Christian Church(Disciples of Christ)
Christian Church
(Disciples of Christ)
Contact: news@cm.disciples.org
96b-66
August 2, 1996
INDIANAPOLIS (DNS) -- At the end of 1995, the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) had 933,011 members in 4,070 congregations in the United States and Canada. Membership statistics are among those published in the recently released 1996 Year Book and Directory of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ). The number of members is an .8 percent drop over the past year. The drop is one of the smallest in recent years. In comparison, membership declined 2.1 percent from 1994 to 1995. The number of participating members in 1995 also dropped, from 607,905 to 603,235, about .8 percent as well. . Eight of the church's 36 regions, or geographical areas, showed gains in both total and participating members. They are: Arkansas, the Capital Area (includes Delaware, District of Columbia and Maryland), Georgia, Michigan, Northeastern (includes Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Jersey and New York), South Carolina, Tennessee and Canada. A longer perspective, looking back over the past 10 years, shows a 16 percent drop in the church's total membership since 1985. The total number of Disciples congregations is 4,070. The number includes 50 congregations in formation, or new congregations, in 21 regions. Overall, average worship attendance in 1995 fell from 303,020 to 300,398 persons. The number of baptisms remained almost the same, a number that rose in 18, or half, of the regions. Giving for all causes rose, totaling $348,288,922. Giving to total Disciples causes declined, while giving to Basic Mission Finance, the denomination's shared mission fund, rose slightly in 1995. General Minister and President Richard L. Hamm said, "Of course, we would like to see growth in all categories. Nevertheless, in a time of extreme transition, the relative stability of the numbers shown in the 1996 yearbook is good news for Disciples as we seek to find our way into a future of faithfulness." The 1996 Year Book and Directory is now being distributed. The 808-page book includes listings of all ministers and congregations, reports from general units, business items from General Assembly and a new feature, a map of the church's regions. To order, contact Christian Board of Publication, P.O. Box 179, St. Louis, MO 63166-0179; or phone 800-366-3383.
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