by Sandy » Fri Dec 18, 2015 10:05 am
Both Barna and Stetzer have some pretty comprehensive data on this particular subject. I believe the largest Southern Baptist church in the US at the present time is Saddleback Valley Community Church in Mission Viejo, California. I'd be curious to know the level of awareness of Southern Baptist identity there is among the membership there, and whether or not a more visible Southern Baptist identity would have hindered their growth in a community made up mostly of transplanted Gen X'ers and Millenials who are racially and ethnically diverse and highly prosperous. Of course, they draw from well beyond the boundaries of their municipality. On the other hand, you have Prestonwood Baptist Church in the Dallas suburbs, where the growth is the direct result of transfer of membership from other Southern Baptist churches in the area, who either can't compete with the program smorgasbord that is offered, or who have moved out to the suburbs from elsewhere. Willow Creek, in the Chicago area, thrives on a non-denominational identity. I've been to church growth and small groups conferences there where the staff very clearly points to this as being a key factor. The area of the suburbs where they are located is a "church desert," where few smaller, local congregations of any kind still remain. The mega churches in Houston, Second and First Baptist, depend heavily on their SBC identity. The largest United Methodist church in Houston is also a mega, First, and has gone to the satellite campus plan as well. I don't know how United Methodists feel about that, but when we left Houston in 2010, they had counted about 10 disbanded churches in the area of FUMC's west campus.
I'd be curious to hear, Cathy, how you'd distinguish a CBF congregation from an SBC one, or what some specific factors related to church identity that exist in CBF churches in particular. I've always thought that one of the bigger problems facing CBF, aside from the fence riding over whether to even be a denomination or not, and the relative inability most of its supporting churches have in shaking loose from their SBC ties, is an identity. Is is avoiding the use of the term "inerrancy", while at the same time supporting the BFM 1963, which has a statement declaring belief in inerrancy? Is is believing that women can be ordained by the local church, though the vast majority don't ordain women? I've asked these questions since the 90's, and I think that the lack of a clear, comprehensive answer to them is the reason why CBF struggles, and seems to be leaking in terms of church and financial support.