Decorah public opinion. (Decorah, Winneshiek County [Iowa]) 1895-1928, 1909-11-03
IOWA CHURCHES SHOW GAIN.
PrOtestants Form 72 Per Cent and
the Catholics 20 Per Cent of the
Total Membership.

Iowa is growing morally as well
as physically according to the de-
tailed report of the recent census of
religious bodies which the United
States census bureau has just issued.
In 1890 only 29.1 per cent of the
Iowa population were reported as
church members, while the census of
1905, which has just been compiled,
shows 35.8 per cent of the Iowa pop
ulation as having declared their re-
ligious belief, gain of 6.7 per cent
for the churches of the state. Iowa
ranked sixth among all the states
in the gain of Protestant church
membership since 1890, with it's in
crease of 5.8 per cent for those bod
les. The gain for the Roman CathO-
lie church in Iowa was 8 per cent.
There is still room for Improvement
in the Hawkeye state, however, for
nearly two-thirds of its population
are reported as not being members
Of any church. Out of total popu-
lation of 2,2O5,69O, estimated for
Iowa in 1906, 7SS.667 were reported
as church members.
The Protestant bodies in Iowa re-
ported a membership of 569,734 or
1872 per cent of the total church
membership in the state. The Ro-
man Catholic church. however, has
the largest membership of any one
denomination in Iowa with a total of
207, ,6O7 or 26.3 per cent of the total
membership in the state. The Meth
cdist bodies rank second with a
membership of 164.329 or 22.8 per
cent of the Iowa church member
ship. The Lutheran bodies are third
with 1868 members or 14.9 per
cent, the Presbyterians fourth with
6O,0S1 or 7.6 per cent. and the Dis
ciples of Christians fifth with 57,425
members. The membership Of other
religious bodies in Iowa is reported
as follows: Baptists, 44,096; Congre-
gationalist, 37.O61; German Evangel-
Seal, 1861: Protestant Episcopal,
$500; Reformed bodies, 11,517;
.United Brethren. 1926; other Pro
I'iestant bodies 45.650; Latter Da,
Saints. 1928.
The census bureau has figured out
that 357 out of every 1000 persons
in Iowa are church members. OF
these 25S are Frotestarts. "a are Ro-
man Catholics, are Latter Day
Saints and 1 belongs to some other
religious body. That the church'p peO-
pie of Iowa may know the extent of
their field for home missionary
work, the census bureau reports the
number of church members per
1000 population for the various
Protestant bodies as follows: Bap-
lists, 20 out of every 1000 persons
in the state; Congregationalists, IL;
Disciples of Christians, 20; German
Evangelical, s; Lutheran, So; Meth
odist, IS; Presbyterian, 27; Protest
ant Episcopalian, 4; Reformed bod
les. s; United Brethren, 5; other
Protestant bodies, 81.
The women of Iowa are more
faithful in their church membership
than the men, according to the Gen.
sus, the women church members in
this state exceed the men by 112, 1915
the number of each being, male,
k316.O88; females, Assoc.
There are now nearly half mil
lion Sunday school children in good
old Iowa, which gives the promise
that the non-church members in this
state will soon become a minority
instead of majority as at the pres
ent. The recent ceusus showed
413,549 Sunday school scholars in
Iowa. This membership was report.
ed by 5,575 Sunday schools which
had 54.O16 officers and teachers to
give religious instruction to these
children.-Dubuque Telegraph Her.
aid.