The Office of the General Assembly released its annual statistics report this week and the downward trend in membership continues. For 2022, the PC(USA) reports a loss of 53,105 members, nearly 2,000 more than reported the year before. Current membership still stands at just over 1.1 million. There was also a loss of 108 churches last year, bringing the total to 8,705.
영어를 모국어가 아닌 언어로 사용하는 사람으로서 저는 영어 표현의 매력에 빠지곤합니다. 예를 들어, 모국어가 영어가 아닌 동료에게 "the whole nine yards"라는 표현의 의미를 설명했던 때를 기억합니다. 저는 그들의 표정을 잊을 수 없습니다. 스포츠에서 기원한 듯한 표현이 어떻게 교회 모임에서 사용되고 있는지 이해할 수 없다는 얼굴이었습니다.
Como una persona cuyo segundo idioma es el inglés, este idioma siempre me ha fascinado, especialmente al escuchar alguna de sus expresiones. Recuerdo, por ejemplo, el tener que explicar el significado de the whole nine yards (todo lo que está disponible o es posible) a una colega cuyo primer idioma tampoco era el inglés. Todavía recuerdo su expresión facial, cuando no pudo creer cómo terminología asociada con los deportes (fútbol americano en este caso) había sido utilizada en una reunión de iglesia.
As someone whose second language is English, I have always been fascinated by English language expressions. I remember, for example, explaining the meaning of “the whole nine yards” to a colleague whose first language is not English. The face they made was memorable, when they could not understand how what seemed to be a reference to sports had made its way into a church meeting.
There has been nothing normal about church membership and attendance over the past two years. In-person worship took a major hit in all Christian denominations as the COVID-19 pandemic raged on. Many denominations have reported thousands of members leaving the church altogether. But even as membership continues to show a decline in the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), the numbers were not as high as in 2020.
Even if a person cannot be physically present in worship, there are still creative ways to make them vital members of the congregation.
코비드-19 팬데믹으로 인해 장로교인들이 서로 만나지 못했지만, 지난해 신자 감소는 이전 4년과 비교해 큰 차이가 없었다. 총회 사무국은 연례 통계 보고서를 발행했다. 이 보고서는 2020년 신자 수 감소가 약 5만 6천 명에 달한다고 하였다. 이는 2016년 이래 보고된 평균 감소율과 다를 바 없었다.
La pandemia de COVID-19 puede haber impedido que los presbiterianos se reunieran en persona pero el declive en membresía del año pasado no muestra una diferencia apreciable con los cuatro años anteriores. La Oficina de la Asamblea General emitió el informe anual de estadísticas que muestra una disminución de apenas algo más de 56,000 en membresía, el mismo promedio de pérdidas que se reporta desde 2016.
The COVID-19 pandemic may have kept Presbyterians from meeting in person, but the decline in membership over the past year is not significantly different than it was over the previous four years. The Office of the General Assembly has released its annual statistics report showing a decline in membership in 2020 at just over 56,000, which averages the same loss rate as reported since 2016.
Aunque las cifras son ligeramente inferiores, la Oficina de la Asamblea General de la Iglesia Presbiteriana (EE.UU.) sigue mostrando una nivelación en la disminución de la membresía de la iglesia. El informe estadístico recién publicado para el 2019 muestra un total de 1,3 millones de miembros, en comparación con los 1,4 millones de hace tres años, pero la disminución anual de las iglesias y de los miembros activos es menor que en años anteriores.
Aunque las cifras son ligeramente inferiores, la Oficina de la Asamblea General de la Iglesia Presbiteriana (EE.UU.) sigue mostrando una nivelación en la disminución de la membresía de la iglesia. El informe estadístico recién publicado para el 2019 muestra un total de 1,3 millones de miembros, en comparación con los 1,4 millones de hace tres años, pero la disminución anual de las iglesias y de los miembros activos es menor que en años anteriores.