NASHVILLE, Tenn. (BP)–Official registration figures for the 2008 Southern Baptist Convention annual meeting in Indianapolis have been released by SBC registration secretary Jim Wells.
Kentucky Baptists sent the largest number of messengers, 729, of the 7,277 who registered for the June 10-11 meeting at the Indiana Convention Center. Kentucky messengers comprised 10.02 percent of the registration.
The next four leading states in messenger count were Tennessee with 629 messengers (8.64 percent of the total); Georgia, 604 (8.30 percent); North Carolina, 518 (7.12 percent); and Indiana, 439 (6.03 percent).
Messengers were sent by 3,142 churches from 49 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico.
Official state-by-state registration numbers follow: Alaska, 10; Alabama, 384; Arkansas, 226; Arizona, 24; California, 112; Colorado, 36; Connecticut, 2; District of Columbia, 8; Delaware, 1; Florida, 411; Georgia, 604; Hawaii, 6; Iowa, 11; Idaho 14; Illinois, 257; Indiana, 439; Kansas, 56; Kentucky, 729; Louisiana, 180; Massachusetts, 5; Maryland, 73; Maine, 3; Michigan, 67; Minnesota, 5; Missouri, 294; Mississippi, 428; Montana, 1; North Carolina, 518; Nebraska, 7; New Hampshire, 1; New Jersey, 3; New Mexico, 17; Nevada, 25; New York, 45; Ohio, 245; Oklahoma, 211; Oregon, 1; Pennsylvania, 27; Puerto Rico, 3; South Carolina, 358; South Dakota, 8; Tennessee, 629; Texas, 416; Utah, 10; Virginia, 281; Vermont, 4; Washington, 10; Wisconsin, 6; West Virginia, 52; and Wyoming, 7. The state of origin was unknown for six messengers.
By gender, 61.28 percent of the 7,277 messengers were male, 38.48 percent female. Of the 3,597 messengers who were ordained, 3,549 were male, or 98.67 percent; 45 were female, or 1.25 percent.
According to data from 672 messengers who provided additional information during the registration process, messengers 18-29 years old accounted for 5.95 percent of the total; 30-34, 4.76 percent; 35-39, 5.51 percent; 40-44, 5.51 percent; 45-49, 13.10 percent; 50-54, 14.73 percent; 55-59, 18.90 percent; 60 and over, 31.25 percent.
The percentage of messengers in the 18-29 category almost doubled over the 3.12 percent at the 2007 meeting in San Antonio. The percentage of messengers in the 45-49 category was up from San Antonio’s 11.06 percent, as was the percentage in the 50-54 category (15.73 percent) and 60 and over (35.36 percent). All other categories were close to the 2007 percentages.
By vocation, 40.03 percent of the 672 messengers were senior pastors; 15.63 percent were homemakers; 8.78 percent were other church staff; 4.46 percent worked in associational missions; 3.42 percent were state convention, entity or institution staff members; 2.68 percent were other denominational employees; 1.79 percent worked in evangelism; 1.64 percent were seminary students; 1.04 percent were involved in North American or international missions; and 19.49 percent listed “other.”
For 86 of the 672 messengers, the convention in Indianapolis was their first SBC annual meeting, or 12.80 percent of the total; 191 had attended an SBC meeting five times or less, or 28.42 percent; 132 had attended six to 10 times, 19.64 percent; and 252 had attended 11 or more times, 37.50 percent.
In traveling to Indianapolis, 65.92 percent of the 672 messengers came by car; 31.55 percent by plane. In terms of expenditures to attend the annual meeting, 122 of the 672 messengers estimated they would be spending $1,000-1,499, or 18.15 percent; 92 estimated $600-999, or 13.69 percent; 89 estimated $1,500-1,999, 13.24 percent; 38 estimated $300-599, 5.65 percent; 25 estimated $2,000 or more, 3.72 percent; 11 estimated $100-299, 1.64 percent; and 8 estimated under $100, 1.19 percent.
Of the 672 messengers who provided the additional information at registration, 204 said no other family members were with them in San Antonio, or 30.36 percent; 363 brought one family member, 54.02 percent; 80 brought two to four family members, 11.90 percent; and 15 brought five or more family members, 2.23 percent.
Last year’s SBC registration total in San Antonio was 8,630.
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Mark Kelly is an assistant editor with Baptist Press.
