Catholic, Mormon, and Pentecostal Churches Fastest Growing

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NEW YORK (AP) - The Assemblies of God, the Mormon church and the Roman Catholic Church were the fastest-growing major denominations in the United States last year, according to the just-released 2006 Yearbook of American and Canadian Churches.

The Assemblies of God, a Pentecostal church, grew 1.81 percent to just under 2.8 million members. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints increased 1.74 percent to nearly 6 million people. And the Catholic Church, by the far the largest denomination in the United States, grew .83 percent to 67.8 million parishioners. Only three mainline Protestant churches remain among the 10 biggest denominations in the country. The United Methodist Church, the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America and the Presbyterian Church, U.S.A., stayed in the top 10 despite experiencing declines in membership last year.

beliefnet.com/story/189/story_18905_1.html

2006 Yearbook of American and Canadian Churches.
  1. The Catholic Church, 67,820,833 members, reporting an increase of .83 percent.
  2. The Southern Baptist Convention, 16,267,494 members, reporting a decrease of 1.05 percent. (See clarification, below.)
  3. The United Methodist Church, 8,186,254 members, reporting a decrease of .79 percent.
  4. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 5,999,177 members, reporting an increase of 1.74 percent.
  5. The Church of God in Christ, 5,499,875 members, no increase or decrease reported.
  6. National Baptist Convention, USA, Inc., 5,000,000 members, no increase or decrease reported.
  7. Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, 4,930,429, reporting a decrease of 1.09 percent.
  8. National Baptist Convention of America, 3,500,000, no increase or decrease reported.
  9. Presbyterian Church (USA), 3,189,573 members, reporting a decrease of 1.60 percent.
  10. Assemblies of God, 2,779,095 members, reporting an increase of 1.81 percent.
  11. African Methodist Episcopal Church, 2,500,000 members, no increase or decrease reported.
  12. National Missionary Baptist Convention of America, 2,500,000 members, no increase or decrease reported.
  13. Progressive National Baptist Convention, Inc., 2,500,000 members, no increase or decrease reported.
  14. The Lutheran Church – Missouri Synod (LCMS), 2,463,747, reporting a decrease or 1.01 percent.
  15. Episcopal Church, 2,284,233, reporting a decrease of 1.55 percent.
  16. Churches of Christ, 1,500,000 members, no increase or decrease reported.
  17. Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America, 1,500,000 members, no increase or decrease reported.
  18. Pentecostal Assemblies of the World, Inc., 1,500,000 members, no increase or decrease reported.
  19. The African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church, 1,432,795 members, no increase or decrease reported.
  20. American Baptist Churches in the USA, 1,424,840, reporting a decrease of .57 percent.
  21. United Church of Christ, 1,265,786, reporting a decrease of 2.38 percent.
  22. Baptist Bible Fellowship International, 1,200,000, no increase or decrease reported.
  23. Christian Churches and Churches of Christ, 1,071,615 members, no increase or decrease reported.
  24. The Orthodox Church in America, 1,064,000 members, reporting an increase of 6.40 percent.
  25. Jehovah’s Witnesses, 1,029,902 members, reporting a decrease of 1.07 members.
The total members reported in the largest 25 communions is 148,009,649.

ncccusa.org/news/060330yearbook1.html
 
I have often wondered, when seeing those statistics, how they are gathered, and what qualifies as a memeber of a church.

To wit; are we counting all Catholics who have been baptized and not announced to the church of their baptismal record that they has officially joined another church? And counting all who were baptized Catholic (or made a profession of faith) and would most likely qualify as ice cold, as lukewarm might imply they are at least CE or BFW&D?
 
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otm:
I have often wondered, when seeing those statistics, how they are gathered, and what qualifies as a memeber of a church.

To wit; are we counting all Catholics who have been baptized and not announced to the church of their baptismal record that they has officially joined another church? And counting all who were baptized Catholic (or made a profession of faith) and would most likely qualify as ice cold, as lukewarm might imply they are at least CE or BFW&D?
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Catholic parishes have to report paritioners. Each parish needs to identify members attending. They do it in a number of ways. I would think our number are pretty good.

Mormons as well have to report members to a central authority. I also think their numbers are probably pretty good.

I think the survey is conducted by calling the different heads of congregations. A lot of it is done on “faith”. I assume there is a lot of inflation of numbers all around.

By the way, there are an estimated 1.5 million Buddhists and 1.5 million Muslims in the US according to adherents.com
 
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gilliam:
Catholic parishes have to report paritioners. Each parish needs to identify members attending. They do it in a number of ways. I would think our number are pretty good.

Mormons as well have to report members to a central authority. I also think their numbers are probably pretty good.

I think the survey is conducted by calling the different heads of congregations. A lot of it is done on “faith”. I assume there is a lot of inflation of numbers all around.

By the way, there are an estimated 1.5 million Buddhists and 1.5 million Muslims in the US according to adherents.com
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Of course it should be noted Buddhists and Muslims are as fractured as protestants in authority and doctrine. Where as Mormons are Mormons and Catholics are Catholics who schismatic sects really don’t count as the per the official church,
 
We have just had our 4 yearly Census. I know from speaking to people in the past that even non-practicing Catholics still put themselves down as Catholic on the Census form.
 
If it wasn’t for weakly catechised Catholics… the Pentacostals, et al would not grow at all!😃
 
Eileen T:
We have just had our 4 yearly Census. I know from speaking to people in the past that even non-practicing Catholics still put themselves down as Catholic on the Census form.
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Yeah but that is true with other sects as well I talk to people about thier religion all the time they maybe show up once a year but still call themselves Presbyterians, Anglicans, or Bible Christian but don’t see the need to attend church regularly. I think this tends to even out across the board and makes all the reprots infalted across the board. You really can’t stop somebody from labelling themselves what they want to be called.
 
You know what, with the amount of missionary activity the mormons do, and the rate at which they give birth, I’m shocked by how little they increased.
 
I find it interesting that the The Orthodox Church in America, 1,064,000 members, reporting an increase of 6.40 percent as compared to the The Catholic Church, 67,820,833 members, reporting an increase of .83 percent.

If the rates stay the same, it will only take 9 years for the Orthodox Church in America to surpass the Catholic Church.
Code: 
          **OC in Am(6.40%)**        ** The CC(0.83%)**
**TODAY**        1,064,000             67,820,833
**Year 1**       1,744,960             68,383,746
**Year 2**       2,861,734	           68,951,331
**Year 3 **      4,693,244	           69,523,627
**Year 4 **      7,696,921	           70,100,673
**Year 5  **    12,622,950             70,682,509
**Year 6**      20,701,638	           71,269,174
**Year 7**      33,950,687	           71,860,708
**Year 8**      55,679,126	           72,457,152
**Year 9 **     91,313,767	           73,058,546
But that’s only if the current rates of growth hold.
 
Sorry to burst your bubble, but assuming current rates, it would take 77.27 years for there to be as many Orthodox as Catholics. (I think you used 64% growth for the Orthodox Church.)
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gelsbern:
I find it interesting that the The Orthodox Church in America, 1,064,000 members, reporting an increase of 6.40 percent as compared to the The Catholic Church, 67,820,833 members, reporting an increase of .83 percent.

If the rates stay the same, it will only take 9 years for the Orthodox Church in America to surpass the Catholic Church.
Code: 
          **OC in Am(6.40%)**        ** The CC(0.83%)**
**TODAY**        1,064,000             67,820,833
**Year 1**       1,744,960             68,383,746
**Year 2**       2,861,734	           68,951,331
**Year 3 **      4,693,244	           69,523,627
**Year 4 **      7,696,921	           70,100,673
**Year 5  **    12,622,950             70,682,509
**Year 6**      20,701,638	           71,269,174
**Year 7**      33,950,687	           71,860,708
**Year 8**      55,679,126	           72,457,152
**Year 9 **     91,313,767	           73,058,546
But that’s only if the current rates of growth hold.
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urbana:
Sorry to burst your bubble, but assuming current rates, it would take 77.27 years for there to be as many Orthodox as Catholics. (I think you used 64% growth for the Orthodox Church.)
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Doh! You are correct, I did use .64 instead of .064. Thank you on that. 🙂 It’s Monday, what can I say. That’s a perfect example of why they say to never buy a car manufactured on a Monday or a Friday 😉
 
The growth of the orthodox church is positve and hopeful. And the catholic church growth of course too.
 
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gilliam:
NEW YORK (AP) And the Catholic Church, by the far the largest denomination in the United States, grew .83 percent to 67.8 million parishioners.
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Thanks for the info, apart from I have a problem with the CC =denomination , the Catholic Church is not a denomination.
IMO, others won’t agree obviously, but there you go, that’s just me nit-picking.:whistle:
 
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proud2bcatholic:
You know what, with the amount of missionary activity the mormons do, and the rate at which they give birth, I’m shocked by how little they increased.
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Well its encouragin news to me Mormonism is the ultimate man made american religion that founder was truly a cult leader. Of course with the total reversal of its earlier teachings such as pologamy and racial superiority and racial elimination in the clergy they have gone somewhat mainstream to the uniformed.
I heard they are doing quite the conversion on catholics in the northeast who have soured on catholcism and its high profile scandals there and are searching for an ultimate infalliable truth that is not there in the form of protestantism. Mormonism is able to provide that niche for the fallen away or discouraged catholic.
But elsewhere they kind of maxed out in their own traditional regions and the more liberal costal areas are not receptive to their advances nor the bible only thumping bible belt so that leaves the northeast as their really own are of growth unfortunalty this growth comes at the expences of catholics who have fallen away.
 
gilliam,

that’s a cool map. it is nice to see that us catholics hold all of the nice areas. for instance, we have most of the northeast and almost all of the west coast. most of the southern and south central states are dominated by baptists.

very interesting that objectively speaking, catholics by in large live in nicer areas then baptists, but there are exceptions.
 
oat soda:
gilliam,

that’s a cool map. it is nice to see that us catholics hold all of the nice areas. for instance, we have most of the northeast and almost all of the west coast. most of the southern and south central states are dominated by baptists.

very interesting that objectively speaking, catholics by in large live in nicer areas then baptists, but there are exceptions.
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Well that would hold true for Florida, the baptist got the hick areas in north and the swamp land in the everglades and the catholics have all the beachs!
The south tend to have the real rabid fundamentalist baptist so it must be interesting living in a place like Texas, Louisiana or Florida wher rabid fundamentlist and many roman catholics tend to abound.
 
gilliam, that is a cool map. That’s very similar to one I had to study in my Cultural Geography textbook for a test.
 
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