We are asked many questions about the denomination. Here are brief answers to some of the more frequent questions. Most can be found in the 2007 edition of Comparative Statistics.

1. How many members and how many congregations do we have?
2. What has been the membership change over the last 10 years?
3. What is the size of the average Presbyterian church?
4. What is the largest Presbyterian church? What is the largest presbytery?
5. What is the average worship attendance?
6. Where do Presbyterians live?
7. What is the racial-ethnic makeup of the church? How diverse are we?
8. How many ordained women are there? How many serve churches?
9. What is the average contribution per member?
10. How does my congregation compare to others in the denomination?

1. How many members and how many congregations do we have?

At the end of 2007 (our most recent data), there were 10,820 congregations and 2,209,118 members in the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) — a net loss of 57,572 members from 2006 (-2.5 percent) and a net loss of 83 congregations.

2. What has been the membership change over the last 10 years?

In 1997, the PC(USA) reported 2,609,191 members, so the current membership reflects a net loss of 399,649 members, or about 15.3 percent, over the last 10 years. There were 11,295 congregations in 1997, 475 more than in 2007.

3. What is the size of the average Presbyterian church?

Presbyterian churches tend to be small. About seven out of ten (72 percent) of congregations have 200 or fewer members. The average, or mean, size of a Presbyterian church is 204 members. The median size is 103.

More than three-fourths have 250 or fewer members. Almost half (49%) have 100 or fewer.

4. What is the largest Presbyterian church? What is the largest presbytery?

The largest Presbyterian church in 2007 was Peachtree Presbyterian Church in Atlanta, Georgia with 8,667 members. Although Peachtree has been among the three largest membership congregations since reunion in 1983, it became the largest congregation in 1988 and has not budged from that position. Fourth PC in Chicago, Ill., (with 5,771 members) and First in Colorado Springs, Colo., (with 4,963 members) round out the top three. These have been the top 3 since 2004. The largest 15 were the same in 2006 although the order changed.

In terms of membership, Greater Atlanta Presbytery has replaced Grace Presbytery as the largest presbytery. With 45,281 members it is larger than two of the PC(USA)'s synods. Grace falls to second with 43,931 members. The largest synod is the Synod of Mid-Atlantic with 306,705 members.

5. What is the average worship attendance?

On an average Sunday in 2007, the number in attendance at worship in the average congregation was equal to about half of the congregation's membership (51 percent). Worship attendance is higher in smaller congregations. In congregations with 100 or fewer members, average worship attendance is 68 percent of membership; in congregations with between 101 and 250 members, average attendance is 57 percent of membership; and in the largest congregations (with over 250 members), average worship attendance is 47 percent of membership. Overall, the average, or mean, number in worship was 114 in 2007; the median was 67.

6. Where do Presbyterians live?

Presbyterians are scattered in all 50 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico. On a relative basis, the largest concentration is in Pennsylvania (223,616 members or 10.1 percent of the denomination's membership) followed by California (159,976 or 7.2 percent) and North Carolina (156,241 or 7.1 percent). The least densely Presbyterian-populated states are both located in the northeast. They are Maine (513 members or 0.02 percent of the denomination's membership) and Vermont (684 or 0.03 percent).

7. What is the racial-ethnic makeup of the church? How diverse are we?

The PC(USA) is mostly White, and therefore, not very diverse. The majority of the church is White (92 percent). Other racial-ethnic groups for which data are collected by the PC(USA) are Black or African American (3.2 percent of all members), Asian (3.2 percent), Hispanic (1.4 percent) and Native American (0.3 percent). (There is also an "other" category, 0.4 percent.)

The race-ethnicity of ministers is similar with the exception that the second largest group of ministers, other than those who are White, is Asian (6.4 percent). In addition, 3.6 percent of ministers are Black, 2.3 percent are Hispanic, 0.2 percent are Native American, and 0.5 percent are other. Elders and deacons follow a similar pattern, with deacons being the most likely group to have someone of color (15 percent). About 8.5 percent of elders are people of color.

8. How many ordained women are there? How many serve churches?

There were a total of 21,360 ministers in 2006; 13,693 active and 7,667 retired. Of active ministers, approximately 30 percent are female (4,124). The table shows the distribution of active ministers by occupational code and sex.

Number and Percent of Active PC(USA) Ministers by Call

9. What is the average contribution per member?

Total contributions for 2007 were $2,162,131,650, an increase of $28,953,655 (2.68 percent) over 2006. The average contribution per reporting member was $1,081.28. The synod with the highest per member giving for 2007 was Southern California and Hawaii; the synod's 90,622 members contributed a total of $141,592,160 averaging about $1,562.45 per member.

10. How does my congregation compare to others in the denomination?

To compare characteristics and trends of your congregation with those at the synod, presbytery, or national level, see the tables and figures from Comparative Statistics 2006 on the Web. (2007 tables to be available soon.)

For information about the trends within your own congregation, view your congregation's Ten-Year Trends Report. Learn more about our Help for Congregations Toolbox for Church Home Improvement Projects including demographics, in-worship surveys and more! Resources for congregational study can be ordered from Research Services, 100 Witherspoon, Louisville KY 40202 or call (888) 728-7228, x5071 and ask for Perry Chang.