The Birmingham age-herald., 1914-02-08

and Catholic communions in the way OF
more reliable statistics. This is true of
church membership, and also of reports
regarding money The home and for
eign mission boards took in hand during
1918 the compiling of statistics covering
gifts to missions, and the Federal Coun-
ell of Churches representing more than
160o0, ,00o actual Protestant communicates,
issue for the first time the membership
statistics compiled by DR.. H. X. Carroll.
who was in charge of the government
census of churches in 1890 The figures
herewith are those of DIR. Carroll, and
are issued over the authority of the fed
eral council. Roman Catholic statistics.
formerly given out in even figures, are
now more carefully compiled than ever.
and given out by many Catholic dioceses
in exact figures.
Following are the largest religious
bodies in the United States, grouped un-
der family names and they are all tina t
have actual members exceeding 100000:
Roman Catholic .............. l3,O99,534
Methodist ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS. 7.1250G9
Baptist ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS. 1924 662
Lutheran OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES. 2,35S,i22
Presbyterians .................. 2,O2i,5S3
Disciples of Christ .......... 1,5l9.369
Protestant Episcopal .......... 997, ,I07
congregational ....,........t.. f4S,5p
These eight bodies contain 4.00,000 of
the 81. 10000 of actual members Of
churches within the United States. 1t is
shown by the statistics Just made pub
lie that all of the large bodies grow
with fair steadiness.
Dr. Carroll explains that he was un-
able TO secure statistics for Christian
Science churches for 1917 and so he gives
those for 1912 Al S5,096. Latter Day Saints
or what are known as Mormons, for the
regions covered by them viz, Utah and
some adjoining states. he gives at 296 900.
He estimates the Jews in the country
100000. Of which New York contains
about 100000, making this city the greatest
center of Jewish population In the world.
Large Number of New Churches
A surprising feature of 1918 was the ex
ira ordinary number of new churches. 1t
came near bearing the grea test advance
Of any year. II is due. it is said. to the
enterprise of many boeles in going after
and organizing scattered communicates.
and also to the realization of the eco
nomic fact that small churches, save in
particular centers of large cities, are to
be preferred to large, in that relatively
they reach and interest larger numbers
of people at less cost for maintenance !. In
Vienna and Paris Roman Catholic lead
ers are recognizing this fact ,and with
in the last year have much increased the
number of places of worship. In New
lowed by Roman Catholics and Episcopa-
lians
final interesting fact shown by the
statistics is the one that few~fads or
isms are making headway. Twenty years
ago the number of new religious plat
forms put forth was some ~ or 10 sea-
son. Most were local to given cities, and
had one man or one woman behind them
few gained national headway each
year. Now the number of these annual
outputs is hardly more than six, pos
sibly some years eight. and very few
gain any real following that lasts beyond
four or five years. The statistics show
this overwhelming preponderance of the
large bodies that have assured stand
ing The total number of bodies having
100000 communicates or more is SO, and
the number of communicates in bodies
actually constituent to the Federal Coun-
ell of Churches is 1888, 700 The Rev.
Dr.. Carroll. compiler of the 1913 figures,
regards the year as a very good one for
churches of all names.