The Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) currently has 2.5 million members, but in the last decade we have experienced a decline in total membership and a decline in congregational size. New church starts have slowed to 25 percent of the pace of the preceding decades.

From 1990 to 2000, the PC(USA) lost 400,000 members.
As of 2002, 24 percent of our congregations had 50 or fewer members. Today, fewer than 10 percent of all congregations have between 200 and 800 members.

Reversing these trends means that we must hold fast to familiar hands by nurturing the children, youth and young adults of our congregations. It means helping congregations develop worship styles and resources for young families, youth and children. Reversing these trends means touching new hearts by expanding local congregations. It means redeveloping congregations by providing needed resources and personnel. It means establishing congregations in communities where people seek to know Christ and find fellowship with others. It means nurturing congregations that provide worship, study and education in language-specific communities of faith.

Church Growth

The Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) will be represented by almost 400 long-term and short-term mission personnel in 2005, working in close cooperation with 167 partner churches in 80 countries. This deployment in international mission affords Presbyterians the opportunity to live out Christ’s commission in ways that individuals or separate communities of faith could not accomplish on their own.

Our women and men on the mission field are engaged in a variety of ministries. They preach the gospel where it has never been heard before. They reach out with helping hands, providing urgent medical care that saves lives on a daily basis. They teach where learning is valued, but where there has been no one before to establish classrooms.

Without new funds, Presbyterians will not be able to send those who preach and teach the Gospel. These ministers are vital in order to realize global opportunities for Christian discipleship. Without new funds, transformation of lives through encounters with sisters and brothers in Christ around the world will not be possible. Gifts to this campaign will send new international mission personnel and will respond directly to the urgent needs of the people they serve. With new funds, we will be able to send teachers and medical personnel to communities that have already asked for help.

International Mission Personnel

Join with us in Mission: Involved Hands, Committed Hearts. Joining Hearts & Hands invites you to take part in this vital work of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.). Your interest, financial gifts and prayerful support will make a tangible difference in the world. Together we can revitalize congregations, establish new congregations, reach out to immigrant communities and touch young families. Together we can touch hearts, meet urgent needs and share the Good News with people around the world.