Grace Baptist Church in Springfield was in tough straits two years ago.
The church had gone 12 months without a pastor. Sunday morning attendance hovered around 120. And, in 2008, the Southern Baptist congregation baptized only three people.
That changed last year when a new pastor and a new approach to ministry led to 53 baptisms and 200 new people showing up on Sundays.
Those additional baptisms helped the Southern Baptist Convention — the nation’s largest Protestant denomination — post its highest number of baptisms in four years. Baptisms jumped by 7,539.
Specifically, the baptisms jumped from 342,198 to 349,737 last year, reversing years of decline. Baptist leaders say the numbers show the convention’s renewed focus on reaching nonbelievers is working.
Full story: Southern Baptists reverse trend, post most baptisms in 4 years | tennessean.com | The Tennessean