PC(USA) church membership still in decline
Stated Clerk sees hope in new worshiping communities
LOUISVILLE — The Office of the General Assembly released its annual statistics report this week and the downward trend in membership continues. For 2022, the PC(USA) reports a loss of 53,105 members, nearly 2,000 more than reported the year before. Current membership still stands at just over 1.1 million. There was also a loss of 108 churches last year, bringing the total to 8,705.
“We are not surprised by the numbers we are seeing. While the pandemic may be over, the impact on church membership is still being felt,” said the Rev. Dr. J. Herbert Nelson, II, Stated Clerk of the General Assembly of the PC(USA). “In the midst of the lower numbers, we continue to find encouragement in that new worshiping communities are still on the increase. We have added more than 20 in the past year, bringing our total to 267.”
| 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total Churches | 9,451 | 9,304 | 9,161 | 9,041 | 8,925 | 8,813 | 8,704 |
| Active Members | 1,482,767 | 1,415,053 | 1,352,678 | 1,302,043 | 1,245,354 | 1,193,770 | 1,140,665 |
| 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Youth Professions of Faith | 11,243 | 10,716 | 9,578 | 9,023 | 5,319 | 5,708 | 7,041 |
| Professions of Faith & Reaffirmations | 20,623 | 19,599 | 22,005 | 21,408 | 9,210 | 10,921 | 15,113 |
| 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| New Worshiping Communities | 114 | 144 | 158 | 176 | 206 | 241 | 267 |
| New Church Development/Fellowships | 128 | 122 | 116 | 110 | 112 | 107 | 104 |
“The challenge for the PC(USA) remains the same: Look for new ways to engage and welcome young people into the fold. These are dramatic and fast-changing times,” said Nelson. “Our world is changing, and the church needs to meet the growing needs of people who are finding themselves at a crossroads. We need to remind them that Jesus Christ is still in our midst and that means finding new, innovative ways to be church.”
Approximately 80% of churches submitted data representing 90% of PC(USA) membership. The median presbytery has a membership of 5,231 people while the average presbytery consists of 109 ministers, 52 churches and five candidates.
You may freely reuse and distribute this article in its entirety for non-commercial purposes in any medium. Please include author attribution, photography credits, and a link to the original article. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDeratives 4.0 International License.
