Total membership of the denomination is now 2,140,165.
According to the Research Services office of the General Assembly Council (GAC), the 2008 decline was the PC(USA)’s largest numerical and percentage net membership loss since Presbyterian reunion in 1983.
Almost 104,000 people joined the PC(USA) last year, but that good news was more than offset by the 34,101 Presbyterians who died, the 34,340 who were members of the 25 congregations that left the PC(USA) for other denominations, and the staggering 104,428 who were removed from the rolls by their sessions without apparently joining any other church.
In a statement released with the annual statistical report, General Assembly Stated Clerk Gradye Parsons noted that those who have “gradually drifted away from our congregations” are a particular cause for concern.
“It is a trend supported by a recent survey on religious affiliation by the Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life” he noted. “The survey reports that seven in ten former Protestants gradually drifted away from their childhood religion. Initially, they are in worship every Sunday, then every other Sunday, and then gone.”
Parsons insisted that “Presbyterians can be evangelists! But we often stumble over the words. Can we not challenge one another to be able to answer these basic questions,” he said. “Why do I believe in God? Why do I go to church? Why do I go to that particular church?”
In a June 18 statement, Eric Hoey, the GAC’s director of Evangelism and Church Growth, said that the number of churches that left the denomination — double the number that left in 2007 — should have produced a larger membership loss. He attributed the large number of new members, in part, to the “Grow Christ’s Church Deep and Wide” initiative that came out of the 218th General Assembly (2008).
“Grow Christ’s Church Deep and Wide” created a groundswell of local and regional activity. The initiative challenged all levels of the church to acknowledge our decline and to commit to four areas of growth: evangelism, discipleship, servanthood, and diversity,” Hoey said.
“Presbyterian News Service has written a series of articles about congregations that are engaged in innovative outreach programs in order to Grow Christ’s Church Deep and Wide,’” he added. “Presbyteries across the country have offered Deep and Wide pastor retreats and have thematically programmed each point of Deep and Wide into each of their presbytery meetings … [It] has become a tool to cast a vision that we cannot be the same. We must do everything we can to change and reverse the decline of our church.”
Hoey’s comments were confirmed by other statistics in the OGA report. Fewer congregations were dissolved in 2008 than in 2007 — 65 vs. 71 the previous year. And 40 new churches were organized last year, 23 more than the previous year. The PC(USA) currently comprises 10,751 congregations.
More than 10 percent of those churches are racial ethnic congregations, another sign of hope for the PC(USA), said Rhashell Hunter, the GAC’s director for Racial Ethnic and Women’s Ministries.
“Ten years ago, the racial ethnic membership of the PC(USA) was 4.7 percent. The 2008 statistics show the racial ethnic membership at 7.51 percent,” Hunter wrote in response to the release of the report. “This percentage is not the 20-percent goal that the General Assembly set to be reached by 2010,” she continued.
“It is clear that we aren’t where we want to be, but we aren’t where we used to be,
either.”
Another area of growth in the PC(USA), Hunter said, is in immigrant ministries. “Eight years ago, there were nine new immigrant ministries in the PC(USA). Today, there are approximately 80 new immigrant ministries, including new church developments and Bible study groups and fellowships,” she said.
Korean American ministries have also shown substantial growth, from less than 200 two decades ago to more than 400 currently.
“The PC(USA) is a better place because of the racial ethnic and new immigrant members in our midst,” Hunter said. “We are challenged to learn how to share the gospel in an increasingly diverse culture.”
Other notable statistics in the report:
• The number of ministers declined by 82 from 21,368 to 21,268, while the number of candidates for the ministry increased by 30 from 1,134 to 1,164;
• The number of female elders declined by 453 from 46,662 to 46,209 and the number of male elders declined by 1,108 from 46,564 to 45,456
• The number of female deacons declined by 543 from 45,745 to 45,202 and the number of male deacons declined by 613 from 18,836 to 18,223;
• 43 ministers were received into membership in the PC(USA) from other denominations, while 38 were dismissed to other denominations;
• Children’s baptisms declined by 1,762 from 27,721 to 25,959 and adult baptisms declined by 793 from 7,089 to 6,296;
• Total giving to the church at all levels declined by $24,234,268 from $2,162,131,650 in 2007 to $2,137,897,382.
The full text of Parsons’ statement:
The total membership of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) in 2008 was 2,140,165 members. The statistics contain the good news that 103,528 people joined the PC(USA) in 2008. The sad news is that 34,340 joined other denominations. An almost equal number of our sisters and brothers in Christ joined the church triumphant.
The very sad news is the over 100,000 people were removed from the membership rolls by their sessions. This number includes some of our family who became members of another Reformed body as a result of their congregation being dismissed to that body.
We are all diminished by the loss of these congregations. The PC(USA) needs to include people and congregations of every theological voice so that we can be faithful to where God is leading us in this world.
The largest part of the 100,000, however, is the number of those who were removed from the membership rolls after they gradually drifted away from our congregations. It is a trend supported by a recent survey on religious affiliation by the Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life. The survey reports that seven in ten former Protestants gradually drifted away from their childhood religion. Initially, they are in worship every Sunday, then every other Sunday, and then gone.
These are sisters and brothers with whom we break bread and sing the doxology. We should not let them drift.
Chapter 3 of the Book of Order contains a powerful section on being Christ’s faithful evangelist (G-3.0300c.) In it are three main aspects. The first is to go into the world, making disciples of all nations. The second is to demonstrate the new reality in Christ by the love we have for one another in the church. The third is to participate in God’s activity of bringing justice and mercy to God’s world.
