Non-reporting churches skew ACP’s lackluster results

By Barbara Denman
April 28, 2008

JACKSONVILLE (FBC)—With 16 percent of their congregations not reporting, Florida Baptist churches overall recorded a decrease in baptisms, total members, as well as Sunday school attendance and enrollment in 2007, according to statistics compiled in the Annual Church Profile.

However, in 2007, Florida Baptists netted 52 new congregations, bringing the total number of churches and church-type missions to 2,811 from 2,759 in 2006; and increased resident members to 800,354—just a little over one percent from the 790,823 reported in 2006.

Baptisms reported by Florida churches decreased to 32,928 in 2007—533 or 1.59 percent less—from the 33,461 reported in 2006. The number of total members dropped less than a percent—to 1,034,179 from 1,041,061.

Skewing the statewide numbers are 387 Florida Baptist congregations—or 16 percent—which did not provide ACP reports to their associations.

The ACP is the annual collection instrument distributed to churches in the mail and on-line, which asks congregations to provide statistical summaries for the church year, October through September. When completed by churches, ACPs are sent to the associations, then to the state convention and on to LifeWay Christian Resources for national compilation.

“It is difficult to gauge an accurate account of the health and growth of the Florida Baptist State Convention when 16 percent of the churches do not report their statistics,” said Don Hepburn, director of the Convention’s Public Relations Division. “This is why we have established a Florida Baptist State Convention bylaw that requires cooperating churches to provide a statistical summary. The Convention can only provide beneficial ministry resources to help churches when we better understand their health and needs.”

The percentage of reporting churches was especially low in three South Florida associations — Palm Lake, 47 percent; Gulf Stream, 75 percent; and Miami, 57 percent. In Palm Lake only 68 percent of the Anglo congregations and 32 percent of the language congregations reported. In Miami, only 67 percent of the Anglo congregations and 49 percent of the language churches reported.

Al Fernandez, director of the Convention’s South Florida Urban Impact Ministries in Hialeah, contacted many of the non-reporting churches and said many of them are not trying to be uncooperative but simply do not have the statistics. Haitian and Hispanic churches “are not organized to keep records,” said Fernandez. “You ask them for numbers and they don’t have them.”

“It a matter of culture,” said Frank Moreno, director of the Convention’s Language Division. While numbers are “not important” to language churches, he said, “the ACP is not just a way of getting numbers, it is an instrument that assists us to have a better understanding of what God is doing through the ministries of our churches.”

“It is a sort of thermometer that helps us to interpret the way churches are impacting their communities. It also helps us to shape the way we do ministry and project strategies that are more effective in impacting people.”

The drop in baptisms was disappointing to David Burton, director of the state’s Evangelism Division, who observed, “One glaring item is the lack of desire, support and commitment of our pastors and churches to report the ACP numbers requested. We could have picked up the additional 533 baptisms if everyone had reported, giving us a positive increase in numeric figures.”

“We cannot get back to the basics in our churches because of interferences of buildings, budgets, fusses, worship wars, lack of focus, burden and passion for our primary purpose — reaching the lost with the greatest news in the world,” said Burton.  “I believe Florida Baptists can do something about (the decreases). It is very simple, just be obedient.”

Both Sunday school enrollment and attendance reflected a 2.25 decrease in 2007. Enrollment dropped to 559,598 from 572,263 in 2006; attendance to 272,521 to 278,711 from 2006.

John Boone, director of the Sunday school Department, believes this drop could be attributed to “a new emphasis on off-campus small groups which many do not know how to report on the ACP.”

“The name Sunday school has been changed by many church leaders with an emphasis is on connecting groups, community groups, life groups and Bible fellowships,” explained Boone. “As long as the basics of the Sunday school philosophy— a Bible lesson, prayer, ministry, and evangelism— is foundational to these groups they should by reported on the ACP.”

Other programs reflected in the 2007 ACP include:

—Vacation Bible School enrollment, 182,516, 2.35 percent increase;

—Discipleship Training participation, 182,516, up 2.35 percent;

—Music ministry enrollment, 106,457, down 2.10 percent;

—WMU enrollment, 40,887, up 5.21 percent; and

—Baptist men participation, 21,668; up 8.50 percent.