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Denominational Profile
History
 |
Presbyterian Church in the United States (1861) |
merged intoPresbyterian Church (U.S.A.) (1983) |
|
split into Presbyterian Church in America |
| The Presbyterian Church in the United States arose out of the same controversies that had split the Methodists and Baptists in the years prior to the Civil War. It was started by Southern presbyteries that withdrew from the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church in the U.S. to form the Presbyterian Church in the Confederate States (later changed to Presbyterian Church in the U.S.). |
Membership Data
| Year | Clergy | Churches | Members |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1925 | 2,195 | 3,591 | 457,093 |
| 1929 | 2,386 | 3,581 | 455,988 |
| 1931 | - | - | 427,627 |
| 1933 | - | 3,545 | 469,310 |
| 1935 | 2,460 | 3,541 | 477,467 |
| 1937 | - | 3,493 | 497,816 |
| 1940 | - | 3,487 | 532,135 |
| 1942 | - | 3,500 | 546,479 |
| 1944 | - | 3,500 | 565,853 |
| 1946 | - | - | 596,037 |
| 1947 | - | 3,542 | 613,701 |
| 1950 | 2,694 | 3,647 | 678,206 |
| 1951 | 2,795 | 3,665 | 702,266 |
| 1952 | 2,851 | 3,706 | 718,791 |
| 1953 | 3,071 | 3,778 | 756,866 |
| 1954 | 3,196 | 3,806 | 780,837 |
| 1955 | 3,292 | 3,852 | 810,917 |
| 1956 | 3,358 | 3,875 | 829,570 |
| 1957 | 3,454 | 3,928 | 848,735 |
| 1958 | 3,570 | 3,984 | 869,452 |
| 1959 | 3,672 | 3,978 | 889,196 |
| 1960 | 3,733 | 3,995 | 902,849 |
| 1961 | 3,850 | 3,998 | 917,449 |
| 1962 | 3,951 | 3,997 | 928,055 |
| 1963 | 4,024 | 4,004 | 937,558 |
| 1964 | 4,082 | 4,007 | 944,716 |
| 1965 | 4,164 | 4,008 | 950,139 |
| 1966 | 4,223 | 4,002 | 955,402 |
| 1967 | 4,290 | 3,987 | 960,776 |
| 1968 | 4,338 | 3,960 | 961,767 |
| 1969 | 4,395 | 3,926 | 957,569 |
| 1970 | 4,595 | 4,063 | 958,195 |
| 1971 | 4,858 | 4,230 | 949,857 |
| 1972 | 5,139 | 4,284 | 946,536 |
| 1973 | 5,233 | 4,347 | 906,359 |
| 1974 | 5,092 | 4,117 | 896,203 |
| 1975 | 5,059 | 4,028 | 878,126 |
| 1976 | 5,156 | 4,036 | 877,664 |
| 1977 | 5,187 | 4,010 | 869,693 |
| 1978 | 5,254 | 4,007 | 862,416 |
| 1979 | 5,431 | 4,067 | 852,711 |
| 1980 | 5,631 | 4,159 | 838,485 |
| 1981 | 5,744 | 4,174 | 823,143 |
| 1982 | 6,077 | 4,250 | 814,931 |
Data were taken from the National Council of Churches' Historic Archive CD and recent editions of the Yearbook of American and Canadian Churches. The National Council of Churches' data collection was discontinued after the 2012 Yearbook was published, and has been resumed by the Association of Statisticians of American Religious Bodies (ASARB). The tables and graphs will be updated when the new collection is available. See the Yearbook of Churches. Denomination descriptions provided by Dr. J. Gordon Melton, Director, Institute for the Study of American Religion (ISAR). [More information on data sources]
