Presbyterians by the numbers
About this blog
Perspectives on Presbyterians and the larger religious scene from the research staff of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.).
Recent posts
- New Religious Census Released—Time to Meet Your Neighbors
- Associate Pastors in the PC(USA): Their Lives and Ministries
- Mapping the PC(USA)
- Seeing the Future
- Looking Inside Presbyterian Congregations—How Are Presbyterians Changing?
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New Religious Census Released—Time to Meet Your Neighbors
Just released, the 2010 Religious Congregations and Membership Study (RCMS) is the closest thing to a religious census in the United States. Data collected by the Association of Statisticians of American Religious Bodies (ASARB) include statistics for 236 religious groups. In 2000, only 149 groups took part, which makes the 2010 statistics the most comprehensive to date. The RCMS provides information on the number of congregations and adherents of each of these religious groups within every state and county in the United States.
We’ll have more details on the implications for the PC(USA) in the future. For now, take a minute to explore the religious landscape in your area.
March 12, 2012
Associate Pastors in the PC(USA): Their Lives and Ministries
By Joelle Kopacz
Most PC(USA) congregations have a pastor, and some also have one or more associate pastors. While PC(USA) pastors have been an ongoing focus of research, associate pastors in the denomination have never been systematically studied—until now. Research Services has recently released a report detailing the lives and ministries of full-time associate pastors serving in PC(USA) congregations. The report includes such findings as:
- More than four in ten associate pastors (43%) are in their second career, having worked for more than three years in one or more occupations before entering ministry.
- A small majority ...
February 14, 2012
Mapping the PC(USA)
By Jack Marcum
Four color maps displaying data on Presbyterians at the county level are among the highlights in the 2010 edition of Comparative Statistics. The maps show:
- Percent change in the number of Presbyterians, 2000 to 2010
- Presbyterians as a percent of the population, 2010
- Newly chartered churches, 2000 to 2010
- Percent of churches without an installed pastor, 2010
The maps and accompanying text provide answers to questions such as:
- Which counties had more Presbyterians in 2010 than in 2000?
- In which counties are Presbyterians the largest share of the population?
- How many counties added more than one newly ...
December 19, 2011
Seeing the Future
By Jack Marcum
In 2001, we asked respondents to a Presbyterian Panel survey to tell us how various aspects of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) might look in 25 to 50 years. How have their prognostications turned out so far? I report an interim assessment in my “Go Figure” column in the January/February 2011 issue of Presbyterians Today.
Before jumping over to see how Presbyterians read the tea leaves a decade ago, what would you expect their predictions to be on these issues?
- Whether more or fewer congregations would have women as pastors
- Whether more or fewer congregations ...
December 15, 2011
Looking Inside Presbyterian Congregations—How Are Presbyterians Changing?
Remember the spring of 2001? George W. Bush was the new president and the September 11 attacks were months away. The world has changed in many ways since then. Have Presbyterian congregations and their worshipers experienced remarkable changes, too? Responses from 40,000 worshipers in a national study of Presbyterian congregations help us answer that question and give an up-to-date snapshot of Presbyterians. Here are some highlights of what we found.
How have Presbyterians changed?
In many ways Presbyterians as a group haven’t changed very much. Six in ten are women; seven in ten are married; half are employed ...
November 15, 2011
Recommended Read—Switch: How to Change Things When Change Is Hard
Chip and Dan Heath have another best-seller—Switch: How to Change Things When Change Is Hard. It’s a fascinating read, full of wonderful examples and real-life situations.
Why is change hard? The authors help us understand that the rational, logical side of our brain often competes with the brain’s emotional, instinctive side. They tag the brain’s emotional side as the headstrong Elephant, and the rational side, the Rider. Those images make it abundantly clear that no matter how fantastic the Rider’s vision of change is, the Elephant won’t turn in that direction without encouragement. The ...
September 22, 2011
Giving is Selective
By Jack Marcum
Giving is selective. People with certain characteristics give a higher percentage to the church, on average, than people with other characteristics. Test your knowledge (or intuition) in this area:
Which Presbyterians tend to give a bigger share of their income to church?
- Young or old?
- Lower income or higher income?
- Weekly worship attenders or those who attend less often?
- Church leaders or others in the congregation?
- Members or actively participating non-members?
To see the answers, and to learn about generous givers, take a look at the latest Go Figure column from Research Services in Presbyterians Today. There ...
August 22, 2011
Ready, Set, Go Green!
By Ida Smith-Williams
Earth Day originated on college campuses in 1970 as a way to bring environmental issues to the national agenda. Today, more churches and places of worship are joining the movement. It’s a good fit spiritually and financially for churches to emphasize and act as a role model in caring for God’s greatest creation, the Earth.
Churches are going green in lots of ways. Some are including energy-efficient features in construction projects, recycling printed materials, eliminating use of Styrofoam coffee cups, serving organic coffee and local foods, and opening community gardens, to name a few.
On ...
August 18, 2011
Disappearing Children
By Jack Marcum
The number of child baptisms in the PC(USA) has been dropping twice as fast as the number of members. At the same time, statistics suggest that smaller percentages of the children who are baptized are later being confirmed into church membership. What’s going on? Check out the details in our latest “Go Figure” column in Presbyterians Today magazine: “Where Have All the Children Gone?”
August 12, 2011
New People in the Pews, Part 2: Beliefs
By Joelle Anderson
When I led a workshop on Myths and Facts about Evangelism and Church Growth at the Big Tent event earlier this summer, the audience wanted to know how to draw unchurched people into personal faith and congregational involvement. In a recent Presbyterians by the numbers blog post, Deborah Bruce and I provided insight into these “first-timers,” new worshipers in PC(USA) congregations who have never previously attended any congregation regularly. (“New worshipers” are those who have been attending their current congregation for 5 years or less.)
Exploring first-timers’ involvement in corporate and personal spiritual activities, Deborah and ...