Why does the Southern Baptist Convention wield so much political influence?

The Southern Baptist Convention is trending again, thanks to generous news coverage of its annual conference. The New York Times, the BBC, and The Guardian have all run stories on the four-day conference, with nearly all mentioning the approved resolution calling for the overturning of laws and court rulings, including Obergefell v. Hodges, that “defy God’s design for marriage and family.”

Judging from the widespread coverage Southern Baptists receive, you might think they are a numerically significant voice in American religion. But in reality, there aren't many of them. According to the recent Pew Religious Landscape study, only 4 percent of adults in the US identify as Southern Baptists—and that number continues to skid downward. In 2024, the Southern Baptist Convention lost almost 260,000 members. Two decades ago, there were an estimated 16 million Southern Baptists. Today, there are roughly 12 million. Most of them (78%) live in the south, and nearly seven in 10 are over the age of 50.

These numbers are not impressive. Despite their leaders reporting an uptick in recent baptisms, the denomination is bleeding members. By any metric, the Southern Baptists are a religious minority (and like all religious minorities, they ought to be respected and protected, afforded the chance to worship freely, without state interference). At the same time, 4 percent is not a big number, and the Southern Baptist Convention by no means represents the majority view of US Christians.