Evening Republican, Volume 21, Number 275, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 23 November 1918 — Church Membership In the United States Shows Large Increase in Ten Years [ARTICLE]

Church Membership In the United States Shows Large Increase in Ten Years

During the ten-year period ending December 31. 1916, the total church membership in the United States increased from 35,068.058 to 42,044374. or 19.9 per cent; the number of churches from 212,230 to 228,007, or 7.4 per cent; the number of ministers from 164380 to 191,722, or 163 per cent; the number of Sunday school scholars from 15,337,811 to 20,569331, or 73 per cent, and the number of Sunday school officers and teachers from 1,746,074 to 2,049,293, or 17.4 per cent » These data, developed by the census bureau’s recent inquiry relating to religious bodies, are contained tn a statement complied under the supervision of William C. Hunt chief statistician for population. The number of denominations covered was 201, an Increase of 13 over the number reported for 1906. This increase is the net result of the consolidation or dropping out of 16 small denominations and the addition of 29 small denominations, comprising some in existence In 1906, but not then brought to light, and others resulting from consolidation of formerly independent churches. Of the 42,044374 church members reported, 15,742362, or 37.4 per cent, were Roman Catholics; 250340, or sixtenths of 1 per cent, were adherents of the eastern orthodox churches (mainly Greek and Russian), 359,998, or ninetenths of 1 per cent, were members of Jewish congregations. The remainder, 25,691,774, or 61.1 per cent, comprised the membership of the various Protestant churches, together with that of a few bodies, such as the Latter Day Saints, the Spiritualists and others not usually considered as belonging to any of the groups named. In comparing the figures given it should be borne |n mind that the Roman Catholic and eastern orthodox churches Include in their membership all children who have been’baptized, whereas the Protestant churches do not, as a rule, receive young children as members, and that in the case of some of the more orthodox Jewish organizations only the male incorporators or those who have bought shares or memberships are treated as members. The foregoing percentages, therefore, overstate the relative strength of the Roman Catholic and eastern orthodox churches and understate that Of the Jews.