Alabama and Vermont are separated by more than 1,000 miles, but a recent Gallup Poll indicates the spiritual differences between the two states are even greater than the geographical ones.
According to the poll released in January, 65 percent of Americans say religion is an important part of their daily life. When the states were ranked from most religious to least religious, Alabama came in at the top just behind Mississippi, with 82 percent of respondents in Alabama expressing the importance of religion in their daily life.
Vermont earned the title of the least religious state, with only 42 percent of residents answering yes to the question “Is religion an important part of your daily life?”
It is probably no surprise that the most religious states all lie south of a line from Oklahoma to North Carolina.
In Alabama, there are more than 3,200 Southern Baptist churches, with more than 1 million members. About 40 new Alabama Baptist churches are started each year.
In each of the past 12 years, Alabama Baptist churches have baptized more than 21,000 new members and taken in more than $50 million in offerings.
More than half of those offerings are given to Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) causes, said Sammy Gilbreath, director of evangelism for the Alabama Baptist State Board of Missions.
“It is a remarkable commitment that this convention has made to be good partners with the Southern Baptist Convention, pioneer states and missions all over this country,” Gilbreath said.
While Alabama is a state where Southern Baptist work is longstanding and strong, Vermont would be considered one of those “pioneer states.”
Its Green Mountain Baptist Association (GMBA) has 37 affiliated churches, with a total membership of 1,498. Last year, there were 120 baptisms in associational churches and total missions expenditures were almost $560,000.
While these numbers seem small, GMBA Director Terry Dorsett said the growth in the past 10 years has been encouraging. He calls the work a “quiet revival.”
“In the past eight years alone, our association has grown from 17 churches to 37 churches,” Dorsett said. “Records indicate that in 1999, less than 600 people worshiped in a Vermont Southern Baptist church on a typical Sunday. In 2008, that number had grown to nearly 1,900.”
He said it took a long time for the SBC to take hold in Vermont but now it is one of the fastest growing evangelical groups in the state. Churches are seeing an increase in attendance, especially among young people.
Other evangelical churches are experiencing growth as well, with one Christian and Missionary Alliance church in the Burlington area regularly seeing more than 1,000 people in worship on Sundays.
“That may be normal in other parts of the country, but in Vermont, it is unheard of,” Dorsett said.
Approximately 35 percent of the GMBA’s budget comes from the Cooperative Program and the Annie Armstrong Easter Offering. Partners like First Baptist Church, Montgomery, in Montgomery Baptist Association and Decatur-based Phil Waldrep Ministries have helped with leadership training, music outreach events, retreats and emergency assistance to pastors in need.
“We are grateful for the support we receive from across the Southern Baptist Convention,” Dorsett said. “Without [it], we would not be able to do what we do.”
For more information about GMBA, visit www.vermontbaptist.org or call 802-476-2026.
Share with others: