Carolina watchman. [volume] (Salisbury, N.C.) 1871-1937, 1932-09-30
All Churches
Show Growth
Survey Says
Christian Herald TabulaAon Shows
Catholics Gained Most Memberships
Baptists And Metbodists Are In Sc
cond And Third Places In u. S.

D~PtSSIS anu are In DE-
cond And Third Places In U. S.
Of the 59,26S,764 members of re-
ligious bodies in the United States
approximately 100000 are Pro-
testants and 100000 Roman Cat
holics, figures complied by DIR. Geo.
Linn Kiefer show.
Also listed in the summary pre-
pared for The Christian Herald by
Dr.. Kief, who is president of the A.
merican Religious Statisticians, are
100000 members of Jewish con-
gregations and 100000 Orthodox
Catholics.
Virtually every large religious body
in the country made membership
gains between the government cen
sus of 1926 and DR.. Kiefer's survey
for 1881.
The highest of these were 1907
S25 for the Roman Catholics, 931,-
s39 for the Baptists, and 911,274 for
the Methodists. The total net gain
between 1926 and 1881 was 4,743,-
049.
DR.. Kiefer's tabulated reports
from 100 religious bodies, 120 of
which were divisions of the % major
groups.
Catholic Increase Noted
The Roman Catholic numbered
2~o,112,S2S in 1881, a fve-year gain
of 1,5o7,s25.
Two other Catholic bodies, the
Polish National Catholics and the
Old Catholic Churches in America,
brought the total membership of
what Dr.~,Kiefer calls the Western
Catholics to 20,237,37S, a total gain
of 1920.
The Is bodies of Baptists number
ed 9,372,761, a gain Of 931,S39.
The 10 bodies of Methodists show
ed a total gain, of 911,274, and a
total membership gain of S,9S1,S93.
LHtDeranS PaSS 4,OOO,OOO
The II bodies of Lutherans gained
1926 members to place the total
at 4,22S,26S.
The 1926 government census of
religious bodies showed a membership
of 4,os1,242 In Jewish congrega-
tions.
The nine Presbyterian churches
showed a total membership of D.
$4,000, a gain Of 69,725.
With a total Of 1,975,442, the two
groups of the Disciples of Christ reg
istered a gain Of 164,133.
The Protestant Episcopal church
had 1,S31,97S members, a decrease
of 27,1OS.
The combined CONGREGATIONAL
and Christian churches had a total
of 1,O37,714, a gain of 1929.
Later Day Saints Gain
The total gain of the Latter-Day
Saints was 1878, making a total
membership of 7o3,s39.
The Oriental, or Orthodox, Cath
olics, numbering eight bodies, had
702,013, an increase of 1850.
The three Evangelical bodies gain
ed 1857 to make their total $751;
574.
The four bodies of the Reformed
church had 570,931 members, a de-
crease of $500.
The three groups of United Breth-
rem showed a gain of 1852 to bring
their total to 414,577.
The only figures available for the
Church of Christ Scientist show
202,098 members in 1926.
The five groups of Brethren
(Dunkards) had an increase Of 49,
473, making a total of 1921.
Others Trend Utward
A gain of 23,178 for a total mem
bership of 1885 was registered by
the five bodies of Adventists.
The Assemblies of God had 121,-
566, an increase of 1856.
The 16 branches of the Mennonites
gained 1928 to bring their men,
>bership to 1o3,962.
The four groups of Friends total
ed 107,262, a decrease of $3.50.
Among the minor groups nurner-
ioally, the Salvation Army totaled
e9,773, a gain of 25,oo5; the
Church of the Nazarene gained H.
Isl for a total of 91,309; the three
bodies of the Scandinavian Evangeli-
cal church increased their member
ship 4,103 to a total of 52,SSS; the
three Pentecostal churches gained g.