The Republican journal. [volume] (Belfast, Me.) 1829-current, 1908-01-09
METHODIST STATISTICS.

The Denomination has Increased 6s,6e7
Over the Preceding Year. Southern
California the Leading American Con-
ference in Gains.
The recently issued Year Book of the
Methodist Episcopal church, prepared
by S. V. R. Ford, presents the standing
of the denomination by interesting
tables and statistical facts, which show
the progress during the past year. The
number of probationers reported is
346, 1855; full members, 2,957,066; total
3,3O3, 221; an increase Of 6S,697 over the
previous year. For the last three years
the percentage of gain exceeded two
per cent annually. The total gain over
1900 is 374, 33S members. In the same
time the number of churches has in
creased 1929, bringing the total to 3d.
| 523. Four hundred and thirty-tWo
were built last year. The value of
church and parsonage property is $780,
924,O24, a gain of almost exactly $780,
100000 in seven years. Against this
there is an Indebtedness of $12, 127, 24S.
The average value of the churches,
now $5423, has increased one-fourth
since 1900. The average value of the
Methodist parsonage today is $2051, as
COIupdItu Will YlOOC Ill 1OOOs L lC uCOVo
on property are steadily declining and
now amount to GA per cent as against
81 in the year 1900.
The average age of the thirteen eff
fective bishops is now sixty-one and
seven-thirteenths years, and of the mis-
sionary bishops ffty-nine and one
seventh years. The six surviving non
effective bishops are of an average age
of seventy-nine and one-sixth years,
Bishop Bowman, the senior member OF
the board, having recently passed his
ninetieth birthday.
The ministry of the Methodist Epis-
copal church in the year of record re-
ceived 799 accessions, sixty-fve coming
on credentials from other churches.
The loss for the year aggregated
$50, of whom 304 were by death and
255 by discontinuance, location, with
drawal or expulsion. Of the sixty
five ministers received from other com
munions eleven came from the United
Brethren, seven from the Methodist
Episcopal church, South; three each
from the Presbyterian. United Evan
gelical, the Methodist church of Can
ada, and the Wesleyan Methodist Con-
nec5ion; five each from Baptist and the
African Methodist Episcopal; four from
| the Cumberland Presbyterian; two
each from the Congregational, Regular
Baptist, Free Methodist, and Metho-
dist Protestant; and one each from
| twelve other bodies.
In very thorough analysis of the
changes in membership the editor tabu-
| lates the growth of the membership by
conferences for the years 1901 to 1906
The net increase in those six years was
| 3O5, GAL, gain of 1914 per cent; 1901 was
| the lowest year; 1906 the highest. OF
all the conferences Northwest India
shows the largest gain, 16,441; with
Southern California at the head of the
domestic conferences, with a gain of
| 1l,13i. The deaths throughout the
connection in the same sexenium aggre-
gated 237, 1886. The membership of the
colored and white conferences and
missions in the South for ten years is
separately tabulated in an exhibit
which will repay careful study. 1T ap-
pears that the membership in the color
| ed conferences in 1906 was 200, 772, a
| net gain of about 32,411 in ten years.
From the editors analysis it would
appear that the rate of increase in the
colored conferences fully keeps pace
with that in the white conferences.
The membership of the Methodist
Episcopal church in countries outside
of the United States is now 290,SS6, an
increase of almost exactly one hundred
thousand in seven years. The gain IN
] some sections of India, in Korea, and