Fewer Young People Attending Southern Baptist Convention

In the battle for gay rights, one of the leading opponents to equality - other than the self-styled "Family organizations" - is the Southern Baptist Convention ("SBC"). Richard Land, a regualr spokesman for the SBC, is particularly aggressive in his condemnation and efforts to marginalize gay citizens. Therefore, it is interesting to see that the Southern Baptist Convention is losing membership - younger members in particular. What is even more interesting is that a new study shows that the decline began and has continued since the SBC was taken over by the fundamentalist element which now controls the SBC and which heretofore enjoyed condemning "liberal" denominations for declines in membership. The SBC has now been forced to recognize the phenomenon among its own (http://www.bpnews.net/bpnews.asp?id=27143&ref=BPNews-RSSFeed0107). Perhaps the SBC leadership should get the message that hate and intolerance, condemnation of public education, and extremist positions do not attract members. Here are some highlights:

A new study of attendance at Southern Baptist Convention annual meetings shows the percentage of messengers in the 18-39 age group steadily declining since 1980 -– the early days of the SBC's Conservative Resurgence -– and dropping sharply since 2004. The percentage of messengers in the 60-plus age group, however, has increased dramatically. "Simply put, the proportion of those under 40 attending the SBC is declining precipitously –- down by more than 50 percent since the beginning of the Conservative Resurgence."

Oddly enough, in some quarters there has actually been a debate about whether the SBC attendance is aging and losing its young leaders," Stetzer said. "Of course, facts don't convince everyone. My hope is that now, finally, we will stop debating and instead ask the hard question: 'What is causing so many young leaders to stay away?'"