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by Ronnie Floyd
July 15, 2014
When the Pastors’ Task Force on SBC Evangelistic Impact and Declining Baptisms report was released this late spring, to say the least, I was overcome with a great burden. The entire report was concerning in every way. I wrote a response here, which received much feedback. One of the realities, which did not surprise me but absolutely grips me, is the reality about youth baptisms.
60% of our 46,125 SBC churches reported NO baptisms (age 12-17)
Please grasp this reality: 27,675 Southern Baptist churches reported they did not baptize one single young person between the ages of 12-17 years old. This is unacceptable and must change. Of course, this always makes one ask the honest question: How many young people did our churches really baptize? Of the remaining 18,450 churches that did report baptizing at least one young person between the ages of 12-17 years old, how many even baptized 50 students last year? This would be an embarrassing number. Did we penetrate the true lostness of any middle school or high school at all in this nation?
Why are we not baptizing many young people through our churches? What does this mean? Without documented research, I believe this is occurring because:
• We are not reaching young people effectively
• *We are not discipling young people effectively
• We are not prioritizing reaching, baptizing, and discipling young people
Many would say more money needs to be thrown at this problem or more staff allocated. Others would blame it on the church, the worship ministry, or the pastor.
Let’s face reality and own the problem
We need to stop blaming, face reality and own the problem! It starts with each church asking: Do we have a culture that embraces reaching young people? Each pastor, staff member, and student leader needs to ask: What do we need to do to prioritize the reaching, baptizing, and discipling of young people through our ministry? Can we each win one to Christ, or five to Christ, or disciple ten who will, in turn, reach another ten with the gospel? All of us need to be asking and insuring that we ask ourselves honestly: Are we really preaching and teaching Jesus Christ, His gospel, and calling young people to follow Jesus Christ unashamedly?
If we face the reality we are in today and own the problem individually and as a church, I believe we can see this turn around quickly. You have to believe that our God is able!
4 ways we can reach and baptize more young people through our churches
1. Boldly teach and preach the gospel to young people, calling them to follow Jesus boldly through professing their faith and being baptized.
To each pastor, student pastor, or student lay leader, I want to challenge you to stand up boldly for Jesus before young people, calling them to follow the Lord Jesus Christ as His disciple. Refuse to relax on the call or compromise to make it contemporary. Be clear. Be bold. Call young people to follow Jesus.
2. Baptize young people during the main worship services of the church.
I realize that many churches baptize while at student camp, and that is a local church decision. Beyond that experience, here is my appeal: You have 52 Sundays each year; use this incredible opportunity to baptize students before the entire church. All churches love to see young people baptized, and they will celebrate when it occurs. The more young people we see baptized within the Sunday morning services, the more young people we will see baptized in our Sunday morning worship services. Yes, I meant to write that sentence, so read it again slowly. Make sense? I guarantee you it will happen.
3. Student pastors, reach out and help a few of the 27,675 churches that did not baptize one young person between the ages of 12 to 17, to see them baptize at least one young person.
You may wonder what you can do. Contact your local Director of Missions or the Evangelism Department of your state convention, and volunteer yourself and some of your workers and students to help a church that did not reach and baptize one young person last year. This could be over a weekend event or a Student Sunday. Brainstorm, use your influence, own the problem, and let’s get this turned around now.
4. Pray for the next great move of God. This will turn it around quicker than anything else.
In 1972, we had had the largest number of baptisms in our Southern Baptist Convention. Why? We were in the middle of the Jesus Movement, a great move of God. Young people were being reached, baptized, and discipled in great numbers. This is the last great move of God documented in recent United States history. Guess what? I was reached in the fall of 1971 and was baptized the following day. Therefore, I was one of many young people reached and baptized during the year we had our greatest number of baptisms in a single year – October 1971, through September 1972.
Let’s remember this: A great move of God will always reach great numbers of young people, which will result in great numbers of young people being baptized and discipled.
Pray for a Great Awakening that will turn the young population upside down for Jesus Christ! Student pastors, student lay leaders, and parents need to be crying out to God daily for a move of God to take place among our youth population in the United States.
The hour is late
The hour is late. The need is great. We must rise up and prioritize the reaching, baptizing, and discipling of young people through our Southern Baptist Churches.
— Ronnie Floyd is Pastor of Cross Church in Northwest Arkansas and President of the Southern Baptist Convention, America’s largest Protestant denomination.
Rod is one of our nation’s leading minds. He’s smart, original, and very committed—a combination that one rarely finds.
Rod Martin and [former Howard Dean campaign manager] Joe Trippi are America’s two foremost experts on online politics.
Rod Martin is a Reaganite-Thatcherite conservative…[and] a man who has spent much of his life ministering to and working for the benefit of others. I know Rod as an advocate for freedom, a leader who understands the real changes we need in Washington, and who has the drive and ability to make those changes happen.
Rod Martin is the kind of dynamic leader who has the knowledge, ability and experience to lead us successfully into the 21st Century. His vision for America is compelling.
Rod Martin literally wrote the book on excellence. Humble yet brilliant, a man of love and compassion, with penetrating clarity he illuminates the world around us, and we are both stirred and enlightened.
Rod Martin is a born leader and an outstanding political mind. Anyone who takes him on is going to have a serious fight on their hands.
Rod Martin is a man of uncommon vision and character. Ever since I first worked alongside Rod in the early days of PayPal, I’ve been struck by his powerful vision for the future. Rod understands the intersection of technology, politics and culture in a way that few others do.
Rod Martin wears with uncommon grace an uncanny ability to link his vigorous faith to the practical challenges of both the business world and the political arena. Yet the respect he shows for others carries a warmth and modesty that are both too rare among those who are strong advocates of feisty positions.
America badly needs more leaders who really get the future. We need more Rod Martins.
Rod Martin is a modern day philosopher-statesman. He is a capitalist intellectual, a conservative iconoclast, a gentle adversary and a kind prophet. He inspires us towards a fresh national vision built upon the original founding principles.
Rod Martin is not only effective and efficient, but he is also perceptive, wise and gracious. He gets things done. He is a great friend and a great ally.
Rod is one of the sharpest, most gracious men I know, and one of the most gifted political thinkers today. His ability to analyze issues and communicate thoughtful insights on them have earned him the respect of people across the political spectrum.
I am proud to have been Rod Martin’s friend for a quarter century, and I can tell you that he is one of the finest men and most outstanding leaders in our church and in our country today. He has a knack for turning everything he touches to success.
Rod Martin is a cornucopian entrepreneur and eutropic thinker whose influence radiates through an array of companies, institutions, movements and churches. A renaissance American, he is also a prolific friend of freedom and faith around the globe.
If Rod Martin represents the next generation of leaders, America has nothing to worry about.
A leader and a servant, in public life and in private, Rod Martin strides at the top of his profession, and has nowhere to go but up. He is in the truest sense of the word ‘outstanding’.
Rod Martin is undoubtedly one of the most accomplished thought leaders today. He is a wonderful mentor, a humble role model, and a deep inspiration for the next generation of scientific innovators and entrepreneurs.
Rod’s achievements pale beside his character and his brilliance. He sees what others can’t. He leads when others won’t.
Rod Martin is one of America’s finest young minds.
