Southern Baptist Convention
MENUFast Facts About the SBC
GENERAL INFORMATION
The Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) is a fellowship of over 47,000 Baptist churches scattered across the United States and its territories. These congregations, comprised of numerous racial, ethnic, language, and socioeconomic people groups, are called “cooperating churches.” They have organized themselves to accomplish a speci c set of missions and ministry initiatives, all for the purpose of proclaiming the Gospel of Jesus Christ to all people everywhere.
| Cooperating Churches | 47,544 |
| Total membership in the SBC network of churches | 15,005,638 |
| Weekly worship attendance | 5,320,488 |
| Total baptisms reported by Southern Baptist churches |
254,122 |
| Cooperating state conventions | 41 |
| Cooperating local associations | 1,131 |
MISSION BOARD REPORTS
The International Mission Board (IMB) and North American Mission Board (NAMB) assist churches in evangelizing, discipling, and planting reproducing churches in our nation and around the world in ful llment of the Great Commission.
| Overseas missionaries reported by IMB, 10/2018 |
3,667 |
| Unengaged Unreached People Groups reported by IMB, 6/2018 |
3,200 |
| Domestic missionaries reported by NAMB in the 2018 Book of Reports |
5,262 |
| New churches planted reported by NAMB in the 2018 Book of Reports |
691 |
| Existing churches joining with the SBC reported by NAMB in the 2018 Book of Reports |
284 |
SEMINARY STUDENTS TRAINED
The Convention operates six seminaries and a Seminary Extension program to train its ministers and Christian workers.
| Gateway Seminary of the Southern Baptist Convention | 1,948 |
| Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary | 3,079 |
| New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary | 3,788 |
| Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary | 3,624 |
| Southern Baptist Theological Seminary | 5,513 |
| Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary | 4,076 |
| Total | 22,028 |
| Seminary Extension Division, Nashville | 608 |
MISSION:DIGNITY
Mission:Dignity, a ministry of GuideStone Financial Resources, provides nancial assistance to retired ministers, denominational workers, their spouses, and widows.
| Individuals or couples receiving financial assistance | 1,723 |
| Paid out in 2017 | $7,014,765 |
RACIAL/ETHNIC DIVERSITY
| Dominant Ethnic Composition | Churches | Congregations* |
| Anglo churches | 39,094 | 40,621 |
| African American churches | 3,228 | 3,828 |
| Hispanic churches | 2,103 | 3,453 |
| Korean churches | 734 | 884 |
| Native American churches | 399 | 440 |
| Haitian churches | 357 | 514 |
| Chinese churches | 197 | 251 |
| Filipino churches | 140 | 191 |
| Multi-ethnic churches | 169 | 278 |
| 20+ other ethnic and language groups | 829 | 1,276 |
provided by NAMB Center for Missional Research from 2016 Annual Church Profile data
REGULAR CHURCH GIVING
| Total reported undesignated receipts given in Southern Baptist churches in 2016–2017 as reported by the churches on the 2017 Annual Church Profile, June 2018 |
$9,518,257,051.00 |
| Total Cooperative Program dollars given by Southern Baptist churches in fiscal 2016–2017 as reported to the Executive Committee by the cooperating state Baptist conventions, April 2018 |
$462,662,332.00 |
| Cooperative Program Allocation Budget gifts received for SBC causes as reported by the Executive Committee, October 2018 |
$197,044,828.14 |
| Average percentage of undesignated receipts churches gave through the Cooperative Program in 2017 as reported by the SBC Executive Committee, 2016–2017 fiscal year |
4.86 percent |
DESIGNATED INDIVIDUAL GIVING
| Lottie Moon Christmas Offering for International Missions 100% goes to support overseas missionaries updated by IMB as of October 2018 |
$158,890,638.47 |
| Annie Armstrong Easter Offering for North American Missions 100% goes to support North American missionaries updated by NAMB as of October 2018 |
$61,185,207.25 |
| Global Hunger Relief 100% goes to fight hunger in North America and around the world amount received through the SBC Executive Committee, 2016–2017 fiscal year; does not include direct gifts to IMB and NAMB |
$3,077,696.00 |
The Cooperative Program is Southern Baptists’ unified plan of giving through which cooperating Southern Baptist churches give a percentage of their undesignated receipts in support of their respective state convention and the Southern Baptist Convention missions and ministries.
IN PARTNERSHIP WITH STATE CONVENTIONS
DISASTER RELIEF
The North American Mission Board and state convention partners organize Southern Baptists’ response to disasters. They contribute manpower, ministry, and nancial help during oods, hurricanes, tornadoes, res, earthquakes, and urban disasters.
| Volunteer days | 65,401 |
| Work hours | 673,319 |
| Ministry contacts | 26,481 |
| Chaplaincy contacts | 22,887 |
| Gospel presentations | 3,157 |
| Professions of faith | 603 |
| Meals served | 2,952,613 |
CHILDREN'S AND FAMILY MINISTRIES
The Baptist Coalition for Children and Families represents twenty-one ministries established by state Baptist conventions to serve at-risk children and their families through residential care, counseling, foster care enlistment, and adoption assistance.
| Number of children in residential care | 7,866 |
| Number of others served | 654,964 |
| Spiritual decisions reported | 1,174 |
BAPTIST COLLEGIATE MINISTRIES
LifeWay Christian Resources and state conventions collaborate to make disciples on college campuses across the nation through Baptist Collegiate Ministries (BCM).
| Number of Baptist Collegiate Ministries | 794 |
| Total number of students involved | 78,367 |
| Total number of reported salvations through BCM | 9,766 |
