wfn.org | ELCA Membership Reported Just Over 5 Million in 2002

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ELCA NEWS SERVICE

August 8, 2003

ELCA Membership Reported Just Over 5 Million in 2002
03-158-FI/LA*

     CHICAGO (ELCA) -- The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America
(ELCA) reported a total of 5,038,006 baptized members in 10,721
congregations at the end of 2002, according to the Rev. Lowell G.
Almen, secretary of the ELCA.  That figure represents a decrease
of 1.21 percent or a reduction of 61,871 baptized members from
the 5,099,877 members listed in 2001.
     Parochial reports filed Dec. 31, 2002, showed the loss was
due primarily to a decrease in the number of new members, the
disbanding of 27 congregations and "roll cleaning" in many
remaining congregations.  In 2002, "roll cleaning" resulted in
the loss of 186,162 members -- 1,753 more than in 2001, when
184,409 were removed.
     Seventeen congregations with a combined baptized membership
of 15,841 withdrew from the ELCA in 2002.
     A statistical adjustment in the tabulation of membership as
of Dec. 31 also affected the decline.  That is, only
congregations that existed on that date, rather than during the
course of the year, were counted in the overall membership
figure.
       The average number of people in worship decreased slightly
in 2002.  There were 1,537,043 or 30.5 percent of all baptized
members participating in worship each week.  Throughout the past
16 years, average worship attendance -- an indicator of active
participation by members in congregations -- has fluctuated
between 30 and 31 percent.
     Confirmed membership in 2002 decreased by 37,246 to
3,757,723.  Communing and contributing membership, which
demonstrates active participation, decreased 65,911 to 2,394,585
in 2002 compared with 2,460,496 in 2001.
     The last time a gain of ELCA membership occurred was in
1991, with the addition 4,438 baptized members that year.  Since
1991 ELCA baptized membership has declined 212,578, about 4
percent.  Losses in baptized membership for previous years were:
26,043 in 2001, 23,749 in 2000; 28,557 in 1999; 6,830 in 1998;
2,308 in 1997; 9,517 in 1996; 8,559 in 1995; 12,752 in 1994;
21,783 in 1993; and 10,609 in 1992.
     This decrease in ELCA membership follows the pattern
reported by many U.S. church bodies during this period, Almen
said.  For example, The Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod reported
in 1990 a baptized membership of 2,611,127 and 2,554,088 in 2000,
a decrease of 57,039.  The Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) listed
total membership at 2,856,713 in 1990 and 2,525,330 in 2000 -- a
decline of 331,383.  For 2001, PCUSA membership was 2,493,781 --
down 31,549 from the previous year.
     Contrary to the trend of decreases, however, The Episcopal
Church reported baptized membership in 2000 of 2,319,844, an
increase of 22,908 from the previous year.  Active Episcopal
communicant membership was listed in 2000 as 1,857,843, up 45,409
or 2.5 percent from 1999.
     For the ELCA in 2002, accessions by baptism, affirmation of
faith, and transfer from other ELCA congregations were down.
There were 4,047 fewer baptisms of children -- from 77,541 in
2001 to 73,494 in 2002; there were 2,292 fewer affirmations of
faith --from 63,072 in 2001 to 60,780 in 2002; and there were
8,317 fewer transfers -- 78,660 in 2001 to 70,343 in 2002.
     Adult baptisms decreased by 1,058 -- from 8,455 in 2001 to
7,397 in 2002.	Transfers from other Lutheran congregations
dropped from 17,328 to 15,710, and accessions from non-Lutheran
congregations declined 1,701 -- from 21,131 in 2001 to 19,430 in
2002.
     There were 143 more deaths in 2002 -- 49,664 -- but 2,843
fewer transfers to other Lutheran congregations --11,143 in 2002
compared with 13,986 in 2001.  Transfers to non-Lutheran
congregations decreased 1,050 -- from 17,286 in 2001 to 16,236 in
2002 -- or 6.07 percent.
     The number of unconfirmed children receiving the sacrament
of Holy Communion continued to grow in 2002 to 326,679 -- up from
283,904 in 2001.
     Confirmations of youth were down 3.65 percent or 2,093 --
from 57,311 in 2001 to 55,218 in 2002.
     The average number of baptized members per congregation
decreased in 2002 by two people to 474, and the average confirmed
membership decreased by one person at 354.  In 2002, the average
number of communing and contributing members per congregation was
226.
     For 2002, 2.75 percent of ELCA baptized members were African
American, Black, Asian or Pacific Islander, Latino, or American
Indian/Alaska Native people.  For 2001, the percentage of total
ELCA members identified as people of color or whose primary
language is other than English was 2.6 percent.
     African American or Black membership increased to 53,564, up
716; Asian or Pacific Islander membership was 22,898, down 96;
Latino membership, 39,614, up 908; and American Indian/Alaska
Native membership, 7,273, up 112.  Declaring their race or ethnic
heritage as "other" were 15,151 members -- 4,870 more than in
2001.

* The Rev. Lowell G. Almen is secretary of the ELCA.
-- -- --
A summary table of ELCA statistical information is at
http://www.elca.org/co/news/table.html on the Web.  Detailed
information about the 2002 report is at
http://www.elca.org/co/news/table2002.html on the Web.

For information contact:
John Brooks, Director (773) 380-2958 or news@elca.org
http://www.elca.org/news