wfn.org | PC(USA) Membership Decline Worsened in 1999

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Note #5889 from PCUSA NEWS to PRESBYNEWS:

10-May-2000
00187

	PC(USA) Membership Decline Worsened in 1999	

	New figures put an end to encouraging 2-year "trend"

	by Jerry L. Van Marter

LOUISVILLE, Ky. -- The Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) had been losing members
at the rate of about 30,000 per year since the mid-1960s, so denomination
officials were pleased when the rate of decline slowed to about 20,000 in
both 1997 and 1998.

	But that "trend" is over, at least for 1999. Figures released by the Office
of the General Assembly show a membership loss for last year of 27,473, to a
total of 2,560,201.

	The Rev. Clifton Kirkpatrick, stated clerk of the General Assembly, told
the Presbyterian News Service that he "continues to pray fervently for the
days when those numbers go the other way." He said the church "needs to be
more active in our evangelization, and in building up the strength and
health of our congregations."

	Other key indicators of potential church growth -- including adult
professions of faith, adult and child baptisms and transfers from other
denominations -- also showed declines for 1999.

	The only positive numbers were rises in church-school enrollment and in the
number of women elders and women deacons.

	One figure that encouraged Kirkpatrick was a rise in racial-ethnic
membership. "We gained 27,000 racial-ethnic members last year," he said,
"which isn't nearly enough, but shows that we are on the right track toward
our goal of 10 percent racial-ethnic membership by 2010."

	Happily, financial figures did not follow the decline in members. Giving by
Presbyterians was up in virtually every category for the year. Total
receipts by churches and governing bodies totaled a record $2.825 billion,
almost $216 million more than in 1998. "Contributions" -- the money put in
offering plates on Sundays -- increased more than $92 million, to $1.86
billion.

	The only declines were in investment income (down $2.3 million to $196
million), presbytery general mission (down $497,000 to $39 million) and
synod mission (down $145,000 to $10 million). Giving to General Assembly
mission increased by $2.24 million, to a little more than $58 million.

	Child baptisms declined by 477 to 41,009; adult baptisms by 277 to 11,457;
professions of faith by 1,166 to 93,698; and transfers to the PC(USA) by
233, to 48,974.

	A total of 36,156 Presbyterians transferred to other churches in 1999, down
slightly from 36,964 in 1998. Also, 41,164 Presbyterian church members died
last year, 1,049 fewer than in 1998.

	The dropout rate rose from 102,544 in 1998 to 106,419 in 1999 -- a figure
that particularly bothered Kirkpatrick.

	"I continue to worry about the ‘other losses,'" he said. "We are gaining
more members from other churches than we are losing to them, but we are
losing our people out ‘the back door' -- out of the church altogether -- 
which means our discipleship and nurture of members is not as it should be."

	The number of PC(USA) churches declined slightly, from 11,260 in 1998 to
11,216 in 1999, while the number of ministers increased by 48 to 20,988 and
the number of candidates for the ministry increased by 67, to 1,004.

	Thirty new churches were organized in 1999, while 42 were dissolved. One
church was received from another denomination, and one was dismissed to
another denomination.

	While the number of female elders rose by 115, to 51,945, the number of
male elders declined by 440, to 56,262. Similarly, the number of female
deacons rose by 660, to 49,239, but the number of male deacons declined by
1,379, to 22,716.

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