The State of the Southern Baptist Convention (2022)

The Southern Baptist Convention is a fellowship of over 47,000 Baptist churches scattered across the United States and its territories. With growing concerns at the national level, it is important for our church to consistently evaluate our ongoing involvement with this group for the sake of the Great Commission.

Rocky Creek Bylaws

This body of believers shall be known as Rocky Creek Baptist Church of Greenville, SC. It is incorporated as a non-profit corporation under the laws of the state of South Carolina. It is an autonomous Great Commission Baptist Church affiliated with the Greenville Baptist Association, the South Carolina Baptist Convention, and the Southern Baptist Convention. Rocky Creek Baptist Church was first organized on December 28, 1833, constituted on February 1, 1834, and joined the Tyger River Association in October 1834.

Notes:

  • Why Baptist? – We are a confessional people who believe in the importance of individual conversion.
  • Why autonomous? – We are a self-governing people who reserve the right to align or disassociate with any person or group adversarial to scriptural beliefs or behaviors.
  • Why associate in the first place? – We can do more for the Great Commission when aligned with like-minded churches and organizations.
  • What are Great Commission Baptists? – We are confessional and convictional Southern Baptists with a desire to signify what type of people we are and what we are not.

Convention Overview

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 specific set of missions and ministry initiatives, all for the purpose of proclaiming the Gospel of Jesus Christ to all people everywhere.

**Statistical records and data collection were dramatically affected by the COVID-19 global pandemic.

Important Stats

  • Cooperating Churches – 47,592
  • Total Membership in the SBC Network of Churches – 14,089,947 – 296 per church / 903
  • Weekly Worship Attendance – 4,439,797 – 93 per church / 671
  • Total Baptisms Recorded by SB churches – 123,160 – 4 per church / 70
  • Cooperating State Conventions – 41
  • Cooperating Local Associations – 1,114
  • Average Percentage Given to Cooperative Program – 4.78% / 9%

from 2020 Annual Church Profile

Organizations

  • Executive Committee exists to carry out the work of the Convention for the sake of the Great Commission when messengers not gathered in session.
  • The Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission exists to equip churches to handle cultural issues.
  • Guidestone Financial Resources helps churches with retirement, insurance, and other risk management programs. 
  • The International Mission Board helps churches take the gospel to the unevangelize world outside the United States and Canada.
  • Lifeway Christian Resources serve churches by creating content and resources for ministry.
  • The North American Mission Board mobilizes churches for evangelism and church planting in North America.
  • The six seminaries prepare men and women for vocational Christian service (Gateway, Midwestern, New Orleans, Southeastern, Southern, and Southwestern).
  • The Woman’s Missionary Union is an auxiliary organization to help implement mission strategies.

Current Issues

  • Conservative Baptist Network
    • The CBN is a new organization “empowered to bring positive, biblical solutions that strengthen the SBC in an effort to fulfill the Great Commission and influence culture.”
    • They claim not to be “a new denomination, a blog or social media page existing solely to air grievances, a competitor with other like-minded ministries, or a group exclusive to one soteriological view or another.”
    • Out of a growing concern of perceived drifts, they have committed to “plan strategically” to make changes within the SBC.
    • All candidates endorsed by the CBN at the annual meeting were defeated.
  • Women Pastors
    • In the Baptist Faith and Message, the guiding statement says: “While both men and women are gifted for service in the church, the office of pastor is limited to men as qualified by Scripture.”
    • Scripture teaches that the office of pastor is reserved for men (1 Tim. 3:2; Titus 1:6).
    • Saddleback Church ordained three female pastors last year, and Rick Warren attempted to defend their position in the convention.
    • The Credentials Committee were not ready to make a decision on their ability to stay aligned.
  • Sexual Abuse Task Force
    • In 2019, an article in the Houston Chronicle published an article with 700 sexual abuse victims within Southern Baptist churches and organizations over the last 20 years.
    • In 2021, President Ed Litton appointed a Sexual Abuse Task Force to address ongoing concerns.
    • In 2022, they provided the report from Guidepost Solutions from investigating the previous twenty years.
    • Within the document, they reported on accused leaders, massive coverup, and a hidden database.
    • They recommended to create a task force to address ongoing issues and to formulate a database to keep track of credibly accused sexual abusers in churches and organizations.