The Southern Baptist Convention, the nation's largest Protestant denomination, grew slightly last year in members and new congregations but at a slower rate than the previous 12 months.
The convention also reported a decline in baptisms for the fourth consecutive year. One Southern Baptist leader said Monday that the statistics indicated the convention has ``lost its focus.''
``We as a denomination have lost a sense of urgency in reaching people for Christ,'' said Jimmy Draper, president of Lifeway Christian Resources, a Southern Baptist agency. ``We face some tremendous challenges from an increasingly secularized society and we've got to lead people to a saving faith in Christ if we are going to have a positive influence in our culture.''
The denomination grew by well under 1 percent in membership in 2003, bringing the total to 16.3 million people. In 2002, membership had increased by 1.2 percent. On church building, the Southern Baptists added 249 new congregations for a total of 43,024 churches. But the rate of growth dropped by about one-third compared to 2002.
Tithes, offerings and special gifts rose about 5 percent to $9.1 million.
The statistics were compiled from data submitted by churches to the denomination's statistical analysis agency.