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National Council of the Churches of Christ in the USA
Email: news@ncccusa.org  Web: www.ncccusa.org

Direct Questions/Interview Requests to: NCC News, 212-870-
2227

NCC2/14/2000
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

YEAR 2000 YEARBOOK OF AMERICAN AND CANADIAN CHURCHES
A VALUABLE RESOURCE FOR CONGREGATIONS, JOURNALISTS, SCHOLARS

 February 14, 2000, NEW YORK CITY - Anyone who has 
anything to do with religion can find a treasure trove of 
resources in the Year 2000 Yearbook of American and Canadian 
Churches.  Its 408 pages - and now even its inside covers - 
are chock full of useful and fascinating facts, figures, 
maps, graphics and detailed listings.

 Prepared by the National Council of Churches, the 
Yearbook's directories include U.S. and Canadian 
denominational and ecumenical bodies, cooperative 
organizations, seminaries and Bible colleges, religious 
periodicals and church archives and - for the first time 
this year - contacts in eight "non-Christian" faith 
traditions in America.

 The Yearbook also is the most up-to-date, comprehensive 
source of membership and financial statistics from North 
America's churches and regularly features essays on the 
ever-changing American religious landscape.  No wonder 
church leaders, journalists, seminary and public libraries, 
researchers and scholars use the Yearbook extensively.

Lilly Endowment Inc. Grant Enables Further Enhancements

 An indispensable resource on North America's religious 
life since it was first published 68 years ago, the 
Yearbook's value is surging thanks to a three-year, $635,000 
redevelopment grant from Lilly Endowment Inc.  Awarded just 
over a year ago, the grant already has enabled:

  an expanded "Sources of Religion-Related Research" 
chapter.
  graphic interpretation of demographic patterns of 
seminary enrollment.
  an expanded index to U.S. regional and local ecumenical 
and interreligious bodies' work in 25 areas, from 
AIDS/HIV and anti-racism programs to prison chaplaincies, 
public education advocacy, women's issues and youth 
activities.
  a revamp of the "Emerging Electronic Church" chapter and 
development of a companion Web site, 
www.electronicchurch.org, which includes extensive links 
to additional sites.
  institution of electronic data gathering.
  use of software packages that automate updating - for 
example, of telephone area codes.
  establishment of an electronic database including the 
Yearbook's thousands of contacts.

 The Year 2000 Yearbook of American and Canadian 
Churches is published by Abingdon Press, Nashville, Tenn.  
It may be ordered by e-mail (yearbook@ncccusa.org); phone 
(888-870-3325); fax (212-870-2817); or mail (Yearbook 
Orders, National Council of Churches, Room 880, 475 
Riverside Drive, New York, NY 10115).  Cost is $40 including 
shipping.

Some "Findings" from the Year 2000 Yearbook

 The Year 2000 Yearbook addresses two strong, persistent 
trends in American religious life - extremely high religious 
affiliation rates and an ever more pluralistic religious 
composition.

 In the Year 2000 Yearbook's opening essay, the Rev. Dr. 
Eileen W. Lindner, the Yearbook's editor, explores the first 
trend.  Dr. Lindner, a church historian and Presbyterian 
Church (U.S.A.)  minister, notes researchers' increasingly 
more nuanced intepretation of the various growth and decline 
cycles of specific religious traditions during the last 
quarter of the twentieth century.

 The number of those who name Christianity as their 
religious preference is declining as a percentage of the 
population, but affiliation remains high when all religions 
are taken into account.  Research by Gallup, Roper and 
others continues to report extremely high religious 
affiliation rates among Americans, Dr. Lindner writes.

 "The Christian component of the religious landscape is 
hardly more static than the experience of other faith 
traditions," she says.  True, "For more than a decade the 
once reliable hegemony of `mainline' Protestant churches has 
been recognized as an artifact belonging to an earlier age 
of American religious life."

 But "the early, easy assertion that liberal progressive 
churches are declining while conservative churches are 
growing  has been increasingly amended to provide a more 
nuanced interpretation," she writes.  "Only a very dynamic 
view that takes account of multiple factors will provide a 
sufficient hypothesis by which to examine and understand the 
co-variant trends in American religious life at the close of 
the millennium."

Church Membership, Finance, Seminary Enrollment Trends

 The Yearbook for three years has focused on some 
"bellwether" communions to isolate the direction and rate of 
change in membership.  The data "may suggest broader 
currents in affiliation patterns," according to Dr. Lindner.