Presbyterians can be evangelists! But we often stumble over the words. Can we not challenge one another to be able to answer these basic questions — Why do I believe in God? Why do I go to church? Why do I go to that particular church?
The full text of Hoey’s comments: Numbers Matter to God
“So Simon Peter went aboard and hauled the net ashore, full of large fish, a hundred fifty-three of them; and though there were so many, the net was not torn” (John 21:11).
I have often wondered why this text mentioned a specific number of fish on the Galilean seashore. Who cares if there were 50 or 153 fish in the net? All that the writer needed to communicate was that there were so many fish that the nets did not break. In this context, the specificity of the number of fish seems to be an extra “over-detailed” piece of information.
Could it be that God is trying to tell us something that we tend to avoid?
No matter how much we want to deny it, numbers are important. They offer us at least one indicator of how God is at work in our midst. The Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) annual statistics for 2008 indicate a decline in our membership for another year. This statistic is roughly at the same rate of decline as in past years. In light of all the churches that left our denomination last year, the decline in membership should have been the largest number we have seen. To hold steady in this statistical trend demonstrates that we are growing in a slow, but steady pace.
What are we doing differently?
I believe the initiative that came out of the 218th General Assembly (2008) of the PC(USA), “Grow, Christ’s Church Deep and Wide” created a groundswell of local and regional activity. The initiative challenged all levels of the church to acknowledge our decline and to commit to four areas of growth: evangelism, discipleship, servanthood, and diversity.
Many congregations have jumped on the bandwagon to participate in this initiative. Presbyterian News Service has written a series of articles about congregations that are engaged in innovative outreach programs in order to “Grow Christ’s Church Deep and Wide.” Presbyteries across the country have offered Deep and Wide pastor retreats and have thematically programmed each point of Deep and Wide into each of their presbytery meetings.
“Grow Christ’s Church Deep and Wide” has become a tool to cast a vision that we cannot be the same. We must do everything we can to change and reverse the decline of our church.
The full text of Hunter’s comments:
Becoming the Beloved Community of Christ
Presbyterians have a renewed commitment to “Grow Christ’s Church Deep and Wide.” The 218th General Assembly (2008) of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) approved this initiative to grow the church in evangelism, discipleship, servanthood, and diversity.
In the Racial Ethnic and Women’s Ministries/Presbyterian Women ministry area of the General Assembly Council, we are focusing on growing the church in diversity by welcoming others, learning from different races and cultures, and reflecting the cultural and ethnic diversity of God’s peoples in the world.
Ten years ago, the racial ethnic membership of the PC(USA) was 4.7 percent. The 2008 statistics show the racial ethnic membership at 7.51 percent. This percentage is not the 20-percent goal that the General Assembly set to be reached by 2010.
It is clear that we aren’t where we want to be, but we aren’t where we used to be, either.
The 7.51 percent cited above includes racial ethnic membership in congregations. However, this statistic does not reflect the racial ethnic membership in new church developments and in Bible study groups and fellowships. But, even if we only look at racial ethnic congregations, excluding new church developments and Bible study groups and fellowships, we will see that there were 972 racial ethnic congregations ten years ago. Today there are 1,358.
Of the 10,751 PC(USA) congregations, more than 10 percent are racial ethnic congregations. So, we are growing Christ’s church deep and wide in diversity. Again, we are not where we want to be. It is incumbent upon us to lift up the values of diversity and inclusivity and to welcome the stranger, invite diverse peoples to church, and share the good news, that we might become the beloved community of Christ.
We have seen growth in new immigrant ministries. Eight years ago, there were nine new immigrant ministries in the PC(USA). Today, there are approximately 80 new immigrant ministries, including new church developments and Bible study groups and fellowships. There is also a significant increase in the number of Korean American Presbyterian ministries. Twenty years ago, there were less than 200 Korean American ministries in the PC(USA). Today, there are 403 Korean American ministries, including new church developments and Bible study groups and fellowships, and there are also four non-geographic Korean language presbyteries.
Spread across our nation are Presbyterian Latino/a, Middle Eastern, African American, Korean, Asian, Native American, new immigrant, and multicultural congregations, all faithfully embodying what it means to be “Reformed and always reforming” (Book of Order, G-2.0200).
One such congregation is The Korean American Presbyterian Church in Sumter, S.C., where the Reverend Tae Su Cheong is pastor. I visited the church in early 2008, on the occasion of their 24th anniversary. This congregation is one that I will never forget, as it is a multicultural Korean congregation – a congregation made up of different races and cultures that is primarily centered in the Korean tradition. The church is near Shaw Air Force Base. Many of the members were stationed in Korea following the Korean War, and met their spouses there. These families are now stationed in Sumter. This congregation has members who are Korean, African American, and European American. One of their newest ministries is an English language men’s Bible study for many of the European American and African American husbands of Korean spouses who do not speak Korean. It is a fascinating, faith-filled congregation.
The Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) is a better place because of the racial ethnic and new immigrant members in our midst. We are challenged to learn how to share the gospel in an increasingly diverse culture. This may be just the reason that we need to work toward multicultural congregations, so that we can get to know other Presbyterians from different races and ethnicities and discover our commonalities and our differences. In doing so, we have a greater chance of living out the biblical vision of a world where the humanity of everyone is valued and where God’s love is spread to every race and class, culture and people.
