Southern Baptists worry about future

INDIANAPOLIS, June 9 (UPI) -- After decades of growth, declining numbers are concerning Southern Baptists as they gather in Indianapolis for their annual convention.

Membership was down slightly last year and, even more troubling to church leaders, the number of baptism conversion rituals also has declined. In 2007, Southern Baptist churches performed just 345,941 baptisms, down 12 percent from 2002 and 22 percent from 1972, The Courier-Journal in Louisville, Ky., reported Monday.

"We have peaked," Southern Baptist statistician Ed Stetzer has written. "... For now, Southern Baptists are a denomination in decline."

Some observers blame the downturn on doctrinal divisions that led to a conservative shift in the denomination. Others blame a lack of enthusiasm for evangelism in an increasingly secular culture. Yet others suggest Southern Baptists are merely feeling the delayed effects of demographic trends contributing to even more dramatic membership losses among other predominately white denominations such as Presbyterians and Episcopalians.