The Southern Baptist Convention is still the largest Protestant denomination in the United States, despite losing more than a quarter of a million members from 2023 to 2024, statistics compiled by Lifeway Research show.

According to the Annual Church Profile compiled by Lifeway Research in cooperation with Baptist state conventions, the 12,722,266 members of Southern Baptist congregations represent a 2 percent decline from 2023.

"However, more than a quarter of a million baptisms (250,643) represent a more than 10 percent jump over 2023 and the most since 2017," the Baptist Press reported.

And according to al.com.news theres is more good news, though, as the denomination reports that more people have been attending services.

In 2024, an average of more than 4.3 million people worshipped weekly in a Southern Baptist congregation, more than in any year since the COVID=19 pandemic.

In 2024, an average of more than 4.3 million people worshipped weekly in a Southern Baptist congregation, more than in any year since the pandemic.

More than 2.5 million participated in a small group Bible study each week.

And with churches also reporting 250,643 baptisms in 2024, up from 226,919 in 2023, there was another sliver of good news.

"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, according to Lifeway Research.

"We rejoice that God is using Southern Baptist churches to reach people with the gospel. We celebrate the upward trends in baptisms we haven't seen in the past 30 years. These ACP results help us see that God is at work among Southern Baptists."

The number of SBC churches declined from 46,906 in 2023 to 46,876 in 2024, including congregations that closed and that are no longer affiliated with the denomination.

Alabama has the fourth-most Southern Baptists by state: Texas ranks first (2,409,860), then Georgia (1,135,843), Tennessee (1,083,684), Alabama (933,549), North Carolina (884,663), Florida (764,853), South Carolina (602,129), Kentucky (520,424), Virginia (507,760) and Mississippi (502,416).