Reporter and farmer. [volume] (Webster, Day County, Dakota [S.D.]) 188?-1946, 1892-08-25
FIGURES FROM CHURCHES
A Leaf from Supt. Porter's Note
Book Concerning Church
Statistics.
The Numerous Denominations,
Their Membership, and
Church Values.

SuuTCh diuts.
Supt. Robert p. Porter, in an
address prepared for delivery at
Asbury Park, makes public the pre-
liminary figures of the church Stats
tics Of the eleventh census, which are
both curious and interesting. There
are shown to be in the United States
nearly one hundred and fifty separate
and distinct church organizations,
holding to widely different creeds.
They vary greatly in practice and
represent all possible variations OF
church polity. There are a dozen
different branches of the Presbyterian
family. There are some denomina-
tions that will answer only to the
simplest, most indefinite title-for
example, the Brethren. There are
various churches that claim to be
simply brethren. Four OF these are
branches OF what arc popularity called
plymouth" There r two reformed
churches, known as the Reformed
Church in America and the Reformed
Church In the United States. Some
of the denominations were never
numbered before, and it required the
utmost powers Of persuasion to
induce them to submit TO the process.
Sects have been found and enum-
Grated who claim less than 100 COM
municants. Here r seven sects
which altogether number only about
1000 members, and yet own church
ediices worth $4,000. Shakers,
Amanatelites, Mennonite, Harmony,
Separatists, New Icarian and al
TRUSTS. All societies observing the
communal life, whether founded on a
religious or secular basis, are
embraced in the returns. Two of
these societies r not religious.
Icarian and Altrnists are organized
to apply a social principle. After the
seven great denominations, COngre-
gational, Lutheran, Methodist, Pres
byterian, Roman Catholic, Baptist
and Episcopal, have been accounted
for the other 1874 religious assOcia-
tions represent
LESS THAN FIFTEEN L CENT.
of the church edifices, and less than
II per cent of the aggregate value of
church property. Some of the sub
divisions of the Baptist church are
peculiar. The uninitiated person
finds it difficult to define the
difference between the Seventh day
and the six principal Baptists,
between the Mudhead Baptists and
the river brethren; between the Prim-
tive and the Free Will; between the
orginial Free VIII and the old two
seeds in spirit: between the General
and Free VIII. Besides these there
are also the Regular South, the Reg
ular North and the Regular ColOred
Baptlsts. The Society Of Friends are
divided into the Orthodox and Hick-
site; the Wildburite and Primitive
branches. There are seventeen or eigh-
teen different branches of the
Lutheran churches in this country.
The following table shows the
number of churches in the United
States today as compared with forty
years ago:
Congregational, 1,7O6; 4,O76. Luth,
eran, 1,121; $3.50. MethOdists, 3D.,
1888; 44,244. Presbyterian, 1896; H.
463. Roman Catholic, 1,227; S,766.
Baptists, 1870; 32,4l2. Episcopal,
l,46l; 5,6O5. All others, 2,O71: 5,2O7.
Total, 33,1S3; 1925.
The value of church property for
the same period is as follows:
Congregational, 81, $40, 1876; s43, 1885,.
437. Lutherans 50, S54, 2S6; S34, 2lS, 234.
Methodists, ga, 500, 14S; $780, 10, 07O.
Presbyterians, s14,557, 0S0; 1914, $40, 233.
Roman Catholic, 1926, 1853; s11S, $751;.
sic. Baptists, s11, OOl, 127; SOS, OBS, 256.
Episcopal, s11,324, 10; 1885, POI.
All others, SIS, 596, $50; SOS, III, 0S6.
Total. sS7, 446, 81; 1851. 221, 1903.
METHoDIsTs LEAD.
In point OF numbers the Methodists
stood first in 1850 and still retain
that position, nearly One-third of al
the church edifces belong to the
Methodist church, while the Baptlsts
can lay claim to more than one,
quarter. Relatively speaking, the
Episcopal Church retains about the
same position to the other churches
that it did in 1850. On the other
hand the Roman Catholic Church
has advanced considerably, from q
trifle W. 3 per cent. of the total
number to over 6 per cent. In point
of value, however, the Catholic
Church has made still greater strides,
from IN ownership of 1Ot per cent. OF
all the church property TO an owner.
ship of 1Sf per cent. In this respect
the Catholic Church nov ranks
second in Importance, being exceeded
only by the Methodists, which
returns a trifle over 20! per cent. OF
the total value. In 1850 the value OF
church property of four denOmina.
tions-Methodist, Presbyterian, Bap,
lists and Episcopal-outranked the
Catholic Church in this respect.
According to the returns of the 18th
census the number of communicates
in the five principal religious demon.
nations for which the statistics have
been completed are as follows:
Congregational, SETH; Lutheran.
], 199, 51i; Methodist, 4,255,377; Presby.
terrain, 1~,27S,Sl5; Roman Catholic,
$3.50, 045. Total, 1896, 522.
The communicates of the Baptist
and Episcopal with those of other
denominations will bring the aggre-
gate up to about twenty million in
all. The statistics of
THE CoLORED DENOMINATIONS
likewise show great progress. Their
denominations are divided into regu-
lar Baptist, Primitive Baptist,
African Methodist Episcopal, African
Union Methodist Protestant, African
Methodist Episcopal Zion, Colored
Methodist Episcopal, Evangelical
Missionary Church, Cumberland Pres
byterian, Disciples of Christ, Roman
Catholics, Protestant Episcopal,
Methodist Episcopal, Methodist