INCLUSIVE MEMBERSHIPS "TOP 20" U.S. CHURCH BODIES
Year 2000 Yearbook of American and Canadian Churches

1. Roman Catholic Church -- 62,018,436 ('98)
2. Southern Baptist Convention -- 15,729,356 ('98)
3. United Methodist Church -- 8,400,000 ('98)
4. National Baptist Convention USA, Inc. -- 
8,200,000 ('92)*
5. Church of God in Christ -- 5,499,875 ('91)
6. Evangelical Lutheran Church in America -- 
5,178,225 ('98)
7. Latter-Day Saints/Mormons -- 4,923,100 ('97)
8. Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) -- 3,574,959 ('98)
9. National Baptist Convention of America Inc. -- 
3,500,000 ('87)
10. Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod -- 2,594,404 
('98)
11. Assemblies of God -- 2,525,812 ('98)
12. African Methodist Episcopal Church -- 2,500,000 
('99)
13. National Missnry Baptist Convention of America 
-- 2,500,000 ('92)
14. Progressive National Baptist Convention Inc. -- 
2,500,000 ('95)
15. The Episcopal Church -- 2,364,559 ('96)
16. Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America -- 
1,954,500 ('98)
17. American Baptist Churches U.S.A. -- 1,507,400 
(`98)
18. Churches of Christ -- 1,500,000 ('99)
19. United Church of Christ -- 1,421,088 ('98)
20. African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church - 
1,252,369 ('98)

Source: Year 2000 Yearbook of American and Canadian Churches
* From 1999 Yearbook

 "The Roman Catholic Church reported an increase in 
membership that nearly doubles the rate of growth observable 
a year ago and returns it to a rate comparable to that 
reported in 1998.  This change, while reflecting greater 
birth rates and higher retention rates, likely corrects a 
reporting error of a year ago.

 "For the first time the Southern Baptist Convention 
reports a loss rather than a gain in membership," Dr. 
Lindner continues.  "The percentage of membership loss for 
the Convention is virtually identical to that of the 
Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), raising increasing doubts 
about the adequacy of a conservative church growth as 
opposed to a progressive church decline scenario.  (Please 
Note: All Tables are available via fax upon request).

Table 2: U.S. Membership Changes
Deno
m.
1997 
Editio
n 
Member
ship 
Change 
% 
Chan
ge 
1998 
Editio
n 
Member
ship 
Change 
% 
Chan
ge 
1999 
Editio
n 
Member
ship 
Change 
% 
Chan
ge 
2000 
Edition 
Membersh
ip 
Change 
% 
Cha
nge 
RCC 
89,849
0.15
927,46
0
1.54
355,85
5
0.58
810,522
1.3
0
SBC 
49,236
0.32
28,668
0.18
199,55
0
1.25
-162,158
-
1.0
3
UMC 
-
45,463
-
0.53
-
43,284
-
0.51
*
*
-38,477
-
0.4
5
ELCA 
-4,629
-
0.12
-9,579
-
0.18
4,145
0.08
-6,830
-
0.1
3
Morm
on  
98,400
2.39
88,500
1.88
123,10
0
2.50
*
*
PCUS
A 
-
32,986
-
1.22
-
32,114
-
0.88
-
26,622
-
0.74
-35,794
-
0.9
9
LC-
MS 
-1,624
-
0.08
6,589
0.25
1,892
0.07
-8,632
-
0.3
3
A of 
God 
22,983
1.70
79,606
3.33
26,986
1.08
31,238
1.2
5
ABCU
SA
9,466
0.63
-
14,133
-
0.93
2,066
0.14
2,067
0.1
4
Source: Year 2000 Yearbook of American and Canadian Churches
On the other hand, a solid and consistent growth 
pattern continues to be reported by the Assemblies of God, a 
Pentecostal denomination often identified as a growing 
conservative communion."

 Diversification of the student body in U.S. and 
Canadian theological education continues, with women now 
constituting an all-time high of 34 percent, reports The 
Association of Theological Schools in the United States and 
Canada.  And the growing diversity is not limited to gender.  
Nearly a third of all persons enrolled in theological 
schools today identify themselves as "African American," 
"Hispanic," "Pacific/Asian" or some other category.  A 
decade ago, 80 percent of all students identified themselves 
as "White."

 "The pastors, priests and Christian educators of the 
future will comprise a more diverse group than their 
predecessors if seminary enrollment figures offer a basis 
for forecast," Dr. Lindner observes.

 An upward trend in giving now appears to be emerging 
among the 62 churches that reported financial statistics to 
the Year 2000 Yearbook.  While counseling caution at these 
preliminary data, Dr. Lindner notes that both local and 
benevolence giving continue what is now a four-year upward 
trend, with congregational figures topping $22 billion and 
benevolences breaking the $4 billion mark.

 "Over the four-year period, benevolent giving (that is, 
funds spent for the well-being of others - whether around 
the world or across the street) has been increasing a bit 
more slowly than has congregational giving," she says.  
"Moreover, this year benevolences account for a slightly 
lower percentage of the total contributions than they did 
last year.  This observation bears careful watching over the 
next several years to see if a trend can be identified."

