The 1996 General Assembly approved an overture from Cherokee Presbytery to study the motivations of individuals joining congregations of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.). As part of this project, the office of Research Services, in cooperation with Evangelism and Church Development, undertook two surveys, one of recent adult new members and one of recent confirmands aged 10-19.

Adult New Member Survey

Profile of a Typical New Member

There is great diversity among new adult members of Presbyterian churches. However, if a portrait of a typical new member could be painted, it would include the following characteristics:

• The typical new church member is a white female.
• She is 44 years old and married with children.
• She is new to the community, employed, and has a college degree.
• Her household income is between $30,000 and $80,000.
• She was not raised Presbyterian, but was baptized in some church before age 18.
• Her husband was also not raised Presbyterian.
• Her husband is also a member of the church, and they regularly attend worship services.
• She lives in a city or the suburb of a city.
• She lives within 4 miles of the church, and it takes her 15 minutes or less to drive to the church.

Remember that there probably is no individual new member who matches all of these traits and that most new members differ from this profile on one or more of these characteristics.

New adult members of Presbyterian churches (who joined in 1995 and 1996) are different from current members of the denomination overall in several significant ways. First, new adult members of Presbyterian churches are younger than current members. The median age for current members is 51 years, while for new adult members it is only 44. New members are also more likely than current members in general to be new to their communities. New members are three times more likely than current members to have moved to the state where they currently live in the last five years. In fact, 42% of new members moved to a new house or apartment in the last 12 months, and one in five began a new job in the last 12 months. (See following figure.)

The typical new member is married with children in the home. One in four has children under the age of 6 years. The majority of married new members report that their spouse is also a member of the congregation. If they are single, they are much more likely to be divorced than current members, who are more likely to have been widowed.

The median annual income of new members is between $60,000 and $70,000. About eight in ten report that they make regular contributions to their church. The average per member amount of gifts given in the prior year is about $1,600.

About half of all new members are Republicans, and one in four are Democrats. New adult members are likely to be college-educated and to live in a city or a suburb of a city. The majority live within four miles of the church. The typical travel time between home and church is fifteen minutes or less.

While two-thirds of new members were not raised as Presbyterians, almost all (89%) were baptized as infants, children, or teenagers. Only one-third became new members by transferring their membership from another Presbyterian congregation. Another 20% became new members by transferring their membership from a congregation of another denomination. These two groups of new members-- "congregational switchers"--are similar in some ways, but different in others. Presbyterian "switchers" are more likely to be newcomers in the community and to have looked for the PCUSA affiliation in their search for a new church home. Switchers from other denominations are more evangelical than PCUSA switchers in their beliefs.

Almost half of all new members joined by profession of faith or reaffirmation. Only 7% of new members had no prior church affiliation. About three in four new members participated in a new members' class or an inquirers' class.

New adult members are less likely than current Presbyterian members to read the Bible privately or with family and friends. One-half of new members never attend Bible study groups. However, they are more likely than current members to pray with others--almost one-third report that they pray with one or more persons on a daily or near-daily basis.

When new adult members were asked about the factors that were important in their search for a church home, three factors outdistanced the rest: (1) a church that is warm and friendly to visitors; (2) a church with a pastor they can relate to; and (3) a church where they can experience the presence of God. They are also asked what most impressed them on their first visit to their congregation and made them want to return for a second visit. Three factors were mentioned most frequently: (1) the friendliness of the members; (2) the quality of the pastor's sermon; and (3) the overall worship service experience. Combined, these results suggest that people join churches where they find what they are looking for.

What was relatively unimportant as people looked for a new church home? Four factors appear to be irrelevant: (1) the size of the congregation; (2) the accessibility of the building for persons with disabilities; (3) the racial/ethnic diversity of the congregation; and (4) being a Presbyterian congregation.

The majority of new members "shopped" for a new church, with most visiting at least two other congregations. Those who initially visited a congregation because they knew someone in the church (e.g., family member, friends) were less likely to have shopped around first at other congregations. Any type of follow-up contact made by the congregation (e.g., letter, phone call, visit) was important as new members considered church membership. The findings indicate, however, that a visit from the pastor was more effective than other types of contact 41% of new members who were visited by the pastor indicate that that visit was the most important factor in their decision to return to the church for a second time.

New Members & All Members Differ from U.S. Population

Despite noticeable differences between adult new members and the PCUSA membership as a whole, on most social and demographic characteristics the new members look more like other Presbyterians than like the overall population of adults in the United States:

Why do Presbyterians in general look so different from the U.S. population? Many factors play a part, but the greatest by far is the drift of young adults away from the church over the last 30 years. While some have returned, many have not. As a result, the membership of the church is not only older, on average, than the U.S. population, but many trends in the larger society that have become more common among younger adults over the last generation (e.g., increasing divorce, men and women living together outside of marriage) have disproportionately bypassed the church. Since this relative dearth of younger adults has occurred during a period when birth rates in general have declined from their peak "baby boom" years of the late 1950s, we have fewer young adults having fewer babies than was true a generation ago. One consequence is the steady net membership loss among Presbyterian churches over the last 30 years. Furthermore, the social and demographic momentum of these changes will make it difficult to reverse membership decline.

Confirmand Survey

While there is considerable diversity among the survey participants, a basic profile of typical new members between 10 and 20 years of age emerges from these results. These new members regularly attend church with family members. They are primarily members of white, traditional families (i.e., living with two biological parents and siblings) with highly educated parents. Most were baptized as infants and raised in the Presbyterian Church. Many are involved in activities of the church, such as youth programs and church school, or serve in volunteer roles.

Few young new members read the Bible as often as weekly. However, almost one-half pray once a week or more, and a majority attend worship services regularly. Most hold orthodox Christian beliefs on various issues, although only a minority believe that salvation is solely through Jesus Christ.

Most young new members began the process of joining a Presbyterian church by attending confirmation classes. While most were encouraged by their parents to attend, they felt free to make their own decisions about joining the church after confirmation class concluded.

Are Confirmands Just like Adult New Members (Only Younger)?

While adults may envy youth, in fact, there are a few ways in which they are similar. Our two samples of new members have almost identical profiles in terms of race/ethnicity and gender. These two types of new members are also barely distinguishable by some religious activities and beliefs. For example, these two groups of new members are similar in the percentages who:

• have had a conversion experience
• believe in the virgin birth
• read the Bible with family and friends
• pray with one or more people

However, adult new members are more likely than young new members to:

• attend worship services
• read the Bible privately
• hold orthodox religious beliefs (e.g., to believe "The Devil really exists")

Confirmands are more likely than adult new members to:

• attend Bible study groups
• be more open to other religious views (e.g., to agree with statements such as "All great religions are equal" or "An individual should arrive at his or her own religious beliefs independent of any church")