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LOUISVILLE — The
Presbyterian Church (USA) is the ninth-largest church in North
America, according to the newest edition of the Yearbook of
American and Canadian Churches, a publication of the National
Council of Churches (NCC).
The three largest U.S. churches are the Roman Catholic Church
(66.4 million members), the Southern Baptist Convention (16.2
million) and the United Methodist Church (8.3 million).
The yearbook estimates membership in the PC(USA) at 3.4 million,
including baptized children. The PC(USA) claims a membership of
2.4 million.
Four of the top 25 denominations now are Pentecostal. The yearbook’s
editor, the Rev. Eileen Lindner, the NCC’s deputy general
secretary for research and planning, says that “reflects
the continuing increase in numbers of adherents to Pentecostal
traditions.”
The four top Pentecostal denominations are the Church of God
in Christ, ranked fourth with 5.5 million members; the Assemblies
of God, ranked 10th with 2.7 million; the Pentecostal Assemblies
of the World, tied for 16th at 1.5 million; and the Church of
God, newly ranked at 25th with 945,000 members.
Seven of the largest 25 denominations are predominantly African-American
churches, reflecting the historic strength of the church in the
African American community.
In most cases, the 2004 yearbook reflects membership totals
recorded at the end of 2002. It includes data on 215 religious
bodies with a total membership of 161 million.
The major U.S. churches that recorded growth between 2001 and
2002 included the Catholic Church (No. 1), the Southern Baptist
Convention (2), the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter day Saints
(5), the Assemblies of God (10), the American Baptist Churches
in the USA (19), the Jehovah's Witnesses (24) and the Church of
God, new on the list at No. 25.
Six of the top 25 churches reported membership losses —
the PC(USA), the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, the United
Methodist Church, the Lutheran Church (Missouri Synod), the African
Methodist Episcopal Zion Church, and the United Church of Christ.
The fastest-growing Protestant church was the American Baptist
Church, whose membership increased by 2.87 percent. The Church
of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (Mormons) reported growth
of 1.88 percent.
Other highlights of the 2004 yearbook:
- Despite a well documented clergy shortage, especially in
the Catholic Church and in small and/or rural parishes of virtually
all denominations, the number of students enrolled in theological
institutions continues to grow. More than 75,000 students are
enrolled in member schools of the Association of Theological
Schools in the United States and Canada.
- The nearly 30 year upward trend in numbers of women in theological
schools remains stable and appears to be a permanent feature
of the demography of theological students.
- The 59 U.S. churches that provided full financial data for
the 2004 edition account for more than $31 billion in contributions
from nearly 48 million people.
- In those 59 churches, per-capita giving increased, on average,
by $35 (5.6 percent) from the previous year — to $658.63.
- Giving to causes beyond the congregation totaled 14 percent
for U.S. churches, continuing a downward trend of several years.
By contrast, the percentage of benevolence giving by members
of Canadian churches is consistently 19 to 20 percent.
The largest 25 U.S. denominations/communions and their memberships,
according to the counting formula used by the NCC:
- The Roman Catholic Church — 66,407,105
- Southern Baptist Convention — 16,247,736
- The United Methodist Church — 8,251,042
- The Church of God in Christ — 5,499,875
- The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints — 5,410,544
- Evangelical Lutheran Church in America — 5,038,006
- National Baptist Convention, U.S.A., Inc. — 5,000,000
- National Baptist Convention of America, Inc. — 3,500,000
- Presbyterian Church (USA) — 3,407,329
- Assemblies of God — 2,687,366
- The Lutheran Church Missouri Synod — 2,512,714
- African Methodist Episcopal Church — 2,500,000
- National Missionary Baptist Convention of America —
2,500,000
- Progressive National Baptist Convention, Inc. — 2,500,000
- The Episcopal Church — 2,333,628
- Churches of Christ, Corsicana, TX — 1,500,000
- Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America — 1,500,000
- Pentecostal Assemblies of the World, Inc. — 1,500,000
- American Baptist Churches in the USA — 1,484,291
- African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church — 1,430,795
- United Church of Christ — 1,330,985
- Baptist Bible Fellowship International — 1,200,000
- Christian Churches and Churches of Christ, Joplin, MO —
1,071,616
- Jehovah’s Witnesses — 1,022,397
- Church of God, Cleveland, TN — 944,857
Information for this story furnished by Carol Fouke of the
NCC’s
News and Information Office.
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