3 VVI - Ved.e r. BULLETIN OF CHURCH STATISTICS FEDERAL COUNCIL OF THE CHURCHES ^ OF CHRIST IN AMERICA National Office, 612 United Charities Building, 105 East 22d Street, New York Prof. Shailer Mathews, President Rev. Charles S. Macfarland, General Secretary • Rev. Henry K. Carroll, Associate Secretary Washington Office, 1114 Woodward Building, Washington, D. C. STATISTICS OF THE CHURCHES OF THE UNITED STATES FOR 1915 Gathered and Arranged by H. K. Carroll, LL.D. These statistics cover the territory of the United States and its possessions exclusively. Ministers, churches, and communicants of various denominations in foreign countries are deducted from the denominational totals. Where official denominational returns are to be had they are used. Where such returns are not available, the best denominational sources of information are sought for ap- proximate figures. In some cases the census returns of 1906 are the latest and only ones available. It is chiefly the very small bodies which report no statistics. Estimates, generally by denominational statisticians, are I given in a few cases for the increase of the year, where denominational reports are not ready. The order of arrangement follows the alphabet, and classi- fication is according to name or to historical relation. The non-Christian bodies are few and easily separable from the Christian. A great body of Evangelical Churches, em- bracing seventeen and three-quarters million communicants, is found in the Table of the constituent bodies of the Federal Council of the Churches of Christ in America It is necessary to give again a word of explanation con- cerning the figures for the Roman Catholic Church in the column of communicants. The “Official Catholic Directory” reports only “population,” which includes with communi- cants the unconfirmed baptized; that is, children who have not been admitted to their first communion. The rule adopted in the census of 1890, and followed in that of 1906, deducts 15 per cent from Catholic population and sets down the remaining 85 per cent as communicants. Representatives of that Church object to the process, but as the rule to report only members or communicants is applied to all other denominations, there is obviously no convenient way of making an exception in this case. It should be said that the figures for “population” in “The Official Catholic Direc- tory” are, for a large number of dioceses and archdioceses, estimates, given in round numbers ; as, for example, Balti- more, 261,000; Boston, 900,000; Cincinnati, 200,000. The figures for Jewish members are misleading. The de- nomination furnishes no statistics, and nothing later than the figures gathered directly by circular from congregations by the Government in its census of 1906 is obtainable. The census gives an even smaller number of members than this table, counting only heads of families, according to the Jewish rule. The number of adults connected with Jewish congregations must be 700,000 or more. The Christian Catholic Church (Dowie) has for years refused to give statistical information. So also have the Catholic Apostolic branches. The Church of Christ, Scientist, has furnished no returns for members since 1907. Changes in the totals for 1914 have been made. In not a few cases the statistics officially given for that year proved to be incorrect and were revised a year later by the same 2 denominational authorities. In other instances, estimates given in advance of regular returns needed to be slightly increased or decreased. THE