More than 3,000 churches represented at SBC meeting

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (BP) — Official registration figures for the 2008 Southern Baptist Convention have been released by SBC registration secretary Jim Wells.

Kentucky Baptists sent the largest number of messengers, 729, of the 7,277 who registered for the June 10-11 meeting at the Indiana Convention Center. Following were Tennessee with 629 messengers; Georgia, 604; North Carolina, 518; and Indiana, 439.

Official state-by-state registration numbers follow: Alaska, 10; Alabama, 384; Arkansas, 226; Arizona, 24; California, 112; Colorado, 36; Connecticut, 2; District of Columbia, 8; Delaware, 1; Florida, 411; Georgia, 604; Hawaii, 6; Iowa, 11; Idaho 14; Illinois, 257; Indiana, 439; Kansas, 56; Kentucky, 729; Louisiana, 180; Massachusetts, 5; Maryland, 73; Maine, 3; Michigan, 67; Minnesota, 5; Missouri, 294; Mississippi, 428; Montana, 1; North Carolina, 518; Nebraska, 7; New Hampshire, 1; New Jersey, 3; New Mexico, 17; Nevada, 25; New York, 45; Ohio, 245; Oklahoma, 211; Oregon, 1; Pennsylvania, 27; Puerto Rico, 3; South Carolina, 358; South Dakota, 8; Tennessee, 629; Texas, 416; Utah, 10; Virginia, 281; Vermont, 4; Washington, 10; Wisconsin, 6; West Virginia, 52; and Wyoming, 7.

Messengers 18-29 years old accounted for 5.95 percent of the total; 30-34, 4.76 percent; 35-39, 5.51 percent; 40-44, 5.51 percent; 45-49, 13.10 percent; 50-54, 14.73 percent; 55-59, 18.90 percent; 60 and over, 31.25 percent.