What happened to disbanded Southern Baptist congregations
Percent of SBC congregations that disbanded or closed with a reason given, 2021 to 2022 (in percent)
Key finding
Highest: Closed (83%). Lowest: Never got started (1%).
- Closed: 83%
- Merged into another Southern Baptist congregation: 14%
- Became part of a non-Southern Baptist church: 2%
Source: Lifeway Research, Southern Baptists Lost More Than 1,200 Congregations in 2022 · Lifeway Research analysis of the 2022 Annual Church Profile of the Southern Baptist Convention. Article published 2024-04-02.
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Questions about this statistic
What does this statistic show?
Highest: Closed (83%). Lowest: Never got started (1%). Closed: 83%. Merged into another Southern Baptist congregation: 14%. Became part of a non-Southern Baptist church: 2%.
Who published this data?
Lifeway Research, 2022. Source: Lifeway Research, Southern Baptists Lost More Than 1,200 Congregations in 2022 (https://research.lifeway.com/2024/04/02/southern-baptists-lost-more-than-1200-congregations-in-2022/).
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About this data
Leader Insights collects statistics about U.S. churches from published research by organizations such as Lifeway Research, Barna Group, Springtide, the American Bible Society and PRRI. Every number is checked against the wording of the original source before it is published, and each statistic links back to the study it came from. Figures are reproduced from the publishers named above; see the source for full methodology.