Each year, the Office of the General Assembly gathers statistical information from presbyteries across the country and provides a comprehensive breakdown on church membership, ethnicity and age distribution, as well as other information. But for next year’s update, expect to see some changes in what is reported.
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.
Since the 1860s, the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) and its earlier organizational structures have annually printed an inch-thick book of statistics, salaries, lists of governing bodies and other information on churches across the denomination. But the rise in digital platforms and decline in revenue prompted the Office of the General Assembly to make a few changes this year. For the first time, the directory is electronic only.
After years of seeing hundreds of churches leave the denomination, the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) is starting to see the number of departing churches decrease. The Office of the General Assembly has wrapped up its latest review of membership statistics which indicates the decline in membership may be slowing down.
Church Trends, the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.)’s new online statistical resource, has bolstered the denomination’s ability to provide Presbyterians accessible, useful and timely information about their church, according to the research tool’s developer.