Denominations are Shrinking says Apostolic News!

[Socialite]

http://www.apostolicnews.org/2011/02...denominations/

Feature story.

Not included in the statistics are denominations such as the Worldwide Pentecostal Fellowship, or even the United Pentecostal Church.

Meanwhile, the AoG continues to grow.

[Scott Hutchinson]

I'm not a expert or anything,I think all mainline protestant denominations by and large are shrinking in membership.

[Cindy]

* The United Methodist Church: 7.8 million, down 1 percent.
* Evangelical Lutheran Church in America: 4.5 million, down 1.96 percent.
* Assemblies of God: 2.9 million, up .52 percent.

* The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints: 6 million, up 1.42 percent.
* The Church of God in Christ: 5.5 million, no membership updates reported.

* National Baptist Convention, USA: 5 million, no membership updates reported.

* National Baptist Convention of America, 3.5 million, no membership updates reported.

The Presbyterian church led with the greatest membership drop of the 25 largest denominations, with membership down 2.6 percent.

[Cindy]

The UPCI has 4,358 churches in North America, 9,085 ministers, and Sunday School attendance of 646,304. Worldwide, the organization counts a total membership of over 4 million.

[Socialite]

Originally Posted by Cindy

The UPCI has 4,358 churches in North America, 9,085 ministers, and Sunday School attendance of 646,304. Worldwide, the organization counts a total membership of over 4 million.

What is their growth/shrinkage though?

Apo News posted this -- maybe not in celebration at their heathen cousins in the Gospel, but surely as a drum beat of some sort. What is missing is any idea of what is happening in Oneness Pentecostalism, or more specifically, Apostolic Pentecostalism.

[NotforSale]

Originally Posted by Socialite

http://www.apostolicnews.org/2011/02...denominations/

Feature story.

Not included in the statistics are denominations such as the Worldwide Pentecostal Fellowship, or even the United Pentecostal Church.

Meanwhile, the AoG continues to grow.

I think when we stop counting, we might start growing. Counting creates competition, greed, envy, and the desire for Pastors to build Kingdoms, not Churches.

Another determinate to counting is, the numbers become fabricated and can't be proven.

The Church today has become a financial statement and a business, and the bottom line is more important than actual souls.

[Socialite]

Originally Posted by NotforSale

I think when we stop counting, we might start growing. Counting creates competition, greed, envy, and the desire for Pastors to build Kingdoms, not Churches.

Another determinate to counting is, the numbers become fabricated and can't be proven.

The Church today has become a financial statement and a business, and the bottom line is more important than actual souls.

Very true, NFS.

So I take it you aren't a fan of George Barna?

Do you think, as a church, we can learn from surveys like this? For instance, if numbers show a growing trend of people leaving the Church, can that ever be helpful to us?

[Cindy]

I notice the UPCI does include Sunday School Attendance.

[Cindy]

Originally Posted by Socialite

What is their growth/shrinkage though?

Apo News posted this -- maybe not in celebration at their heathen cousins in the Gospel, but surely as a drum beat of some sort. What is missing is any idea of what is happening in Oneness Pentecostalism, or more specifically, Apostolic Pentecostalism.

I didn't find any numbers on the page I visited, from a yahoo search.

[Socialite]

Originally Posted by Cindy

I didn't find any numbers on the page I visited, from a yahoo search.

And the only research data worthy of reproducing was Talmage French's Our God is One, which ironically, included all Pentecostal/Charismatic believers, not just Oneness Pentecostals.