Most of the
United States' 25 largest church bodies either lost members
or experienced no growth in the past year, according to a
2008 yearbook produced by the National Council of
Churches. The Episcopal Church, locked in a conflict
over the Bible and homosexuality, suffered the
steepest decline, reporting a more than 4% drop to slightly
fewer than 2.2 million members. Another mainline
Protestant group, the 3 million-member Presbyterian
Church (USA), facing similar divisions, suffered a
2.4% membership decrease.
The figures are
outlined in the 2008 Yearbook of American and Canadian
Churches, which tracks membership and other trends from 224
national church bodies.
The yearbook's
editor, the Reverend Eileen W. Lindner, said many churches
claim that many people in their 20s and 30s attend and
support local congregations but resist becoming
members.
Of the churches
that reported growth, the Jehovah's Witnesses said their
group had a 2.25% increase to 1 million members, while the
Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints said it
grew 1.56% to 5.8 million members in the U.S.
The Roman
Catholic Church, Southern Baptist Convention, Assemblies of
God, and African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church also
reported membership gains under 1% each.
A dozen churches
said membership remained steady, while seven reported
declines.
The yearbook also
reported a 4% increase in per capita giving from the 65
churches that reported contribution trends. (AP)
