Church Growth Statistics

Church Growth Statistics in General
  • During the last ten years combined communicant membership of all Protestant denominations declined by 9.5% (4,498,242), while the national population increased by 11.4% (24,153,000).
  • No county in America has a greater percentage of churched persons today than a decade ago (63% unchurched).
  • In 1900 there were 27 churches for every 10,000 Americans. 1n 1950 there were 17 churches for every 10,000 Americans. Today there are fewer than 11 churches for every 10,000 Americans.
  • Churches lose 2,765,00 people to nominalism and secularism each year, and between 3,500 and 4,000 churches close their doors each year for the last time while only 1,100 - 1,500 churches are started.
  • Percentage of people attending church in the United States:
    1991- 49%, 1992 - 47%, 1993 - 45%, 1994 - 45%, 1995 - 45%, 1996 - 37%.
Resource: The North American Society of Church Growth (1996)
ARP Church "Health" Indicators

(from 2001 Annual Reports - 222 ARP Churches Reporting)
 
# of churches
% of Churches
Churches receiving no new members 36 16.2%
Reporting no professions of faith 88 39.6%
Reporting no children
(non-communicant members)
29 13.1%
Unhealthy ratio of children to adults
(fewer than 10% children)
65 29.2%
Less than average children/adult ratio
(fewer than 20% children)
142 63.9%
Web Development, Hosting, and Maintenance by
SpinningSilk Multimedia