From Baptist Press:
When ACP information is examined against research conducted by the U.S. Census Bureau, it is evident that demographic changes in our country have been the major shaping force of our membership numbers, not outdated methodologies nor a generation gap in the leadership of our churches and institutions. . . The data show that membership and baptism figures are in large part the products of a declining birthrate among Whites [the predominate SBC population] as well as the suburbanization of America. . . A quantitative analysis will confirm what is evident by sight from comparing the two graphs: The trends for the White, non-Hispanic population in the U.S. and for the SBC’s membership pretty much share the same path.
I wonder if other denominations will be willing to make the same analysis?
