Of the nation’s 25 largest denominations, only four reported growth: the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (an increase of 1.6 percent, to 5.9 million members); the Assemblies of God (a 1 percent increase, up to 2.9 million); Jehovah’s Witnesses (rising 2 percent, to 1.1 million members); and the Church of God of Cleveland, Tenn. (an increase of 2 percent, up to 1 million members).
The figures are the latest reported by the “Yearbook of American & Canadian Churches,” which tracks church membership and is considered a reliable source of statistics on church growth and decline. Denominations collected the membership numbers in 2007 and reported them to the yearbook in 2008.
The yearbook reported a loss of nearly 400,000 members from 2006 to 2007 for the Roman Catholic Church. With more than 67 million members, it ranks as by far the largest Christian group in the U.S. The Southern Baptist Convention, the second-largest denomination with more than 16 million members, lost about 40,000 members during that time, the yearbook reported.
The Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) reported a loss of 2.8 percent, down to 2.9 million members. That puts the PC(USA) as the 9th largest denomination – behind, among the mainlines, the United Methodists (the third-largest denomination, with 7.9 million members, down .8 percent) and the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (the 7th largest, with 4.7 million members, down 1.35 percent).
Tracking membership numbers is a little tricky, as the yearbook relies on denominations to gather the numbers, and each has its own protocol and standards for doing so. Eileen W. Lindner, a Presbyterian minister who serves as the yearbook’s editor, wrote in an introduction to the current edition that gathering the numbers is “a rather imprecise art.”
Different denominations have different theological views affecting membership, Lindner wrote – such as whether to baptize children or count them as full members. Practices also vary with how diligently and regularly to purge the rolls, and what’s required to continue to be considered a member.
Some faith traditions, such as the Eastern Orthodox, make estimates of membership rather than relying on actual counts. Some denominations collect data more formally, others use volunteers; and some denominations rarely seem to report new numbers. The National Baptist Convention of America, Inc., for example, has provided the same membership statistic – 3.5 million members – for the past 20 years.
Lindner concluded that while the relative size of national denominations in relationship to each other is generally accurate, the precise count of membership may be considered less so. And there are other dynamics at work as well.
“Megachurches and Emergent church fellowships do not always place emphasis on membership per se,” Lindner wrote. “Attendance and participation are sometimes given greater importance and emphasis than formal membership.”
And generational differences may come into play – with younger people tending to be less attached to institutions and perhaps less inclined to formally join a church.
The 10 largest Christian bodies reported in the 2009 yearbook are:
1. Roman Catholic Church, 67 million members
2. Southern Baptist Convention, 16.3 million members
3. United Methodist Church, 7.9 million members
4. Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 5.9 million members
5. Church of God in Christ, 5.5 million members
6. National Baptist Convention, U.S.A., Inc., 5 million members
7. Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, 4.7 million members
8. National Baptist Convention of America, Inc., 3.5 million members
9. Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), 2.9 million members
10. Assemblies of God, 2.9 million members