 In any event, faith groups constitute an important 
feature of the American economy and of American 
philanthropy.  Giving USA, an annual report by the American 
Association of Fund-Raising Counsel Trust for Philanthropy, 
reported that in 1998, 44 percent of all gifts - from 
foundations, corporations and individuals - went to  
religious groups."

Table 3: U.S. Financial Summaries 1992-1998

Total Contributions
Yea
r
# 
Rept
'g
Full 
or 
Confir
med 
Member
s
Inclus
ive 
Member
s
Total 
Contribut
ions
Per 
Capita 
Full or 
Confirm
ed 
Members
Per Capita 
Inclusive 
Members
199
2
44
39,521
,497
43,191
,444
$16,647,4
64,955
$421.23
$385.43
199
3
52
41,842
,642
46,667
,687
$19,631,5
60,798
$469.18
$420.67
199
4
47
40,997
,058
44,886
,207
$15,308,6
25,032
$373.41
$341.05
199
5
55
43,104
,555
48,115
,704
$21,433,5
17,908
$497.24
$445.46
199
6
55
43,321
,039
50,047
,599
$24,970,1
33,464
$576.40
$498.93
199
7
58
44,804
,383
49,936
,836
$25,181,4
16,276
$562.03
$504.27
199
8
62
44,574
,101
49,679
,497
$26,242,6
26,313
$588.74
$528.24

Congregational 
Finances
Benevolences
Ye
ar 
Total 
Congreg
ational 
Contrib
utions
Per 
Capit
a 
Full 
or 
Confi
rmed 
Per 
Capit
a 
Inclu
sive 
Membe
rs
Total 
Benevol
ences
Per 
Capita 
Full or 
Confirm
ed 
Members
Per 
Capita 
Inclusi
ve 
Members
Benevol
ences 
as a 
Percent
age of 
Total 
Contrib
utions
19
92
$13,565
,854,12
5
$343.
25
$314.
09
$3,081,
610,830
$77.97
$71.35
19%
19
93
$16,152
,245,43
1
$386.
02
$346.
11
$3,481,
455,047
$83.20
$74.60
18%
19
94
$15,308
,625,03
2
$373.
41
$341.
05
$3,259,
090,326
$79.50
$72.61
21%
19
95
$17,743
,597,66
8
$411.
64
$368.
77
$3,689,
920,239
$85.60
$76.69
17%
19
96
$20,422
,403,29
7
$471.
42
$408.
06
$3,739,
584,874
$86.32
$74.72
15%
19
97
$21,212
,711,61
5
$473.
45
$424.
79
$3,968,
704,661
$88.58
$79.47
16%
19
98
$22,202
,379,03
8
$498.
10
$446.
91
$4,040,
247,275
$90.64
$81.33
15%
Source: Year 2000 Yearbook of American and Canadian Churches

America's Growing Religious Pluralism

 In her essay, "Religious Pluralism: America in the Year 
2000," Dr. Diana L. Eck of Harvard University and Director 
of the Pluralism Project illustrates the richness and 
complexity of a phenomenon that is welcomed by some, feared 
or resisted by others.

 A directory of eight "non-Christian" faith traditions - 
a Yearbook "first" - includes a brief history and 
description of each along with contacts within each 
religious community (Baha'ism, Buddhism, Hinduism, Islam, 
Jainism, Judaism, Native American Traditional Spirituality, 
Sikhism).

 Other interfaith contacts are interspersed throughout 
listings of "National U.S. and Canadian Cooperative 
Organizations," "The Emerging Electronic Church," "Sources 
of Religion-Related Research" and "U.S. and Canadian 
Regional and Local Ecumenical Bodies."

 Maps of  Islamic mosques and centers and of Buddhist 
temples and churches in the United States are drawn from the 
forthcoming The New Historical Atlas of Religion in America 
by Edwin Scott Gaustad and Philip L. Barlow, due out in July 
from Oxford University Press.  The Yearbook's "Year 2000-
2003" includes holy days of several faiths.

 And the Year 2000 Yearbook's "Index of Select Programs 
for U.S. Regional and Local Ecumenical Bodies" includes a 
list of agencies that programmatically address issues of 
interfaith relations.  Comments Dr. Lindner, "The evidence 
of the persistence of religious pluralism can be measured in 
part by the increasing numbers of ecumenical agencies that 
are engaged in active programs of interfaith dialogue and 
relationships."

 (See sidebars with more information about the 
Yearbook's resources on a diversity of faith communities, 
and with highlights from Dr. Eck's theme article.)

-end-
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