Posted on 02/02/2024 7:04:43 AM PST by Morgana
The United Church of Christ declined by over 286,000 members from 2012 to 2022, according to recently released statistics on the theologically liberal mainline Protestant denomination.
A recent report by the UCC Center for Analytics, Research & Development and Data found that, from 2012 to 2022, the denomination experienced a net loss of 286,610 members and 551 congregations.
Additionally, from 2020 to 2022, the UCC went from having 4,794 congregations to 4,603 congregations, with membership dropping from approximately 773,000 to approximately 712,000.
The 2022 membership numbers also represented a sharp decline from 1960, when the denomination reported approximately 2.24 million members, over three times its current count.
According to the report, 128 congregations were removed from UCC records in 2022, an increase of 50.6% compared to 2021, when 85 congregations were removed.
The report states that this sharp increase could be “related to a new policy from the UCC’s Board of Directors that removes churches from records after two years of being marked inactive unless the Conference requests an extension or otherwise updates an inactive designation.”
“Since this was the first year the policy was enacted, the number of inactive churches removed is not expected to be as high in subsequent years; future years of data collection will demonstrate whether removals return to previous levels,” the report reads.
The UCC report acknowledges a considerable decline from 2005 to 2007, when “the UCC experienced a loss of nearly three congregations per week on average” due to its 2005 General Synod passing a resolution supporting same-sex marriage.
CARDD Director Erica Dollhopf said in a statement last week that she hopes the report, which details data on a host of trends in the UCC, can help local congregations “identify places where their church might have particular strengths and to find inspiration for how their church might find new pathways to flourishing.”
Dollhopf also noted that, according to the report, smaller UCC congregations tended to have the highest percentage of volunteer engagement for their assorted projects and ministries.
“This finding highlights the particular gifts of smaller churches — they tend to be close-knit, highly involved communities,” she continued. “The smallest churches by membership size tend to have the most people attending in-person worship relative to membership.”
“While not everyone who attends worship is necessarily a church member, this calculation is another way to approximate engagement, which generally is highest within smaller churches.”
The statistical report also shows that 83.1% of the denomination is white, while 4.8% is African American, 4% is Asian or Pacific Islander, and less than 1% is Hispanic.
The Great Lakes region, an area that includes Wisconsin, Michigan, Indiana, Illinois, Ohio, Kentucky and West Virginia, had the highest percentage of UCC members at 30.6%.
Behind the Great Lakes region is the Mid-Atlantic region, with 20% of UCC members; in third place is the New England region, which has 19.7% of the denomination’s members.
The Western region, which includes the West Coast and goes as far east as Colorado, Montana, New Mexico and Wyoming, has only 9.4% of the members and 13.1% of the congregations.
Last July, at their 2023 General Synod meeting in Indianapolis, Indiana, the UCC elected the Rev. Karen Georgia Thompson to be its first female president and general minister.
In her nomination speech before the General Synod last year, Thompson said that “hope springs forth” within the UCC, with the denomination being “the place where we have seen the Spirit of God poured forth among us in many ways.”
“Here is where we honor the resilience of those who came before us, took risk and oftentimes did more with less than we currently have. And here is the place we identify as now, as we ponder the call of God to be salt and light to the world,” Thompson stated.
What is a church that does not submit to the Word of God?
people decided not to give up their 10%....... God doesn’t need their money
My daughter and I went to a Methodist church. It was very “inclusive”, they talked about how “love is love” “hate has no home here” (I was going because friends went there).
The only problem was my daughter was disabled.
They put her in the infants’ nursery. Even though she was four years old they would not let her be around kids her age.
After several years I left and told them my child would grow up alone in that church since she was never allowed to play with kids her age.
“Love is love” only applies to poking people in interesting places; it doesn’t apply if you have a disability.
No wonder this denomination is shrinking.
The UCC does not need members to pay the salaries of their ministers and staff when these UCC ministers and staff get grant money to work for NGO’s who are escorting illegal invaders into the USA.
