According to the National Council of churches 2005 Yearbook of American and Canadian Churches, the Episcopal Church has 2,320,221 members and a growth rate of .57 percent. While this growth is small, other "mainline" churches continue to decline:
"Churches that declined in membership in 2004 are the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, 4,984,925 members, down 1.05 percent; the Presbyterian Church (USA), 3,241,309 members, down 4.87 percent; The Lutheran Church (Missouri Synod), 2,488,936 members, down .95 percent); American Baptist Churches in the USA, 1,433,075 members, down 3.45 percent; and the United Church of Christ, 1,296,652 members, down 2.58 percent."
The Roman Catholic Church remains the largest Christian church by far. "The Catholic Church remains the largest faith group in the U.S. with 67,259,768 members and a growth rate last year of 1.28 percent. The second largest denomination in the U.S. is still the Southern Baptist Convention with 16,439,603 members and a growth rate of 1.18 percent. The United Methodist Church is third largest with a reported membership of 8,251,175 and a growth rate of .002 percent.
The Church of Jesus of Latter-day Saints, with a reported membership of 5,503,192, rose from the fifth to the fourth largest church in the U.S. The yearbook noted that the church “continues to grow remarkably” at a rate of 1.71 percent last year.
A reported surge in membership of the Orthodox Church in America (OCA) has placed the communion on the list of the largest American churches. The Syosset, N.Y., based church grew 11.11 percent to 1-million members, according to the yearbook.
Other churches in the top 25 that continued to grow in 2004 are the Assemblies of God, 2,729,562 members and a growth rate of 1.57 percent; the Episcopal Church, 2,320,221 members and a growth rate of .57 percent; the African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church, 1,432,795 members and a growth rate of .14 percent; and Jehovah’s Witnesses, 1,041,030 members and a growth rate of 1.82 percent."
Here is the list of the 25 largest churches in the USA:
U.S. Membership Denominational Ranking: Largest 25 Denominations/Communions
2005 Yearbook of American & Canadian Churches.
1. The Catholic Church – 67,259,768
2. Southern Baptist Convention – 16,439,603
3. The United Methodist Church – 8,251,175
4. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints – 5,503,192
5. The Church of God in Christ – 5,449, 875
6. National Baptist Convention, U.S.A., Inc. – 5,000,000
7. Evangelical Lutheran Church in America – 4,984,925
8. National Baptist Convention of America, Inc. – 3,500,000
9. Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) – 3,241,309
10. Assemblies of God – 2,729,562
11. African Methodist Episcopal Church – 2,500,000
12. National Missionary Baptist Convention of America – 2,500,000
13. Progressive National Baptist Convention – 2,500,000
14. The Lutheran Church – Missouri Synod (LCMS) – 2,488,936
15. Episcopal Church – 2,320,221
16. Churches of Christ – 1,500,000
17. Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America – 1,500,000
18. Pentecostal Assemblies of the World, Inc. – 1,500,000
19. American Baptist Churches in the U.S.A. – 1,433,075
20. The African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church – 1,432,795
21. United Church of Christ – 1,296,652
22. Baptist Bible Fellowship International – 1,200,000
23. Christian Churches and Churches of Christ – 1,071,616
24. Jehovah’s Witnesses – 1,041,030
25. The Orthodox Church in America – 1,000,000
Source (and for more info): http://www.ncccusa.org/news/050330yearbook.html
Posted by mbarlowe at May 13, 2005 02:53 PM