North Carolina Baptists celebrated an evangelistic milestone, as recently released data revealed that reported baptisms across the state surged to a five-year high of 18,461 in 2025. This marked a near-full recovery to prepandemic ministry levels and highlighted a sustained growth across N.C. Baptist churches.
Baptism metrics are captured every year through the Annual Church Profile (ACP), the primary reporting tool used by local congregations to record their ministry impact. Completion of the ACP allows the state convention to accurately track regional spiritual health, celebrate the impact of the gospel and strategically resource local churches to make disciples.
National ACP data for 2025 was released May 5. Data is compiled by Lifeway Research in cooperation with Baptist state conventions.
N.C. Baptists analyzed data from the last 10 years and found a resilient trajectory following disruptions during the COVID-19 pandemic. In 2020, reported baptisms dropped by nearly 48%, hitting a decade-long low of 8,122.
However, the post-pandemic recovery has been steady:
- Sustained growth: Over the five-year stretch from 2021 to 2025, N.C. Baptist churches reported a total of 71,127 baptisms, maintaining a consistent baseline of at least 11,000 baptisms every year.
- A 60% trajectory: Since 2021, yearly baptisms increased by a remarkable 59.6%.
- Annual averages: N.C. Baptists averaged 14,225 baptisms per year throughout this recent five-year rebuilding period.
This momentum placed North Carolina at the forefront of evangelistic metrics across the Southern Baptist Convention. In 2025, North Carolina ranked fifth among all states nationwide in total reported baptisms. When evaluating state conventions specifically, North Carolina ranked fourth, trailing only Florida, Georgia and Tennessee.
Reflecting on the newly released data and his first five years leading N.C. Baptists, Executive Director-Treasurer Todd Unzicker emphasized that this progress is rooted in an intentional focus on the Great Commission and the local church.
“Jesus came to seek and to save the lost. The increase in baptisms in recent years gives me great encouragement of gospel advance across our state,” Unzicker said. “When the Great Commission is first and primary, N.C. Baptist churches are united and effective.”
Unzicker, who became executive director-treasurer in 2021, said he has found over the last five years that churches are ready for new and bold ways to show and share Jesus.
“We are an ‘on mission together’ people, and our ultimate heartbeat is to join with every tribe, tongue, language and nation on earth to declare that worthy is the Lamb who was slain,” he said. “With 3,400 churches standing on God’s Word and following the Holy Spirit’s lead, we can accomplish the Great Commission and turn our world upside down for the name and fame of Jesus.”
This spring, N.C. Baptists celebrated hundreds of baptisms across the state on Fill the Tank Sunday, April 12. For the fifth year, N.C. Baptist churches committed to holding a baptism service the week after Easter, praying and trusting that God would save souls.
Mark your calendars for next year’s Fill the Tank on April 4, 2027. Lead your church to pray, share the gospel and fill the tank, trusting God to bring the harvest.
(EDITOR’S NOTE — Liz Tablazon is an N.C. Baptist contributing writer.)
