UPCI Growth Stats: The Ministry to Church Ratio

[Hoovie]

Originally Posted by Brother Strange

600,000 members in the USA and only 8372 churches? Interesting. That would make the average USA church having a little more than 154 each. Actually, I doubt that the average church has the 54 much less the 154. I wonder where those stats come from. Thinking evangelistically again, are we?

Matter of statistical perception. If the churches having over 1000 were removed from the equation the "average" would change dramatically.

[Praxeas]

Originally Posted by Stephen Hoover

While the numbers, when they are touted, should reflect those leaving/closing, it still shows the UPC as a growing church organization by todays USA standards. If the foreign field is included it makes the UPC a rapidly growing church denomination.

As to the Minister/church ratio, I see that as a tendency toward larger churches with more than one licensed minister. Our church 350 has six I believe.

But I think that is the point. Why? We have a lot of large cities here in Ca with no UPC at all and a lot of other cities with just 1 UPC.

Here in my city there is 1 UPC and 2 english AOGs and 2 Spanish AOGs, although I think one might have closed.

And to be honest, there is a smaller city here that we often just throw in and consider to be part of the larger city I am in....there is another AOG there and no UPC

Originally Posted by Stephen Hoover

Matter of statistical perception. If the churches having over 1000 were removed from the equation the "average" would change dramatically.

Are you saying that those churches were not included in the total number of churches?

[Praxeas]

Originally Posted by Brother Strange

Are you saying that those churches were not included in the total number of churches?

I think he is saying those churchs bump the average up

[Hoovie]

Originally Posted by Brother Strange

Are you saying that those churches were not included in the total number of churches?

Sure they were. But the stats do not mean your average UPC church has 154 people. The very large churches have a disproportionate effect on the stats.

Originally Posted by Stephen Hoover

Sure they were. But the stats do not mean your average UPC church has 154 people. The very large churches have a disproportionate effect on the stats.

True...

The many, many churches with two, three and at the most a dozen does too. That also has a disporportionate effect on the stats to the bottom equation. There are far more of those little six to ten member churches than there are of the very large churches which has the tendency to stastically warp the equation to the lesser degree rather than the great as you have assumed here.

Maybe we have a Mathematical Statician on this forum than can help us.

[Hoovie]

Originally Posted by Brother Strange

True...

The many, many churches with two, three and at the most a dozen does too. That also has a disporportionate effect on the stats to the bottom equation. There are far more of those little six to ten member churches than there are of the very large churches which has the tendency to stastically warp the equation to the lesser degree rather than the great as you have assumed here.

Maybe we have a Mathematical Statician on this forum than can help us.

I doubt any churches responded with less than 10. But even so, 10 is much closer to 154 than 1000 is to 154.

I am sure headquarters would have all the stats available... but perhaps not for public consumption.

[SDG]

The church average in 1999 was 154 members??????????? .... IMPOSSIBLE.

[Hoovie]

Originally Posted by Daniel Alicea

The church average in 1999 was 154 members??????????? .... IMPOSSIBLE.

Did you all go to tiny churches?

Also, consider the definition of "membership" - not always the same as attendance.

[SDG]

Steve ... your church has 6 licensed ministers ... are there any daughter works these men, or women, are involved in .....?? Or plans for them to be involved in????