Today, let’s continue looking at some of the key findings from the formal study of the spiritual maturity of Kentucky Southern Baptists conducted by the Kentucky Baptist Convention and LifeWay Research. (See Spirtual Maturity Study: Key Findings, Part 1, for other key findings)….
- Kentucky Baptists are weak in the relationship area.
- Sunday School is a key assimilation and discipleship tool, but attendance is weak.
- People share their faith, but improvement is needed. 87% of Kentucky Baptists believe that every Christian is responsible to share their faith with non-Christians, but 56% said that many who knew them were not even aware that they were a Christian. 51% of those surveyed said they shared their faith with a non-Christian during the last six months, however, only 31% said they intentionally built relationships with non-Christians for the purpose of sharing Christ with them. These are indicators of why baptisms have been down in Kentucky and in the Southern Baptist Convention the last few years.
- Bible reading and Bible study needs improvement. 46% of those surveyed said they read the Bible a few times a week or more and 45% said they study the Bible once a week or more. These statistics explain why only 58% percent said that they made significant changes in their lives as a result of reading and studying the Bible. I’m pleasantly surprised that the numbers are that high, but I would like to see them be much higher. (See Read the Bible for help in this area).
- People really want to please God. On a very positive note, 87% of Kentucky Baptists said they desired to please and honor God in all they do in life. Similarly, 81% said they have seriously attempted to discover God’s will in their life.
In Part 3, we will look at some alarming findings in the area of Baptist doctrine.