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Our Dynamic Religious Landscape. U.S. Religious Statistics. U.S. Religious Statistics. * 2012 Yearbook of American & Canadian Churches ~ American Jewish Committee + Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) ^ Pluralism Project (middle of an estimated range).
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U.S. Religious Statistics U.S. Religious Statistics * 2012 Yearbook of American & Canadian Churches ~ American Jewish Committee + Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) ^ Pluralism Project (middle of an estimated range)
Christian Affiliation Rates * Gallup Organization † New York Times
The Six Major Christian Groups ^Pentecostal figures are an estimate based on three largest groups *2012 Yearbook of American & Canadian Churches+2000 Glenmary Research Center
Church Families Friends Oriental Orthodox ChurchesMoravian Bodies Baptist The Catholic ChurchPentecostal Bodies Anglican Churches of GodMethodist BodiesLutheran Bodies Brethren(German Baptist)Reformed Bodies Old Catholic ChurchesMennonite Bodies Brethren, RiverThomist Churches Moravian BodiesChurches of Christ-Christian ChurchesUnited Brethren Bodies Eastern Orthodox Churches Churches of the New Jerusalem Jehovah’s Witnesses Unitarian Universalists Latter-day Saints (Mormons) Megachurches Independent Congregations Adventist
Largest Church Bodies (1-10) Religious BodyMembershipTrend Catholic Church 68,202,492 Southern Baptist Convention 16,136,044 United Methodist Church 7,679,850 Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints 6,157,238 Church of God in Christ 5,499,875 National Baptist Convention, U.S.A., Inc. 5,197,512 Evangelical Lutheran Church in America 4,274,855 National Baptist Convention of America, Inc.3,500,000 Assemblies of God 3,030,944 Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) 2,675,873 2012 Yearbook of American & Canadian Churches
National Ecumenical Strata • Christian Churches Together • National Council of Churches • National Association of Evangelicals • Pentecostal/Charismatic Churches of NA • State Councils • Regional and State Councils – 49 • Metro Councils – 68 • Community Ministries –1,453 + • • Congregations – 312,000 (all faiths including Mosques, Ashrams) • Members – 159,848,057 • Total Christian Finance – $34 Billion
Habitat for Humanity World Vision Bread for the World Interfaith Coalition for the Environment Para-Church Organizations • Diversion of Funds • Recast Systemic Analysis • Reposition the Mercy/Justice Dialectic
Membership Loss Factors • Social Location • Age Cohort Demographics • Environmental • Content Factors
Attraction Factors • Convenience Factors • Meaningful Worship • Fellowship/Mission • Pastoral Factors • Belonging - Needed/Wanted • 45- 80% ratio
Faith Community Infrastructure National Council of Churches National Association of Evangelicals Pentecostal/Charismatic Churches of North America National ReligiousBodies (e.g., Catholic Church, Southern Baptist Convention…) Parachurch Organizations Habitat for Humanity Charitable Aid Agencies Voluntary Hospitals Seminaries and Higher Education Bread for the World Congregations Race Housing Inter- Faith Heifer International Diverse Community Ministries Health Youth Local Ecumenical/Interfaith Agencies Judicatories
Megatrends - ILast Quarter Century • Growing Religious Pluralism • Growing Congregationalism • Redefinition of Denominations • Increasing Secularization • Ministry Specialization thru Parachurch Organizations
Megatrends - II • Interreligious Supplants Ecumenical • Spiritual vs. Religious • Protestant Surrender of Cultural Hegemony? • Conflictual Articulations of Faith in the Public Square
Microtrends - Congregational • Megachurches – Multi-service Campus • Cafeteria Approach to Resources and Ministries • Gravitate to “Theological Affinity Groups” (Greens, etc.) • Intolerant of National Divisive Issues • Adaptive Parish Life – middle judicatories
World View: Manner of Thinking Modernity • Scientific Method; Empirical Truth Post Modernity • Intellectual Relativity; Personal Narrative
Theological Context • Mainline Yields to PostChristian • Evangelical Yields to Postmodern The Great Emergence
The Road Ahead • General Trends • Increasing Pluralism • Accelerated Secularization • Denominational Redefinition • Increasing Congregationalism • Stable Growth/Decline Patterns • Health and Welfare Ministries • More Issues “Specialized” • Weighted to Direct Service vs. Advocacy • Interfaith Primacy over Christian Ecumenism