The Bingham County news. [volume] (Blackfoot, Idaho) 1918-1930, 1923-06-15
CHURCHES MAKE
RECORD GROWTH
Federal Council Reports Increase
of 1,220,428 Members in
U. S. in Year.

made public by DR.. E. o. Watson,
Churches, show that the religious
bodies In the United States made their
greatest growth during last year. The
increase Is 1,220,428 members over the
previous year.
The present membership of all re-
ligious bodies according to the latest
available figures is 47,481, 55S. This
increase is approximately 80 per cent
greater than the average for the pre-
ceding five years. There was gain
of 1851 congregations and 1922 min
listers. The total number of congrega-
lions Is now 243,590. They are led by
214,5S3 ministers.
According to these figures, church
representatives point out that each
day in 1922 an average Of 3,345 per-
sons joined the various religious bod
les; AZ ministers were ordained or
licensed; and 20. congregations were
organized.
The shortage in clergy Is not as
great as the fact that there are 29,OO7
more congregations than ministers
would indicate. Many pastors, espe-
cially In rural districts, have charge
of two or more congregations. Be-
sides, a number of mi ssions and rural
churches are served by laymen. This
activity on the part Of laymen is one
Of the significant features Of the year.
Roman Catholic Membership.
Owing to different methods adopted
by the various bodies in computing
their membership it is hard to make
comparisons. The Roman Catholic
church shows a membership of 49,
104,8O4 persons. Its figures represent
estimated church population and in
clude all baptized persons. @Evangel-
ical Protestant churches show men,
bership of 27,454,OsO. They count
communicates only.
The thirty bodies related to the Fed
eral Council of Churches report "a total
membership of 20,722,142 persons.
They have 149,436 congregations,
served by 1907 ministers Their
gain in membership over last year is
1859, 1851. Their total constituency 1s
now 59,O21,71 persons.
The total religious constituency OF
the country is placed at 9S,S7S,367 per-
sons Church officials define constitu-
ency to mean all baptized persons, all
and all those who In the
supreme test of life or death, turn to
Church Bodies Compared.
When the figures of the various
churces are placed on comparable
basis through methods agreed upon by
church and government officials,
of the great bodies is re-
ported as follows:
Protestant ......................... 49, Sl
Roman Catholic ..lS' d0d S w
Jews .'''''' A'ooo'0oO
Latter Day Saints (Mormons)... 6O4,OS2
Eastern Orthodox Greek and
RusSian) OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES. 4oo,oo4 |
The Jewish figures are the same as
used last year. They are computed on
a different basis from the various
Christian bodies because of their great |
variation in methods of counting men, |
Dership. The Jewish authorities esti- |
mate the Jewish population of the
United States at more than 100000. |
Though some Of the larger bodies |
have not reported on their expendi- |
lures, the figures already in hand show
hat the churches raised S16,628,894
more than last year. The total re-
ported to date is $500, 052,978.
The great increase in membership Is
lue largely to the gains of the Roman
Catholic church, which shows an in
.rease Of 219, 1853; the Methodist Epis-
opal church, 122,975; the Southern
Baptist Convention, 97,116, and the
National Baptist Convention (negro),
ALSO. The Roman Catholic figures
Indicate decrease in the rate of gain
is compared with the annual average
or the preceding five years, which was
1879, 766.
Methodists Lead in Total.
The Methodist churches have the
argest constituency in the country,
heir figures showing 23,253,854 per-
ons. The Baptists form the second
argest group and are pressing the
iethodists closely with constituency
# 22S69,09S persons. The Roman
catholics are third with 18,104,804 per-
ons. The Lutherans make up the
ourth body with 7,043,S54 cOnstitu-
ncy, and the Presbyterians are fifth
nth 6,726,69S constituency.
Probably the most remarkable gain
f the year Is that Of the Eastern
churches, which show 10
er cent increase, jumping from ALL
"a to 456O54 members. This is ap-
arently due to the fact that the Greek
orthodox church is more effectively
rganized and is reaching the Greek
in America.
The Methodist Protestant Church
urned loss during the preceding five
ears into an increase of 5000 men,
ers. While the Disciples of Christ
nd the Congregational churches both
ad a reduction in the number of con-
regations, they gained respectively
1926 and 1906 members.
The Episcopalians doubled their in
rease of the preceding year, making a