I’ve just finished an unofficial report on the future of my denomination, the Baptist Union of Australia.
The good news is the BUA has a future. The bad news is if that future is more of the same then the Baptist are headed for long term, gradual decline in relation to the Australian population.
Here’s a summary of the trends
- Baptist membership has been falling since 1992.
- The gap between membership and population growth has been widening since 1911.
- Church attendance has been growing since 2003 but the numbers may not be accurate.
- The number of churches is increasing.
- The gap between number of churches and population growth has been widening since 1911.
- Mainline Protestant churches are in serious decline which outweighs the growth in evangelical churches.
- The Australian population is growing at unexpectedly high levels and will continue to do so.
Conclusion: More of the same will result in steady long-term decline in relation to Australian population growth.
So what is to be done? Apart from a new logo I suggested we need to:
- Confront the evidence
- Keep returning to our evangelical heritage
- See our future through Great Commission eyes
- Release pioneering leadership
- Build a church planting movement
- Keep learning
- Exercise faith
If we do nothing, we’ll survive. It may take decades for the full impact of our inaction to bear fruit. There will be a long journey of gradual decline in relation to population growth. The denomination will probably still be around in 100 years time—unless Jesus returns.
Future Prospects for the Baptist Union of Australia
4 Comments
Steve,
Appreciate this info. Appreciate your comments. Would respectfully add one more to the ‘what’s to be done’ list … perhaps right at the top … PRAY!
Pray that the Holy Spirit would not be hindered in his work by well-meaning but thoroughly misguided Christians who strangle the life out of his work in the name of being ‘right’.
Pray that leaders would be allowed to rise up with God-appointed and God-anointed vision, instead of having their heads removed in the spiritual equivalent of “tall poppy syndrome”.
Pray that God would not turn his back on Baptist churches as he turned his back on Israel and left them to the discipline of the Babylonians, for I fear that this is happening … well, has been happening since 1911 by your figures.
Pray that revival would come in our CHURCHES, for that is where it is needed most. Only when God’s people return to a living and vibrant faith will we have something to offer the world that is both attractive and authentic.
Just a thought …
Blessings in Jesus,
Steve Turnbull
Pastor – Emu Plains Community Baptist Church, NSW
That is an excellent well thought out report, with excellent answers.
I totally agree that we need visionary leadership, and each church needs to take responsibility to plant other churches.
There are serious questions needed to be asked of our ‘flagship’ churches in recent years, who at least in WA have done little or nothing in the way of church planting.
Oh…..and we seriously need a new logo….to go along with a new attitude.
Congratulations on an excellent contribution towards considering our future as a denomination and providing some much needed vision.
Terrific Steve
Keep up the good work
Shalom!
Rowland Croucher