GAINS AND LOSSES FOR 1915 The total net gain of communicants for 1915 is 653,640, which is not nearly as large as that for 1914, the falling off amounting to more than 128,000. Part of this difference is due to a decrease among the Lutherans of nearly 11,000. The explanation of this considerable decrease where sub- stantial gains have appeared hitherto is not at hand, but it is not unlikely due in part to faulty statistics. A decrease in Lutheran churches of nearly a thousand may be attributed largely to the same cause. There is reason to believe that the Disciples of Christ had a good year in 1915, but un- fortunately they were not able to report any figures for the past year, up to January 22, and those of 1914 are used. The apparent loss of over 11,000 members and 150 churches by the Cumberland Presbyterians is probably to be accounted for by more accurate returns. The fact that the grand total shows an actual loss, instead of the usual net gain, of more than a hundred and fifty churches is worthy of careful study. One large body, the Southern Baptists, reports neither gain nor loss of churches, and yet it had an increase of communicants of over 116,000. Probably the closing or the consolidation of rural churches is an important factor. The increase of ministers, though less than half that of 1914, is by no means discouraging. The advance of the Churches in the quarter century since 1890 should be accepted, it would appear, as distinctly en- couraging. The total gains are as follows: 69,571 ministers, 60,037 churches, and 18,762,411 communicants, the gain in communicants being about 91 per cent. 3 TABLE I CONSTITUENT BODIES OF THE FEDERAL COUNCIL, JANUARY. 1916 Denominations Ministers Churches Com- municants Baptist Churches, North 8,290 9,575 1,252,633 805 1,110 65,440 National Baptist Convention 13,806 16,842 2,018,868 Seventh-Day Baptist 98 76 8,146 Christian (Connection) 1,156 1,335 108,488 Congregational 5,923 6,108 771.362 Disciples of Christ 6,161 8,494 1,363,163 Evangelical Association 1,036 1,626 118,620 United Evangelical 528 975 86,635 Friends 1,315 775 98,356 German Evangelical Synod 1,085 1,378 264,097 Lutheran, General Synod 1,426 1,830 356,072 172 112 12,797 Methodist Episcopal 18,813 28,428 3,657,594 7,203 16,787 2,072,035 5,000 6,000 620,000 3,552 3,180 568,608 3,072 3,196 240,798 1,410 2,400 201,110 145 126 20,146 Presbyterian in U. S. A Presbyterian in U. S., South 9,560 1,850 9,881 3,438 1,495,157 332,339 1,151 1,136 153.651 81 141 14,877 16 17 3,300 Protestant Episcopal, Commission on Christian Unity and 5,538 8,061 1,040,896 750 718 126,847 1,213 1,759 320,459 Reformed Episcopal 83 80 10,800 1,875 3,507 339,215 103,113 139,091 17,742,509 Totals for 1914 102,850 138,834 17,422,280 4 TABLE II DENOMINATIONS Statistics op the Churches in 1915 Gains op the Churches in 1915 IN THE UNITED STATES ONLY IN THE UNITED STATES ONLY Ministers Churches Commu* nicants Ministers Churches Commu- nicants Adventists: c 8 r. 18 c 481 2. Advent ChrLstianfl u 6.87 u 28,990 3. Seventh-Day 552 1,987 73 ; 343 24 74 5,040 4. Church of God 34 22 800 2 2 189 5. Life and Advent Union c 12 c 12 c 509 6. Churches of God in Jesus Christ 61 66 2,224 Total Adventists 1,233 2,742 106,347 26 76 5,229 Saptisis: 1. Baptist Churches (North) 8,290 9,575 1,252,633 el5 e5 el4,310 2. Baptist Churches (South) e 15,519 e 24,338 c 2,705,121 47 116,488 n 8,806 / 16 842 /2 018 868 4. Six Principle 9 13 731 5. Seventh-Day 98 76 8,146 d3 40 a 805 a \ 1 1 0 a 65 440 7. Freewill 914 834 57 231 556 645 33 600 6 9. Separate c 100 r 76 c 5180 10. United c260 c 196 c 13,698 c 99 r. 93 c 6 416 c 1 500 /•2 922 r 102 311 c 1,480 c797 e 35 ! 