Florida Baptist baptism drop follows SBC reduction

JACKSONVILLE (FBC)—Florida Baptists stirred the baptismal waters 34,274 times during 2003, surpassing the 30,000 mark for the tenth time in a row. In the past decade, Florida Baptist churches baptized 353,846 new converts, averaging more than 35,000 baptisms a year.

While the 34,274 baptisms are significant, it is nearly an eight percent drop—or 2,960—from baptisms reported in the year 2003.

Convention officials are quick to add that the drop can be credited in part to non-reporting churches. For the 2002-03 church year, 216 Florida Baptist congregations did not provide the Convention with an Annual Church Profile, collected by associations each fall.

Originally nearly 1,000 churches did not turn in an ACP to the convention. But an aggressive follow-up effort by Convention staff lowered that number to the 216 non-reporting congregations.

Florida is not alone in the drop of baptisms reported. The Southern Baptist Convention experienced a 4.4 percent reduction in baptisms over the prior year’s report. That prompted a reaction by Jimmy Draper, president of LifeWay Church Resources, who said that “we as a denomination have lost a sense of urgency in reaching people for Christ.”

Despite the state’s reported decrease, churches in the Florida Baptist Convention—which is fifth in total membership in the SBC—baptized more persons than any other state convention with the exception of the Baptist General Convention of Texas.

State conventions larger than Florida’s 1.072 million members and their number of baptisms reported were: Baptist General Convention of Texas, 2.3 million members, 48,910 baptisms; Georgia, 1.3 million members, 22,317 baptisms; North Carolina, 1.2 million members; 33,563 baptisms; Alabama, 1.1 million members, 22,317 baptisms; and Tennessee, 1.1 million members, 25,101 baptisms.

Figures released from the ACP indicate that of Florida Baptists’ 2,756 churches: 41 churches baptized 100 or more new believers; 65 churches reported between 99-51 baptisms; 182 churches reported 50-26 baptisms; 647 churches reported 10-25 baptisms; 398 reported 6-9 baptisms; 764 church reported 3-1 baptisms; and 443 churches reported no baptisms. Reports were not received for 216 churches.

Nearly half of the Florida Baptist churches ranked in prior years among the top 40 as leaders in baptisms suffered decreases during the past year.

Ranked at first in 2003 is First Baptist Church of Jacksonville with 570 baptisms. The churches that rounded out the top five were: Church at the Mall, Lakeland, 428; Idlewild Baptist Church, Tampa, 387; First Baptist Church, Oviedo, 332; and McGregor Baptist Church, Fort Myers, 313.

First Oviedo increased baptisms by 43 percent, to 332 in 2003 from 231 in 2002. Herb Long, minister of evangelism cited several factors in that jump—witness training and visitation through FAITH and the EvangeCube; the annual fall Judgment House; winter revival; and an Easter musical presentation.

But mostly, Long credits the church’s leadership. “We have a pastor with a heart for evangelism. When the pastor and leadership have a heart of evangelism, your people also develop that heart call.”

Long noted that nearly 2,100 people have been led to Christ through the church’s mission and ministry projects. These names are gathered and often sent to other churches for follow up, he said. “It may seem like we are keeping numbers, but every one of those persons represent a soul of someone who is lost.” 

Some Florida Baptist churches do not always rank among those with the largest baptisms in the state, but still see God working in their midst. Such was the case of the 496 member First Baptist Church of Mary Esther, located in the state’s Panhandle.

In 2003 the church baptized 106 persons—a 300 percent increase over the 24 persons baptized in 2002.

Pastor Joe Plott attributes the increase to a revival held in 2003 and scoffs at conventional wisdom that revivals don’t work anymore in today’s technological society.

The “flames from that meeting are still fanning,” Plott added, as the church has followed up with the “40 Days of Purpose” emphasis and outreach during the showing of the movie “The Passion.”

The church, which is seeking to baptize more than 106 this year,  has expanded to two worship services and is trying to find additional Sunday school meeting space.

“For a church of our size, this is significant growth. We’re praying it is going to happen again this year. Between spiritual growth and revival, we believe it is in God’s timing.”

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ALACHUA	APALACHEE	BEULAH	BIG LAKE
BLACK CREEK	BREVARD	CHIPOLA	CHOCTAW
CHURCH AT LARGE	FLORIDA	FLORIDA KEYS	GADSDEN COUNTY
GREATER ORLANDO	GULF STREAM	HALIFAX	HARMONY
HOLMES COUNTY	INDIAN RIVER	JACKSONVILLE	LAFAYETTE
LAKE COUNTY	MANATEE SOUTHERN	MARION	MIAMI
MIDDLE FLORIDA	NEW RIVER	NORTHEAST FLORIDA	NORTHWEST COAST
OKALOOSA	ORANGE BLOSSOM	PALM LAKE	PASCO
PEACE RIVER	PENSACOLA BAY	RIDGE	ROYAL PALM
SANTA FE RIVER	SANTA ROSA	SEMINOLE	SHILOH
SOUTH FLORIDA	SOUTHWEST FLORIDA	ST. JOHNS RIVER	SUMTER
SUNCOAST	SUWANNEE	TAMPA BAY	TAYLOR
WALTON COUNTY	WEST FLORIDA