Baptism count in Georgia churches surpasses 20,000 for first time since 2017

The numbers are expected to continue to grow as more congregations complete what's known as the "Annual Church Profile," an annual census of Southern Baptist churches.”

SUWANEE, Ga. — An annual count of baptisms in Georgia Baptist churches has surpassed 20,000 for the first time since 2017.

Steve Foster, a Georgia Baptist Mission Board evangelism consultant, said the total as of Friday morning reached 20,280, just 13 short of the 20,293 reported six years ago.

The numbers are expected to continue to grow as more congregations complete what's known as the "Annual Church Profile," an annual census of Southern Baptist churches.

“The major factor in our state having such a dramatic increase in baptisms is that more of our churches have an intentionality and focus in sharing the gospel through personal evangelism, event evangelism, and by creating a culture of inviting people to church where the preaching of the gospel changes lives,” Foster said Friday. “God is blessing the sowing of gospel seeds across Georgia.”

The numbers released Friday represent a more than 30% increase over the past year and a more than 90% increase since 2020.

Signs of spiritual revival have been popping up in communities across Georgia with huge numbers of people making commitments to Christ in evangelistic outreaches. One of the largest instances was in October when some 1,600 people responded to the gospel during a four-day crusade in the south Georgia town of Baxley. But the Index has documented a year-long series of mass salvations, some measured in dozens, others in hundreds.