Latest news: SBC’s Annual Church Profile shows mixed results; USCIRF reports religious freedom violations against children; new details released on Missouri Baptist leader’s death

To read a quick recap of some of the latest news reports and other articles from The Baptist Paper this week, see below.

1. Total Southern Baptist Convention membership fell by more than 3% from 2024 to 2025, dipping to 12,331,954, according to the Annual Church Profile (ACP) compiled by Lifeway Research in cooperation with Baptist state conventions.

2. Panelists and representatives of the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom shared the impact of religious freedom violations against children in Tibet, Ukraine, Pakistan and Burma during a virtual hearing held April 30.

3. The Baptist Homes & Healthcare Ministries in Missouri released a letter Monday (May 4), detailing the connection of its leadership to the April 16th hunting accident that resulted in the death of Missouri Baptist Children’s Home President Juston Gates.