Evening journal. [volume] (Wilmington, Del.) 1888-1932, 1922-07-25
% MILLIONS
in THE CHURCHES
Methodists With 7,el8,557
Members Is Largest
American Body
BAPTISTS SECOND
WITH 7,835,25O
Special 10 The Evening journal.

Special 20 The Evening Journal.
WASHINGTON July 25.-Ac.
cording to statistics gathered by the
Federal Council OF Churches and
printed in the Year Book Of the
churches which has Just been is
sued. OF every 10s persons in the
United States, 10 have no religious
Affiliations and 9s are afiliated
through membership. financial sup
port. attendance or other ties with
various religious bodies, as follows;
Protestant ......-...---... 70
Roman Catholic ..........--. 10
Other Faiths ................ 3
No religious afflliation ....... 10
Ioldl s..ss..s lVo
The Year Book Of the Churches
gives the total church population
Of the country as follows:
Roman Catholic $500. 11Ss5,646
Eastern Orthodox ..... 41i.054
Latter Day Saints ...... 5S7,s1s
Jewish ....--......-.. 100000
Protestant ..-.......... 15,O99,4Se
Totals ............. s5,5s4.107
On this basis the Methodist and
Baptist churches have a greater
constituency than the Roman
Catholic church. the figures being;
Methodists ............ 22,17l,S59
Bapusts ............... 2l,s3S,TOO
Roman Catholics ...... 17,Ss5,646
In connection with these figures,
the Year Book, which was original
" compiled by DR.. z. o. Watson.
Washington secretary of the Federal
Council OF churches explains the
difficulty OF reaching a basis OF
comparison Of the different religious
bodies owing 20 their varying basis
OF membership.
The Year Book OF the Clutches
brings out the different methods OF
computing membership in the Ro-
man Catholic and most OF the Pro-
testant bodies. The Roman Catholic >
church. according TO the Catholic /
Directory. includes in its member |
ship Catholic population" while /
ell but a few small bodies OF the /
Protestant churches count only I
communicate members. So the two /
figures are not comparable unless /
the Protestant membership is used I
as a basis for constituency or
protestant population"
II has been somewhat difficult 10
get the proper ratio between COM
municant membership and constltu-
ency but Dr. Walter Laidlaw Of New
York. who has had large experience
as statistician OF the New York Fed
Grafton of Churches and in the Cen
sus Bureau. has demonstratedthrough
various tests that commounicant
membership multiplied by IS will
give church population" For in
stance. & is misleading 20 say that
there are i7.ss5.s46 Roman Catholic
and 26,745.543 Protestants. when the
former refers 10 Roman Catholic
and the latter Is com
municant membership" To make
them comparable the Protestant
sommunicant membership has been
multiplied By rs.
The Year Book also shows that
whereas by the latest figures avail
able on January !. 1921. the COM
bined communicate membership OF
the Baptist Churches Of the country
led the combined Methodists by 81
259, belated returns by the colored I
Methodist Episcopal Church give the
a lead OF S3.307. The
growth OF the Colored Methodist
Episcopal Church is said TO be the
most remarkable growth OF the
churches for the i've year period.
rhe Methodists have 7.s1s,557 COM
nunicant members and the Baptists q
l.S35,25O communicate members