We left in about 2010. The issue for us was many of the left-wing members of the congregation wanted the membership to vote on a resolution stating that we are an open and affirming church.
We decided that such a public statement went against our core beliefs about recognizing any particular life style, race, and so forth. We wanted anyone who wanted to hear the word of the Lord to attend our church.
"That same General Synod also passed a resolution entitled “Guns and Violence,” inviting UCC members and congregations to advocate for legislation to strengthen licensing and registration of gun sales, strengthen regulations of gun dealers and ban semiautomatic assault weapons and high capacity ammunition clips."
The 2030’s will be an EXTINCTION LEVEL EVENT for mainline Protestant Churches.
I was baptized and received my first Bible in a Congregational Church.
That was a long, long time ago.
It has become a synagogue of Satan.
Sorry to hear this - this was my grandmother’s church.
I read/hear that the age of no religion is over. People know there is more than this material world and are looking for what that might be. The problem is many are turning to hallucinogens to find meaning, looking into the occult, witchcraft, New Age Eastern thought, etc. They won’t find the right answers but churches like this empty suit have failed to provide solid truth. United Church of Christ has been out of truth for as long as I have known them. We left a similar minded church, ELCA, when we saw the drift begin. Sad state to squander the opportunity to spread the Gospel message. I hate to admit other evangelical churches have closed in on themselves or look to the world for validation and they are just as responsible. God is still in control. Jesus is still King. Truth and Light exist only with them.
As bad as this is, there are whole countries of Catholics where few attend church during the course of a whole year. Millions and millions gone.
Where I live, UCC is the faggiest church in town. Rainbow crap all over, even a rainbow-painted park bench (is it racist that black is not part of the rainbow?) - even an electronic sign out in front practically begging queers of all types to join.
The UMC isn’t far behind but I reckon “get work go broke” applies to churches too, especially after 1 out of 4 UMC churches said sayonara...
The old English Conregationalists and the German Evangelical and Reformed Church going extinct. At one time where I grew up in southwestern Illinois/southeastern Missouri, where there are lots of Germans, there were other denominations, but most towns were dominated by either Catholic or E&R churches. I know of some theologically-sound congregations that left the UCC and became independent. I don’t know how anyone who is even marginally-traditional in their Christianity would stay with the UCC. I took some classes at Eden Seminary 40+ years ago. They were headed in the wrong direction then. I can’t even imagine how they would be now.
I assume the member decline is largely due to death because it is unlikely they remove members any other way. It would be interesting to see actual attendance numbers over time.
“love is love” is just as stupid as “Jesus is Love”
Any Church that simply espouses such bumper sticker theology is not interested in the Christianity.
Because...the UCC was one of the first denominations that willfully embraced the homosexual agenda and branded itself as “welcoming” and “inclusive” to every Pagan ideologue that came down the pike. All the little UCC churches in my neck of the woods were suffering extremely small, aging (dying) congregations (25 or less) with sizeable brick & mortar churches that this small group couldn’t afford to maintain. These were easy targets for a homosexual activists to take over. It started with installing a gay pastor (primarily females) who preached a “gospel” of “Welcoming Acceptance” that included deleting icons of Christ on the cross and put a rainbow flag in its place. It’s amazing how quickly the destruction of these small churches of elderly congregants were proselytized to believe it was the inerrant Will of God to go down this path. The UCC was one of the first in a long line of denominational destruction - Episcopal, Lutheran, and Methodists soon followed. Now the rot has taken over the Roman Catholic church, spearheaded by the apostate Pope Francis. It’s the classic idea of “If you can’t beat them - Join them” and destroy them from the inside.
Without question. I saw the almost immediate affect to one that was right by my house of many years. I don’t think it’s even named that any more.
Left UCC in early 1980’s as they preached social issues over biblical doctrine. Former church is now known as the go to church for alphabet people in town and even has a lesbian pastor who married her partner in front of the congregation. And they wonder why people are leaving……..
“...declined by over 286,000 members...”
Embracing sodomy and tribadism will tend to do that. /spit
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