076 14. Old Two-Seed-in-the-Spirit Predesti- c 35 c 55 c 781 15. Church of God and Saints of Christ. . c 75 c48 c 1,823 Total Baptists 43,546 57,520 6,307,055 65 5 130,838 Brethren {Dunhards): 1. Conservative 3,032 965 97,000 23 d25 *216 70 e. 3 500 d 2 d 2 3. Progressive 300 210 23,044 100 di 2,344 4. Seventh-Day (German) 6 15 300 25 Total Dunkard Brethren 3,554 1,260 123,844 121 d29 2,369 Brethren (Plymouth): 1. Br^hren I c 134 c 2,933 r 128 4 752 c81 c 1,724 c 60 c 1,157 Total Plymouth Brethren 403 10,566 c. Census of 1906. d. Decrease. «. Estimates of increase are by Statistician of Southern Baptist Convention. /. Estimates for 1914. M. ReturnS'for 1911. a. About 75 per cent of these churches are merged with churches of the Northern Baptist Convention. S TABLE II — Continued DENOMINATIONS Statistics or the Churches in 1915 Gains or the Churches in 1915 IN THE TTNITED STATES ONLY IN THE tINITED STATES ONLY Ministers Churches Commu- nicants Ministers Churches Commu- nicants Brethren (River): 178 68 3,731 c24 c9 c423 3. United Zion's Children c22 c28 c749 224 105 4,903 Buddhists: c 62 c 14 c 12 c 3,165 15 74 3,165 Catholic Apostolic: cl4 c 11 c 2,907 e 19 c 13 c2;020 33 24 4,927 Catholic (Eastern Orthodox): 1. Armenian Apostolic 20 53 65,000 18 5,000 2. Russian Orthodox 179 227 95,000 3. Greek Orthodox 80 70 175,000 4. Syrian Orthodox 30 30 45,000 5. Serbian Orthodox 21 31 64,000 d3 6. Roumanian Orthodox 6 5 20,000 7. Bulgarian Orthodox 3 3 3,500 ... Total Eastern Catholics 338 419 467,600 dZ 18 5,000 Catholic (Western): 1. Roman Catholic e 19,397 e 16,237 el4,049,063 e403 «276 C186150 2. Polish Catholic 37 45 20,145 2 4 1,645 3. American Old Catholic 28 20 10,000 Total Western Catholics 19,462 16,302 14,079,208 405 280 187,795 Christadelphians 70 1,600 1,066 1,360 113,887 Chrutian Catholic (Dowie) 'c35 c 17 c 5,865 Christian Union 360 320 16,300 6 18 1,083 Church of Christ Scientist . . 2,828 1,414 m 85,096 156 78 Churches of God (Winebrennarian) '440 '493 6 28; 650 20 4 3,224 Churches of the Living God (Colored): 1. Christian Workers for Friendship c51 c44 c 2,676 2. Apostolic c30 c 15 c752 3. Church of Christ in God c20 c9 c858 Total Churches of the Living God. . . 101 68 4,286 c. Census of 1906. d. Decrease, e. Estimates of mcrease are by editor of CathoEc Directory. m. This is number returned for 1907. No figures furnished since. 6. Statistics now based on exact returns, not estimates. 6 TABLE II— Continued DENOMINATIONS Statistics op the Churches in 1915 Gains op the Churches in 1915 IN THE UNITED STATES ONLY IN THE UNITED STATES ONLY Mmisters Churches Commu- nicants 1 Ministers Churches Commu- nicants Churches of the New Jerusalem: 109 129 8,500 5 2 2. General Church 38 22 1,213 dl 2 42 Total New Jerusalem Churches . . . 147 151 9,713 4 4 42 Church Transcendent 2 3 144 2 3 144 Communistic Societies: cl5 c516 c 7 c 1,756 Total Communistic Societies 22 2,272 Congregationalists e5.923 e 6,108 e 771,362 el5 e8,180 Disciples of Christ: ff6,161 ff8,494 ffl,363,163 c2;i00 c2;649 " c 159,658 8,261 11,143 1,522,821 Evangelical Bodies: 1. Evangelical Association 1,036 1,626 118,620 5 d37 3,377 2. Unit^ Evangelical Church 528 975 86,635 dlO 40 7,343 Total Evangelical Bodies 1,564 2,601 205,255 dS 3 10,720 Faith Associations: c538 c30 c 11 c 703 3. Metropolitan Church Association c29 c 6 c 466 r36 c 10 c 293 5. Missionary Church Association c35 c32 c 1,256 c 