‘God at work’ – Baptist leaders report signs of growth across churches amid ministry challenges

Baptist leaders have reported fresh signs of growth across churches in England and Wales, with rising baptism numbers, increased worship attendance, and a modest rise in membership offering encouragement after years of decline in several areas of church life. 

Speaking on the Baptist Assembly, Baptists Together General Secretary Lynn Green said the newest Annual Returns painted a hopeful picture of “God at work” across the movement, while also acknowledging ongoing structural and demographic challenges facing Baptist churches, reports The Baptist Times.

According to the 2025 returns, baptisms went up by an extra 825 in comparison with 2024 – continuing a robust upward trend after last 12 months recorded the very best variety of baptisms in 10 years. 

The 2024 figures showed 2,854 people were baptised across Baptist churches – marking an increase of 853 from 2023.

Church attendance also continued to rise in 2025, with overall worship attendance increasing by around 3%. 

Particular growth was seen amongst younger adults, with around 1,000 more people aged 18 to 35 attending services relative to 2024. 

Children’s attendance stayed largely unchanged, although there was a slight increase within the variety of young people participating in Sunday worship.

Membership figures also showed a small increase – the primary rise in Baptist church membership in roughly 20 years. 

Mrs Green described the figures as evidence of renewed discipleship and spiritual openness inside churches.

She thanked congregations across the Baptist Union for his or her “witness and ministry,” saying the expansion reflected “faithful” local mission relatively than any “magic formula.”

The latest statistics construct on encouraging trends already seen within the 2024 returns, which showed a major rise in younger people engaging with Baptist churches. 

Churches reported greater than 80,000 young people interacting with Baptist congregations in 2024, while regular Sunday service attendance amongst under-30s rose sharply from around 20,000 in 2023 to 27,512 in 2024.

However, the newest figures also highlighted areas of concern. 

The overall variety of churches inside Baptists Together has dropped, although Mrs Green said several closures involved very small congregations, changes to ecumenical partnerships, or administrative restructuring.

She added that some larger churches have also consolidated multiple congregations into single charitable structures in an effort to scale back administrative burdens and strengthen mission work. 

Others are increasingly specializing in planting latest congregations relatively than establishing entirely separate churches.

Despite the reduction in the full variety of churches, the typical baptism rate per church has risen significantly – from around 1.3 baptisms per church before the Covid-19 pandemic to roughly two baptisms per church in the newest figures.

Mrs Green also warned of mounting pressures surrounding accredited ministry inside the Baptist Union, referring to the current circumstances as a “demographic time bomb.”

With many ministers approaching retirement, Baptist Together estimates that a minimum of 350 additional formally trained ministers will likely be needed by 2028 simply to keep up current levels of leadership across churches.

Calling on churches to reply prayerfully, Mrs Green urged Baptists to “make room for God to talk and move,” particularly in raising up latest leaders, strengthening evangelism, and supporting pioneering mission initiatives.

She added: “Because while we have a good time every body baptised, every worshipper of Jesus across our movement, every child and young person we connect with, I do know that the harvest in God’s heart is so rather more than we’re seeing. Do we share God’s heart?”

She also pointed to examples of creative ministry already emerging across Baptist associations, including progressive community outreach and mission projects supported by Home Mission within the Northern Baptist Association, and encouraged churches to stay expectant about future opportunities for growth and evangelism.

Concluding her address, Mrs Green encouraged Baptists to stay confident in sharing stories of renewal and mission happening across the movement.

“This is who we’re, by the grace of God,” she said, urging churches to proceed in search of God’s leading “in evangelism and mission, in loving and compassionate service, in in search of His Kingdom, and in raising up Godly leaders to embody and hold out the excellent news of Jesus in an anxious and fractured world.”

She continued: “The Lord has already gone ahead of us. Let’s make room for God now as we worship together, trusting that the wind of the Holy Spirit will take us wherever he is asking us to go.”