Baptists Lead in Minority Membership
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DALLAS — Although mainline, liberal Protestant denominations have talked the most about including ethnic minorities, it turns out that some conservative, evangelical bodies have done a better job of it.
This was brought out in statistics compiled by the National Christian Reporter, published in Dallas. It found that minority membership had grown most in the Southern Baptist Convention, up 70% since 1974, and Assemblies of God, up 48%.
American Baptist Churches, among mainline bodies, was found to have the largest minority membership, but it came about mainly by established black congregations affiliating with that denomination, rather than new growth.
In Atlanta, the Rev. William G. Tanner, president of the Southern Baptist Home Mission Board, said the figures shattered the stereotype image of Southern Baptists as a racist denomination, and showed its outstanding diversity.
The figures also upset assumptions that the United Methodist Church led the field in that regard.
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