wfn.org | NCC 2009 Yearbook notes decline of largest U.S. churches

["Philip Jenks" <pjenks@ncccusa.org>]

NCC's 2009 Yearbook of American & Canadian Churches
reports decline in Catholic, Southern Baptist membership

See also: how church members are counted,  www.ncccusa.org/news/090130yearbook2.html.

New York, February 23, 2009 -- The 77th annual edition of the Yearbook  of American & Canadian Churches, long a highly regarded chronicler of  growth and financial trends of religious institutions, records a slight  but startling decline in membership of the nation's largest Christian  communions.

Membership in the Roman Catholic Church declined 0.59 percent and the  Southern Baptist Convention declined 0.24 percent, according to the 2009  edition of the Yearbook, edited by the National Council of Churches and  published by Abingdon.
The figures indicate that the Catholic church lost 398,000 members since  the appearance of the 2008 Yearbook. Southern Baptists lost nearly  40,000 members.

Both membership figures were compiled by the churches in 2007 and  reported to the Yearbook in 2008. The 2009 Yearbook also includes an  essay by the editor, the Rev. Dr. Eileen W. Lindner, on the various ways  churches count their members.

Neither figure is earth-shattering given the size of the churches. Roman  Catholics comprise the nation's largest church with a membership of  67,117,016, and Southern Baptists rank second in the nation at  16,266,920.

But this year's reported decline raises eyebrows because Catholic and  Southern Baptist membership has grown dependably over the years. Now  they join virtually every mainline church in reporting a membership  decline.

According to the 2009 Yearbook, among the 25 largest churches in the  U.S., four are growing: the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints  (up 1.63 percent to 5,873,408; the Assemblies of God (up 0.96 percent to  2,863,265); Jehovah's Witnesses (up 2.12 percent to 1,092,169); and the  Church of God of Cleveland, Tenn. (up 2.04 percent to 1,053,642).

There are no  clear-cut theological or sociological reasons for church  growth or decline, says Editor Lindner. "Many churches are feeling the  impact of the lifestyles of younger generations of church-goers -- the  'Gen X'ers' or "Millenials' in their 20s and 30s who attend and support  local congregations but resist joining them."

But former Southern Baptist President Frank Page told the Associated  Press that the decline in his denomination was troubling because of the  Southern Baptist emphasis on  winning souls.

Page called on Southern Baptists to "recommit to a life of loving people  and ministering to people without strings attached so people will be  more open to hearing the Gospel message."

Lindner writes, "A slowing of the rate of growth of some churches and  the decline of membership of others ought to be the focus of continued  research and thoughtful inquiry."

Churches listed in the Yearbook as experiencing the highest rate of  membership loss are the United Church of Christ (down 6.01 percent), the  African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church (down 3.01 percent), the  Presbyterian Church (USA) (down 2.79 percent), the Lutheran Church -  Missouri Synod (down 1.44 percent) and the Evangelical Lutheran Church  in America (down 1.35 percent).

American Baptist Churches USA, on the other hand, cut its previous  decline rate of 1.82 percent in half, now reporting a decline of 0.94  percent.
Membership of the top 25 churches in the U.S. totals 146,663,972 -- down  0.49 percent from last year's total of 147,382,460.

The top 25 churches reported in the 2009 Yearbook are in order of size:

The Roman Catholic Church, 67,117,06 members, down 0.59 percent. (Ranked  1)

The Southern Baptist Convention, 16,266,920 members, down 0.24 percent.  (Ranked 2)

The United Methodist Church, 7,931,733 members, down 0.80 percent.  (Ranked 3)

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 5,873,408 members, up  1.63 percent .(Ranked 4)

The Church of God in Christ, 5,499,875 members, no change reported.  (Ranked 5)

National Baptist Convention, U.S.A., Inc., 5,000,000 members, no change  reported. (Ranked 6)

Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, 4,709,956 members, down 1.35  percent. (Ranked 7)

National Baptist Convention of America, Inc., 3,500,000 members, no  change reported. (Ranked 8)

Presbyterian Church (USA), 2,941,412 members, down 2.79 percent (Ranked  9)

Assemblies of God, 2,863,265 members, up 0.96 percent. (Ranked 10)

African Methodist Episcopal Church, 2,500,000 members, no change  reported. (Ranked 11)

National Missionary Baptist Convention of America, 2,500,000 members, no  change reported. (Ranked 11)

Progressive National Baptist Convention, Inc., 2,500,000 members, no  change reported. (Ranked 11)

The Lutheran Church - Missouri Synod (LCMS), 2,383,084 members, down  1.44 percent. (Ranked 14)

The Episcopal Church, 2,116,749 members, down 1.76 percent. (Ranked 15)

Churches of Christ, 1,639,495 members, no change reported. (Ranked 16)

Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America, 1,500,000 members, no change  reported. (Ranked 17)

Pentecostal Assemblies of the World, Inc., 1,500,000 members, no change  reported. (Ranked 17)

The African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church, 1,400,000 members, down  3.01 percent. (Ranked 19)

American Baptist Churches in the USA, 1,358,351, down 0.94 percent.  (Ranked 20)

Baptist Bible Fellowship International, 1,200,000, no change reported.  (Ranked 21)

United Church of Christ, 1,145,281 members, down 6.01 percent. (Ranked  22)

Jehovah's Witnesses, 1,092,169 members, up 2.12 percent (Ranked 23)

Christian Churches and Churches of Christ, 1,071,616 members, no change  reported. (Ranked 24)

Church of God (Cleveland, Tenn.), 1,053,642 members, up 2.04 percent.  (Ranked 25)

NCC News contact:  Philip E. Jenks, 212-870-2228 (office),  646-853-4212 (cell) , pjenks@ncccusa.org