May 15, 2025
NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Southern Baptist churches across the nation are celebrating a powerful move of God marked by growth in baptisms, worship attendance, and small group participation, according to the latest Annual Church Profile (ACP) released by Lifeway Research
In 2024, Southern Baptist congregations baptized 250,643 people—an increase of more than 10% over the previous year and the highest number since 2017. The report marks the fourth consecutive year of growth in baptisms, a trend not seen since the late 1980s and early 1990s.
Georgia played a leading role in this resurgence, with the Georgia Baptist Mission Board reporting 25,651 baptisms, trailing only Florida in total baptisms among state conventions. Worship attendance across the Convention also climbed to 4.3 million weekly, a 6.27% increase from 2023, while small group Bible study participation rose to more than 2.5 million weekly, up 5.68% from the previous year. In Georgia alone, more than 370,000 people worshiped weekly in a Southern Baptist church, and nearly 237,000 participated in small group Bible study or Sunday School.
“Southern Baptists love to focus on evangelism, and these ACP numbers back that up,” said Jeff Iorg, president and CEO of the SBC Executive Committee. “We rejoice that God is using Southern Baptist churches to reach people with the gospel.”
Overall membership continued a long-term decline, down 2% from 2023 to 12.7 million. In Georgia, membership declined less then .6% to 1,135,843. That ranks behind only Texas.
Kevin Ezell, president of the North American Mission Board, credited the focus on evangelism. “We celebrate every baptism and every new life in Christ,” he said. “As Southern Baptists stay focused on the gospel and are faithful to share it, I know we will see God work and these numbers will continue to rise.”
The strongest increases in baptisms by percentage came from outside the South, with Wyoming up 63.7%, Arizona up 42.1%, and New York up 38.3%. Numerically, Texas saw the largest overall jump, with the Southern Baptists of Texas Convention and the Baptist General Convention of Texas combining for 6,325 additional baptisms.
The Convention saw a slight decline in the number of churches and mission congregations, down 30 churches and 153 mission starts.
Giving trends were mixed, with undesignated receipts falling slightly to $9.5 billion and mission expenditures holding steady at $791 million.
Participation in Vacation Bible School surpassed 1.5 million children and volunteers, despite fewer state conventions collecting that data. More than 197,000 kids in Georgia attended VBS.
Georgia’s strong showing in baptisms, worship attendance, small group involvement, and VBS participation underscores a continued passion for gospel-centered ministry across the state. While national challenges remain, Georgia Baptists are pressing forward with bold evangelism, faithful discipleship, and a deep commitment to missions.
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Data from Lifeway Christian Research.
