The Wisconsin tobacco reporter. (Edgerton, Wis.) 1877-1950, 1916-03-03
Church Statistics.


when they learned of the unusual pro-
gress made by their denomination dur
ing the past year, as given in report
that has just been received from the
worlds headquarters of the church at
Washington, D. G. Extracts from the
report which was compiled by Ell. F..
Rogers, statistical secretary of the de
nomination, have been sent broadcast
throughout North America, in order
that the believers might learn of the
way their church has advanced.
One Of the remarkable statements in
the report is that 1.-The actual net gain
in membership for the year 1914 was
greater than the entire membership of
the denomination throughout the world
as it stood thirty years after this move
ment had begun its work.
The report says further:
"At the close of 1914 the total mem
bership was 125, 844, a gain during the
year of 11,287, or 9.85 per cent. The
gain for 1913 was $50 or 7.16 per cent,
and that was the largest gain ever re-
corded up to that time. The gain for
1914 was greater than that reported for
the preceding year by 1897. The num-
Der of baptlsms during the year was
1889. The net difference between the
gain of members and the number of
baptized is 3,712.
"The amount of money raised as offer
zings to foreign missions in the North
American division was $615, $685.; the
membership in this division is 72,iOo
This amount is therefore an average of
S.. So foraeach member. The slgnlt-
canoe OF this last amount Will be better
understood when it is explained that
the latest available reports indicate that
for 1913 the average per capita con-
tributions on the part of the members Of
all the Protestant bodies in the United
States was SO cents. The figures ranged
from $1.93 the highest, for the Mora
Wan bodies, to tWenty-one cents per
member for the lowest.
"For years the number Of companies
and their membership as well as the
number of baptized scattered believers
have been shown in the report, but in
harmony with the vote taken at the last
session of the General Conference, this
information has been discontinued. The
aggregate communicates thus dropped
out of the reports would be approx
mately $1,000. That is to say, the plan
of omltting the membership of compan-
les and scattered believers accounts for
the elimination of approximately 1900
communicates from all reference IN this
report.
1.-The number of organized churches
at the close of 1914 was 3,7O2 a gain
during the year of 1913 or 3.l5 per cent.
''ThiS work is now carried forward IN
81 different countries by force of lab
orers comprised as follows: ordained
ministers, 926; licensed ministers, 565;
| licensed missionaries, 1454; colporteurs,
2,C76; secretaries, 292; total evangellstlc
llaborers, 5,313.
Other laborers are engaged in lines
of work as follows: Teachers in mission
schools, primary schools, and colleges,
| 1,616; employed in publishing houses,
| 1856: in Sanitarlums and treatment
rooms, 1896; total of 4,047 institus
tional Iaborers. If to this be added the
5,313 evangelistic laborers, there is Sc
cured a grand total of 1850 laborers en-
gagged in all lines of UNCONVENTIONAL work,
or one laborer for every thirteen mem
berS.
1.-The total funds contributed for
evangelistic work by members or the
| denomination during 1914 were $780,
1880, per capita of S24.56. This
amount contributed is greater than the
preceding year by 1928, 757.40, the per
| cent or increase being $50. Ofthe total
amount contributed $2,32S, 751.88 was
from North America, or 1915 per cent,
| and all other countries, $76l732.92, or
24.65 per cent.
THE amounts raised for the three
fo1
| 1.-THE 81, 818,436.09, 1884 per cent; for
| eign mission offerings, $772,24839 or
24OO per cent: home and local offerings,
$499, S0033, or 1917 per cent. The per
capita for the membership in North
| America was S32.33; for all the memb-
erS outside North America, Sl4l5, an
| average OF S24.56.
/ During the fifty two years since this
work has been organized, there has been
contributed for evangelistic work alone
| $31 ,675, 894.76.
| "At the close of 1914 the total valua-
| ton of the /, 449 church buildings was
| s., 226, 561.8S., an increase of SLIT, 75O.37
| for the year. Donations and invest
ments during 1914 increased the net
| worth of the UNCONVENTIONAL institu
tons approximately 100000. A farther
expenditure of 1854 682.55 was made in
the support Of denominational educa-
tional institutions, so that the grand
| total contributions for evangelistic work.
| the increased valuation of church build
ings, and the support of and invest
| ments in, denominational institutions
during 1914 constitute a grand total of
| "a ,461, 202.86, an average of S35.45 for
each church member throughout the
world. For 1913 this average was S32.79,
thus showing an increase of $2.75 per
member for 1914