Dr. Thom Rainer found that 82 percent of all SBC churches baptized 12 or less persons during 2003.  

• “The evangelistic fields in the United States are much less receptive than they were in past years."
• “Southern Baptist leaders are not personally evangelistic.”
• Only a small number of churches in the SBC have any significant evangelistic efforts.”

The Southern Baptist Convention is evangelistically "on the path of slow but discernable deterioration."

NAMB Missionaries: 5,126

• 1,444 are career;
• 1,682 receive short-term funding;
• 2,000 are Mission Service Corps missionaries

New Church Starts 1,781

• 162 million people (58%) live in the 50 largest metropolitan areas of the U.S.
• An estimated 100 million lost persons live in these large metros.
• New York (21 million) and Los Angeles (16 million) continued to lead in population in 2000.
• One of every 7.5 Americans lives in these two metropolitan areas.
• Metros experiencing the largest net and percentage growth are in the South and West regions.
• The 50 largest metros account for 63 percent of the nation's net population growth between 1990 and 2000. (Net gain was 20.5 million in these areas.)
• Las Vegas (83%), Austin (48%), and Phoenix (45%) were the fastest growing metros.

Download full Research Report, America's 50 Largest Metros 1990-2000
This Research Report may also be of interest, America's Mid Level Metropolitan Areas
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