Any figures on conversions?

  • Thread starter Thread starter Russ_of_Tokyo
  • Start date Start date
Status
Not open for further replies.
R

Russ_of_Tokyo

Guest
I have heard that there has been a high number of conversions of Protestants to the Catholic Church in recent years, enough to make it historically significant, but I have also read the claims that the number of Catholics becoming Protestant is higher. Are there any hard figures out there to give us the big picture and show how many are actually converting one way or the other? Also, are there any figures related to conversions to or from the Orthodox Church?
 
I haven’t seen conversion figures, but I have seen growth figures for Canada according to the last census,

Catholicism has grown marginally while Protestantism has shrunk, though the number of Christians not identifying with denomination has grown significantly, but not enough to outweigh the Protestant losses. The Orthodox Church has grown significantly, but it should be kept in mind that Canada gets quite a few immigrants from Orthodox countries, and the numbers are low enough that percentages get inflated fast.

This is of course from 2001 v. 1991, but it shows a general trend.

Link: www12.statcan.ca/english/census01/Products/Analytic/companion/rel/tables/canada/cdamajor.cfm
 
We need a McDonald’s style ticket: one million sold!
Nine_Two said:
I haven’t seen conversion figures, but I have seen growth figures for Canada according to the last census,

Catholicism has grown marginally while Protestantism has shrunk, though the number of Christians not identifying with denomination has grown significantly, but not enough to outweigh the Protestant losses. The Orthodox Church has grown significantly, but it should be kept in mind that Canada gets quite a few immigrants from Orthodox countries, and the numbers are low enough that percentages get inflated fast.

This is of course from 2001 v. 1991, but it shows a general trend.

Link: www12.statcan.ca/english/census01/Products/Analytic/companion/rel/tables/canada/cdamajor.cfm
Click to expand...
 
Nine_Two said:
I haven’t seen conversion figures, but I have seen growth figures for Canada according to the last census,

Catholicism has grown marginally while Protestantism has shrunk, though the number of Christians not identifying with denomination has grown significantly, but not enough to outweigh the Protestant losses. The Orthodox Church has grown significantly, but it should be kept in mind that Canada gets quite a few immigrants from Orthodox countries, and the numbers are low enough that percentages get inflated fast.

This is of course from 2001 v. 1991, but it shows a general trend.

Link: www12.statcan.ca/english/census01/Products/Analytic/companion/rel/tables/canada/cdamajor.cfm
Click to expand...
I remember reading somewhere that growth in Catholic numbers in the US was pretty much due to immigration as well.
 
**Most of our RCIA class were protestants converting…

stormy**
 
stormy99 said:
**Most of our RCIA class were protestants converting…

stormy**
Click to expand...
I keep hearing things like this, which makes me wonder if there’s some kind of major work of the Holy Spirit going on now, a sort of “gathering of sheep” back to the fold. Thanks for the valuable statistics Nine_Two. Those figures in the bottom of the chart are kind scary, though!
 
It’s funny how when I went to RCIA years back and then when I sponsored by buddy at RCIA in 2006, every time it seemed like every 9 out of 10 men at RCIA were converting because they married a Catholic girl or the woman was converting because her husband was Catholic. I wonder how many converts are just converts due to marriage? I don’t think it’s all EWTN and catholic answers bringing them in. Marriage has a lot to do with things sometimes…
Russ_of_Tokyo said:
I keep hearing things like this, which makes me wonder if there’s some kind of major work of the Holy Spirit going on now, a sort of “gathering of sheep” back to the fold. Thanks for the valuable statistics Nine_Two. Those figures in the bottom of the chart are kind scary, though!
Click to expand...
 
Yu can find some stats of Catholic demographics here, but I didn’t see anything about conversion without further digging.
 
Wouldn’t you expect most of the people in an RCIA class to be converts of some kind? I don’t think that would tend to give a very good overview of real numbers. It be like moving to a new town, joining a newcomers group, and saying that a lot of people in the town seemed to have come from elsewhere!
 
Nine_Two said:
I haven’t seen conversion figures, but I have seen growth figures for Canada according to the last census,

Catholicism has grown marginally while Protestantism has shrunk, though the number of Christians not identifying with denomination has grown significantly, but not enough to outweigh the Protestant losses. The Orthodox Church has grown significantly, but it should be kept in mind that Canada gets quite a few immigrants from Orthodox countries, and the numbers are low enough that percentages get inflated fast.

This is of course from 2001 v. 1991, but it shows a general trend.

Link: www12.statcan.ca/english/census01/Products/Analytic/companion/rel/tables/canada/cdamajor.cfm
Click to expand...
You can really see where the immigrants have been coming from, can’t you? We have one of the largest Buddhist populations outside of Asia here.
 
I don’t have any hard numbers, just observation. I went to school with some guys who became Catholic because their ladies are Catholic. Both RCIA’s I went to were largely converts due to marriage or they had fallen away in their teens or something. There were VERY few Protestants becoming Catholics because they felt a calling from the Holy Spirit outside of a marriage or cradle experience. My friend, whom I sponsored, and his wife were the only ones that fit that description. I know another guy and his wife who had a similar experience here in town but then again SHE was Catholic already.
Bluegoat said:
Wouldn’t you expect most of the people in an RCIA class to be converts of some kind? I don’t think that would tend to give a very good overview of real numbers. It be like moving to a new town, joining a newcomers group, and saying that a lot of people in the town seemed to have come from elsewhere!
Click to expand...
 
There was the Pew Research Center report published in 2009 on this subject.

pewforum.org/Faith-in-Flux.aspx

They say about 3% of Protestant raised children become Catholic about 4% leave Christianity for another faith. 28% are like me and moved within the Protestant churches to a different type, Mainline to Evangelic or Adventist for examples.

About 15% of Catholic raised children become Protestant with 3% leaving Christianity for another faith.
 
Well, that’s a pretty comprehensive answer, and a bit of an eye opener. I noticed while lightly scanning the survey that there is a clear category of Raised Catholic, now Protestant while I could not find any Raised Protestant, now Catholic data. I wonder what that means? Insignificant data? Inconceivable concept? 🙂
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top