://newsweek.washingtonpost.com/onfaith/undergod/2008/12/southern_baptist_decline_and_g.html

Boohoo..........:nopity:

[Lost-in-FL]

1. "God's Plan for Sharing" = GPS ?

Not surprising. Churches in general are the product of copycats and the picking and choosing of what sounds best to attract followers.

Unfortunately, those Southern Baptist will go now to one of those "kitchen sink" churches, the "Non-denominational" cults popping up at every public school (at least here in FL you see many of those).

[Jamastiene]

2. Well, it's like this. They can only add so many groups

to their hate list before they start stepping on some toes. Step on enough toes, people realize they cannot win and leave.

:nopity:

[TlalocW]

3. Oh, noes!

Without large, heavily attended Southern Baptist conventions, hotels are going to lose a lot of revenue from their in-room porno movie services!!!

TlalocW

[jesus_of_suburbia]

4. Damn this breaks my heart!

I was raised in a Southern Baptist Church and heard anti-Democratic propoganda week after week after week.

I also heard that I was going to hell because I was gay.




I can't even begin to imagine why their numbers are dwindling.


I feel like crying.