Baptist Men, RA numbers jump 6 percent in 2008

ALPHARETTA, Ga. — Although total church membership, Sunday School attendance and the number of baptisms in the Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) declined in 2008 from 2007, participation by men and boys in Baptist Men’s ministries and Royal Ambassadors (RAs) jumped almost 6 percent in 2008.

According to data collected for the recent Annual Church Profile by LifeWay Christian Resources, the number of men and boys enrolled in Baptist Men and RA programs in SBC churches jumped to 403,575 in 2008, compared to 381,355 in 2007. The top 10 states in terms of the number of Baptist Men and RAs are Georgia, 81,496; North Carolina, 52,993; Tennessee, 35,641; Alabama, 33,480; South Carolina, 29,630; Mississippi, 23,970; Florida, 19,395; Kentucky, 13,638; Virginia, 10,476; and Louisiana, 10,318.

Georgia and Tennessee led the way in chalking up the biggest increases in Baptist Men and RA growth in 2008. Georgia men’s ministries grew 21.2 percent last year, a one-year addition of 15,700 men and boys. Among Tennessee’s 3,000 SBC churches, 297 showed a 50 percent or more increase in men’s ministry — an overall 17 percent growth rate for the state convention.

“The emphasis on the Royal Ambassador Centennial last year may have contributed to this upswing,” said Jim Burton, team leader for missions education at the North American Mission Board. “We heard from many churches in 2008 that realized they needed to re-prioritize teaching boys about missions and developing men to be their leaders.”