Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1903-01-08
CHURCH STATISTICS
INCREASE By DENOMINATIONS
IN THE YEAR 1902.
Total Membership Of the Leading Re
igious Bodies in the United
States.

| According to the figures just prepared by
Dr. H. X. Carroll, the churches of the
United States have failed notably to keep
pace in their membership growth with the
annual Increase in population in the United
States. DR.. Carroll was the government
| statistician of churches in $780, and since
| then he has yearly prepared tables of sta
| tistics on the same topic which are recog-
nized by church leaders as accurate anu
reliable.
In his figures for 1902 DR.. Carroll places
the total membership gain of all the
churches In this country, including Roman
Catholic, Protestant, Christian Science,
Dowieism, etc, at only 400, 743. The total
membership of the ecclesiastical bodies at
the present time he places at IS $50, O2S.
The gain for the year, according to his
statement is IL per cent whereas the popu-
lation of the country since 1890 has been in
creasing 6-100 per cent a year.
There are no fewer than eight separate
Catholic bodies in America, according to
DIR. CARROTS statement The regular Ro-
man Catholic Church he credits with a
gain in membership for last year Of II ,554,
which Is 76-1OO of 1 per cent. He states
that the growth in all the principal Protest
ant bodies for 1902 has been marked. In his
report the statistician says the communIstic
societies are disappearing because of decay.
The Separatists have gone out of existence
and a mere handful of the Harmony So
ciety remain. The Shakers have decreased
40 per cent since 1890 The Syrian Orthodox
Church appears in 1902 for the first time
with four congregations, under three priests
and one bishop.
Statistical Showing.
The Methodists North, including those in
mission fields, last year passed the 100000
mark in membership. In order Of denom-
| national families, with their respective
| memberships within the United States, and
not including mission fields, the total and
percentages Of growth last year stand:
Adventists 9s,4s7; liz Christian Science,
51,GOs; 81. United Brethren. 2T,352; 4.
Lutherans, 1745 5ss; 40. Reformed 1885,
OBS; $40. Episcopal, 767 1874: 10. Con-
gregational, 659,324; 2. Disciples Of Christ.
1,2O7, a77; 2. Presbyterians. 16s5,O18; $40.
Methodists. 6.Os4, 755: 1 ITO. Catholics,
8, 1871 1903; l $40. Baptists, 1920, 4s7; Ito.
$50 great is the pressure for pupits when
desirable ones fall vacant that most peo-
pie imagine there are more ministers than
churches" says DIR. Carroll. The facts
are directly the opposite. Hardly a re-
ligious body in America but has more
churches than ordained men. and this in
spite Of the fact that the multiplication Of
the pastorate steadily increases. One
church in New York has eighteen ordained
men and women in its service, the highest
number of any one church in America. The
Baptists have 1864 ministers; Catholics,
IL, 779; Congregationalists, b,S56; Disciples
Of Christ. 1O,957; Lutherans, 1.7s5; Metho-
dists. 1920; Presbyterians, 12,21; Episco-
pal, 5,O71 the Reformed, 1906: the Saliva
ton Army 2,51O, and United Brethren.
2,34S. The number Of ministers. all bodies,
is LAT, 113. and 1T is not rapidly increasing:
ION the other hand, the number Of
churches rapidly increases, and 30 does the
proportionate cost There are 1914, 116
churches in the whole United States, and
the estimated cost to maintain them, with
betterments each year, is $26O, 100000
Methodists have &c. 1877 the highest num-
Der; Baptists, 51.142, and Friends Of the
Temple, Swenkedelphians and the Society
for Ethical Culture, each"