SBC Annual Meeting

David, the Convention was running 40,000+ messengers a quarter of a century ago. In recent years, messengers registered has steadily hovered around 10,000 (it was 11,000+ last year). The last time attendance was this miniscule was in the early 1940s, during the throes of WWII.

 

I tend to agree with you here. Demise is a bit much. I do think it will lead to a continued gradual decline, however, unless the course is changed.

I do think the annual convention, however, is fading into irrelevance. The SBC's organizational structure and particularly the cooperative program will continue to exist, but the relevance of the annual meeting is already questionable. People are voting with their feet, and, IMO, we will continue to see low attendance conventions unless some major controversial issue emerges.

I think it is a combination of a few factors, both economic and theological. It is simply too expensive for many people to attend a glorified business meeting, especially when the importance of the issues decided is fairly minimal.

For example, when a president is up for re-election, generally it is simply a rubber-stamp vote for a second term. When nominations for trustee positions are announced, they are generally approved in a rubber-stamp vote. Resolutions are non-binding and therefore somewhat meaningless. Very rarely do the resolutions include anything remotely groundbreaking. Alcohol? I think most people realize that Baptist denominations are generally opposed to it. Homosexuality? It isn't a secret that the SBC is not a "welcoming and affirming" kind of denomination (thankfully).

During the days of the resurgence, voting actually mattered. If you didn't show up, your candidate might lose. Today there might be a little controversy over the GCR, but that is very minor in comparison to the old days.

 

To much is made of these so called declines and used as a political tool to support their own views and agenda's.

 

"So-called declines?" I think the statistical data is quite clear.

I'm not too worried about the decline, though. I think it is just part of the process of a changing culture.

 

It has nothing to do with the culture. Stats are often a poor way to determine things. Their existence does not tell the reasons why only that they are. The reasons why are mostly speculation by those who want a negative view of the convention. Church rolls are being purged in a more honest way. This accounts for the biggest "decline". My traditional church has grown, and in fact I know of 4 traditional churches that have grown in the last couple years.

People give to much credence to "culture" and unfortunately it drives what goes on in our churches instead of spirit filled Christians and the gospel.

 

Purging rolls has nothing to do with declining number of baptisms. Now, I'm not as alarmed by this because I think Baptists as a whole tend to overbaptize (especially young children).

I do wonder why you mentioned "traditional." Being aware of prevailing trends within the SBC doesn't hinge on worship style. The church where I am a member is traditional as well, but that doesn't mean I can't recognize some cultural and organizational trends.

When I mention culture, I don't mean contemporary vs. traditional. I am speaking of the decline of the biblical worldview in the public square. It is not as culturally acceptable to hold to a biblical worldview as it used to be in recent years. The advantage of this is that those who still hold to the biblical worldview are likely doing so out of conviction and not convenience. But I do believe that culture should drive what we do (in part)--not in accommodation to it but in response to it. The biblical worldview must be represented.

Not everything is a conspiracy against the convention. Church attendance across America is simply not what it used to be.

 

I wonder how they count people who were "Oh, I was baptized in a church when I was 12, but it didn't really mean anything and now I'm 30 and I want to be baptized again." ???

Is it up to the individual church whether or not to report this?

 

Want to get the attendance up? Then let's get ready to ruuuuummmble! What the SBC needs is a good fight to get folks all bent out of shape, someone to stand up and say "we are fighting for the life and future of our convention". Maybe Paige could challenge Mohler to dual. Maybe if someone invited a Catholic or woman to be a keynote speaker. Perhaps, and I'm going out on a limb here, there could be a Civil War reenactment with the messengers wearing the blue or grey, depending on which state they were from. Of course it would be paintballs instead of real bullets, but we would allow them to be turned way up so that they left huge bruises for everyone to see.

Nothing gets folks out like a fight!

 

Sure you dont have an active roll in managing this place....:smilewinkgrin::tonofbricks:

 

Yes. There needs to be a big 3-month buildup ala Hulk vs Andre the Giant in Wrestlemania II.

But for the SBC, it could be a motion to ban all calvinists or some such thing.
And free fried food.

 

Southern Baptists Affirm Doctrine Rejecting Rob Bell’s View on Hell

Well, at least they've recognized Emerging Universalism, or whatever it all is called, when they see and hear it.

 

Look what we missed:

Baptist Press: SBC attendance lowest since '44

 

Since the SBC is the authorized denomination, this is most likely the "falling away" that has been prophesized