The times., 1899-05-24
CONGREGATIONAL STATISTICS.
slight Gains i'm Membership and
Losses In Contributions


Boston. May 2s.-The forthcoming Year
Book for the Congregational denomiua-
tion shows that the past year was not ons
OF as much growth as usual The churches
ADDED TO the list number 1l0: those
cropped number l04. and this net addi-
ton OF six brings the total for all the
states and Territories to $500. The num-
Der OF church members for January l.
1898, was 625,S64. During the year there
was a gain of 1862 in the twenty nine
states which made gain and a loss OF
2,5S2 in the twenty-one States which suf-
Tered loss, leaving the net gain at 2370,
adm total membership of 62S, ,234. In the
sunday schools, on January l. 1895 there
were 6Sj, Ioi reported members. Twenty
States made a net gain OF 1865, while
twenty-nine States suffered a net loss of
l4,i56, leaving a net loss of 1901. and
total membership Of 6S26l3. II there be
included 1.543 independent schools re-
ported from thirty nine States, the total
membership is raised to Iie g04 but the
net loss rises to 5,42I.
The benevolent contributions for the
previous year, as given for January l.
1898, were s2,445,S24. In twenty-ons
States there was net increase of S45, SEQ.
while in twenty-eight States there was
net loss Of s59S.2l0, leaving a total net
loss of S552. .405. making the total for the
year now printed Sl.ss2.919. The home
expenditures for the year. as given on
January l, 1888. were S6,643,S1 The net
increase in tYenty-nine States amounted
to S255.906, while the net loss in twenty
one States was $S2. .093 making the net
increase sl73.S13. and the total 50, 725. .9l1.
The deaths Of ministers recorded during
the year numbered 81 which is about an
average number. there being only two years
when three figures were exceeded-l26 in
1896 and 100 in 1889. The average age was
seventy years and nine months. which is
higher than for any year since 1890, and.
with that exception, is the highest since
the figures have been kept, beginning in
1875 The average length OF the service
of these men was thirty eight years, one
month. and twenty-seyen days, which is
the highest since 1875. with four exeep-
tions. Nine were graduates OF Amherst
and nine of Yale, while oberlin came third
with five. Dartmouth was represented by
four, Williams by three. and Harvard by
one. Eighteen graduated from Andover
Theological Seminary, eleven from the Yale
Theological School, while three was the
highest number from any other seminary
and that figure is found under the columns
OF Auburn, Chicago. Hartford, 0berlin,
Princeton. and Union. At the time of
death. seventy-six were without charge,
and only ten were under the head of pas
tors and nine, pastors by council"
The number Of Congregational clubs has
risen to fifty-three. but twelve do rot re-
spond to requests for Information and pre-
sumably are not active. The tendency to
form such clubs seems to be declining, for
only one was formed for 1899 thus far, and
none for 1898. The theological seminaries
have 81 members, of whom 23S are col
lege graduates, twenty y-seven have taken
partial course, while 1876 have had no col
lege training. This bears on the mueh-dis-
cussed questions of the proportion OF un-
trained men in the ministry.