27 c 938 e 19 c42 c 4,558 c26 c9 c395 9. Voluntary Missionary Soc’y (Colored) cll c3 c425 241 146 9,572 c20 c 15 c 1,835 Friends: / 1,315 f77b / 98,356 2. “Hicksite” 99 ' 167 ' 18; 305 d44 d 1,292 3. "Wilburite” c47 c48 c3,88C c 1C c8 c 171 Total Friends 1,471 998 120,712 d44 d 1,292 c. Census of 1906. d. Decrease. e. Estimates: returns for 1915 not yet ready. /. Returns for 1914. g. Returns for 1914. Those for 1915 not ready Jan. 22, 1915. TABLtl ii — Continued DENOMINATIONS Statistics of the Churches in 1915 Gains op the Churches in 1915 IN THE UNITED STATES ONLY IN THE UNITED STATES ONLY E 1 .a S Churches h o w o a Ministers 1 Churches Commu- nicants c3 c3 c 376 c 59 c 66 c 34,704 ‘German Evangelical Synod 1,085 1,378 264; 097 27 i3 .... I c 1,084 c 1,769 143,000 Latter-Day Saints: 1. Utah Branch 2,435 905 330,000 285 30 20,000 2. Reorganized Branch 1,700 775 67,000 50 25 2,000 Total Lattef-Day Saints 4,l35 1,680 397,000 335 55 22,000 Lutherans: 1. General Synbd 1,426 1,830 356,072 31 dl7 15,631 2. United Synod, South 271 490 53,705 dS 2 1,51? 3. General Council 1,640 2,419 470,771 24 10 d 13,494 4. Synodical Conference 3,132 3,796 821,386 86 dl016 d29,389 5. United Norwegian 674 1,630 171,657 69 21 3,294 (Independent Synads): 6. Ohio 675 1,085 142,355 22 8 5,432 7. Buffalo 35 44 5,530 2 d4 172 354 39,748 11 9. Eielsen’s i 4 26 2,500 d 1 d 1 1,400 10. Iowa 585 1,035 122,428 17 25 5,516 ll. Norwegian 432 1,050 98,188 d3 2,183 12. Danish in America 71 115 13,346 3 7 d 3,141 13. Icelandic 15 50 3,939 1 7 134 23 26 19,000 d 6 15. Suomai (Finnish) 34 138 13 ; 919 4 2 d 1,081 70 309 22,000 22 72 8^000 176 380 26,050 d 14 19. Danish United 131 202 14,090 dl 10 713 20. Church of the Lutheran Brethren 13 18 2,000 Independent Congregations 87 200 27,500 di d5 500 Total Lutherans 9,688 15,269 2,434,184 238 d951 d 10,786 Scandinavian Evangelical Bodies': f 1. Swedish Evangelical Miss. Covenant. 402 560 50,000 2. Swedish Evangelical Free Mission . . . 152 154 18,500 3. Norwegian Evangelical Free 75 153 4,400 Total Swedish Evangelical 629 857 72,000 c. Census of l90&. d. Decrease. e. Estimates; returns fot i915 not yet ready. /. No returns since 1913. 8 TABLE II — ^Continued Statistics op tee Gains op the Churches in 1915 Churches in 1915 IN THE united in the UNITED DENOMINATIONS Mennonites: 1. Mennonite 2. Bruederhoef 3. Amish 4. Amish (Old Order) 5. Amish (Conservative) 6. Reformed 7. General Conference 8. Church of God in Christ 9. Old Order (Wisler) 10. Bundes Conference 11. Defenceless 12. Mennonite Brethren in Christ Miscellaneous Total Mennonites Methodists: 1. Methodist Episcopal 2. Union American Methodist Episcopal. 3. African Methodist Episcopal 4. African Union Methodist Protestant.. 5. African Methodist Episcopal Zion . . . 6. Methodist Protestant 7. Wesleyan Methodist 8. Methodist Episcopal, South 9. Congregational Methodist. 10. New Congregational Methodist 11. Zion Union Apostolic 12. Colored Methodist Episcopal 13. Primitive 14. Free Methodist 15. Reformed Methodist Union Episcopal 16. Independent Methodist Total Methodists Moravian Bodies: 1. Moravians 2. Union Bohemians and Moravians. . . . Total Moravians Nonsectarian Bible faith Churches Pentecostal Bodies: 1. Pentecostal Church of the Nazarene. . 