Bismarck daily tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1881-1916, 1915-02-13
CHURCHES MAKE
some: Big gains
Statistics Show That communi-
cants Increase 763,078.

The religious bodies of the United
States have no cause to be, discour-
aged over the results of the year 1914.
The new COMMITMENTS Or members
added made good all the losses by
dsath, expulsion or withdrawal, and
left a surplus Of nearly three.quarters
Of a million. That is, the total men,
bership is 763 ,C7S greater than it was
in 1918. This is an average increase
Of two per cent for all bodies. great
and small, Christian and 1on-Chris-
tan. Elaborate statistical tables pre-
pared by Or. H. K. Carroll, and issued
by the Federal Council of the Church.
es of Christ in America, show in de.
tail the gains and losses Of the year.
Grand Total .-.s.
The grand fetal of members is now
So, 70S, 149. All the larger denomina.
tions share in the increase. Baptists
gained 1872, 1925; Eastern Orthodox
Churches, $500; the Roman Catholic
church 1860, the LMtherans 56y24S,
the German Evangelical Synod, repre-.
senting the State Church of Prussia,
g29.315; the Methodists 231, 400, the
Presbyterians, 56,019, the Protestant
Episcopal church, 2S,641. >"
''f Crosses the Million Line
The Protestant Episcopal church
has crossed the million line, having
gained S6,46S since 1910, and over
800. 900 since 1900.
The Roman Catholic church has
gained nearly a million and a quar-
ter since 1910 and more than five ana
a half millions since 1900.
The Methodist Episcopal church,
the second largest denomination, gain
ed 197,487 in 1914, and nearly 700,.
eco since 1900. I
The thirty churches, constituting;
the Federal Council Of the Churches
OF Christ in America. report, as will
be seen, nearly II, 500, 900 members.
somewhat less than half of the az
gregate for all denominations, with
100000 ministers and nearly 10000
churches. These bodies have a mel
increase of over 100000 members, or
more than two-thirds of the entire in
crease of all bodies. "
Aggregate 100000
There are nine denominations,
which have a million, and upward, the
Roman Catholic, 13, 1914 1851; the Meth.
odist Episcopal, 3.603,265, the South.
.ern Baptist, 2.592,217, the National
Baptist (Colored). 2,01S,S6S. the Meth.
odist Episcopal, South, zoos, 7O7, the
Presbyterian, Northern, 1,,442,A9S, the
Disciples of Christ, 1868, 1863, the Nor
thern Baptist Convention, 1888
and the Protestant Episcopal, 1,O15,.
23S. These seven denominations az
gregate over $4,000, 900 members, or
more than thres-fourths of the entire
aggregate Of the 10 religious bodies.
- Effect is Small
The effects on church membership
of the European war is narrowing the
stream of immigration were probably
cutie small, as only the last five
months of the year were involved.
The emigration of men to take part
in the great conflict would not be
a very large factor for the same rea-
son. The German b0dies-Lutheran,
Reformed, and the representative O.:
thu Prussian State Church, all show
unusual gains for 1914. On the other
hand, the Roman Catholic gains are
quite small. - '%
The summary shows that the tota'
increase of ministers was 3,212, which
is unusually large, while the total in
crease Of churches was 1441, which
is unusually small. -.'@ ~. W