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 at the Baptist Assembly, Baptists Together General Secretary Lynn Green said the latest 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 additional 825 compared to 2024 - continuing a strong upward trend after last year recorded the highest number of baptisms in 10 years.
The 2024 figures showed 2,854 people were baptised across Baptist churches - marking a rise of 853 from 2023.
Church attendance also continued to rise in 2025, with overall worship attendance increasing by around 3%.
Particular growth was seen among 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 in the number of young people participating in Sunday worship.
Membership figures also showed a small increase - the first rise in Baptist church membership in approximately 20 years.
Mrs Green described the figures as evidence of renewed discipleship and spiritual openness within churches.
She thanked congregations across the Baptist Union for their “witness and ministry,” saying the growth reflected “faithful” local mission rather than any “magic formula.”
The latest statistics build on encouraging trends already seen in the 2024 returns, which showed a significant rise in younger people engaging with Baptist churches.
Churches reported more than 80,000 young people interacting with Baptist congregations in 2024, while regular Sunday service attendance among under-30s rose sharply from around 20,000 in 2023 to 27,512 in 2024.
However, the latest figures also highlighted areas of concern.
The overall number of churches within 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 reduce administrative burdens and strengthen mission work.
Others are increasingly focusing on planting new congregations rather than establishing entirely separate churches.
Despite the reduction in the total number of churches, the average baptism rate per church has risen significantly - from around 1.3 baptisms per church before the Covid-19 pandemic to approximately two baptisms per church in the latest figures.
Mrs Green also warned of mounting pressures surrounding accredited ministry within the Baptist Union, referring to the present circumstances as a “demographic time bomb.”
With many ministers approaching retirement, Baptist Together estimates that no less than 350 additional formally trained ministers will be needed by 2028 simply to maintain current levels of leadership across churches.
Calling on churches to respond prayerfully, Mrs Green urged Baptists to “make room for God to speak and move,” particularly in raising up new leaders, strengthening evangelism, and supporting pioneering mission initiatives.
She added: “Because while we celebrate every person baptised, every worshipper of Jesus across our movement, every child and young person we connect with, I know that the harvest in God’s heart is so much more than we are seeing. Do we share God’s heart?”
She also pointed to examples of creative ministry already emerging across Baptist associations, including innovative community outreach and mission projects supported by Home Mission in the Northern Baptist Association, and encouraged churches to remain expectant about future opportunities for growth and evangelism.
Concluding her address, Mrs Green encouraged Baptists to remain confident in sharing stories of renewal and mission taking place across the movement.
“This is who we are, by the grace of God,” she said, urging churches to continue seeking God’s leading “in evangelism and mission, in loving and compassionate service, in seeking His Kingdom, and in raising up Godly leaders to embody and hold out the good 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 calling us to go.”