2. Other Pentecostal Associations Total Pentecostal Bodies STATES ONLY STATES ONLY -S 1 ■§ 2 O i OT ■g "d 1 ca o o g i O &B 560 257 14,148 32 20 1,033 128 64 9,888 (/48 d27 d 1,226 161 55 6,340 87 30 4,405 61 22 1,200 27 8 307 32 14 1,029 172 112 12,797 11 9 300 21 20 1,688 i 8 417 46 27 2,425 12 15 824 di 5 91 149 97 5,013 91 48 4,646 1,476 760 61,331 63 34 3,994 18,813 28,428 3,657,594 d68 183 54,329 170 225 20,000 13 1,000 5,000 6,000 620,000 200 125 4,000 3,552 3,180 568,608 1,410 2,400 201,110 39 52 20,728 840 675 20,500 1,000 7,203 16,787 2,072,035 ioi 96 66,328 337 333 15,529 c59 c35 c 1,782 c33 c 45 c 3,059 3,072 3,196 240,798 74 94 8,400 4 2 190 1,293 1,171 35,032 94 dS 1,204 *30 •32 * 2,500 d 10 d2i d700 2 2 1,161 .42,088 62,728 7,472,108 163 314 144,079 145 126 20,146 2 4 531 4 21 1,000 149 147 21,146 2 4 531 c50 c204 c 6,396 775 842 32,139 88 134 4,613 c 115 36 1,270 890 878 33,409 88 134 4,613 c. Census of 1906. d. Decrease. e. Estimates; returns for 1915 not yet ready. * Decrease due to division in 1914. 9 TABLE II — Continued DENOMINATIONS Statisticb or the Chubches in 1915 Gains or the Chubches in 1915 IN THE UNITED STATES ONLY IN THE UNITED STATES ONLY Ministers Churches Commu- nicants Ministers Churches Commu- nicants Preibyterians: 1. Northern 9.560 9,881 1,495,157 147 dl38 52,659 2. Cumberland 728 1,439 62,294 d80 dl50 d 11,264 c375 c 196 c 18,066 4. Welsh Calvinistic 81 141 14; 877 d 16 d 15 503 5. United 1,151 1,136 153,651 d 16 d 10 5,431 6. Southern 1,850 3,438 332,339 31 8 21,737 7. Associate 9 14 500 dl d5 d2 113 14,821 9. Reformed (Synod) 128 111 8; 634 4 92 16 17 3,300 1 40 12. Reformed in the United States and Canada 1 1 360 d8 Total Presbyterians 14,012 16,530 2,104,039 69 d290 69,148 Protestant Episcopal: 1. Protestant Episcopal 5,538 8,061 1,040,896 d& 139 25,648 2. Reformed Episcopal 83 80 10,800 Total Protestant Episcopal 5,621 8,141 1,051,696 d& 139 25,648 Reformed: 1. Reformed (Dutch) 750 718 126,847 d25 11 3,704 2. Reformed (German) 1,213 1,759 320,459 di dll 7,799 3. Christian Reformed 161 231 36,296 7 8 1,648 4. Hungarian Reformed 31 74 19,000 4 10,500 Total Reformed 2,155 2,782 502,602 d22 12 23,651 7 6 3,250 Salvation Army 2,961 941 27,664 53 37 207 Schwenkfelders 6 6 1,043 1 4 c 15 c 17 c 1,262 7 6 2,450 2,100 200,000 154 4,714 512 469 70,542 d 12 United Brethren: 1. United Brethren 1,875 3,507 339,215 d78 d76 17,171 2. United Brethren (Old Constitution) . . 310 515 21,172 Total United Brethren 2,185 4,022 360,387 d78 d76 17,171 656 763 55,000 Independent Congregations 267 879 48,673 Grand Total in 1915 180,604 225,333 39,380,670 1,716 dl60 6,53,592 Grand Total in 1914 178,888 225,492 38,727,078 3,810 1,321 782,007 c. Census of 1906. d. Decrease. c. Estimates: returns for 1915 not yet ready. 10 TABLE II — Continued DENOMINATIONS Summary for 1915 Net Gains for 1915 1 Ministers Churches Commu- nicants Ministers Churches Commu- nicants Adventists (6 bodies) 1,233 2,742 106,347 26 76 5,229 -Baptists (15 bodies) 43,546 57,520 6,307,055 65 5 130,838 Brethren (Dunkards) (4 bodies) 3,554 1,260 123,844 121 <129 2,369 403 10,566 224 105 4^903 15 74 3,165 33 24 4! 927 ■Catholic (Eastern Orthodox) (7 bodies) .... 338 419 467,500 d3 18 5,000 Catholic (Western) (3 bodies) 19,462 15,302 14,079,208 405 280 187,795 70 1,500 88 1,066 1,360 113,887 35 17 5,865 Christian Union 360 320 16,300 6 18 1,083 2,828 1,414 85,096 156 78 Churches of God (Winebrennarian) 440 493 28; 650 20 4 3,224 Churches of the Living God (Colored) 101 68 4,286 Churches of the New Jerusalem (2 bodies). . 147 151 9,713 4 4 42 Church Transcendent 2 3 144 2 3 144 22 2,272 Congregationalists 5,923 6,108 771,362 15 8,180 8,261 11,143 1,522,821 Evangelical (2 bodies) 1,504 2,601 ' 205 ; 255 d 5 3 10,720 241 146 9,572 20 15 1,835 Friends (4 bodies) 1,471 998 120,712