The Online Session Annual Statistical Report for the Presbyterian Church (USA) (2008)

DOI

10.17605/OSF.IO/UZJWH

Citation

Valerius, K. (2021, October 5). The Online Session Annual Statistical Report for the Presbyterian Church (USA) (2008).

Summary

This dataset is a compilation of information provided by local congregations to their presbytery. Each congregation supplied information on their location, membership, racial/ethnic makeup, finances, and several other topics. If a church had changed its name in the past year, this was reported to The Office of the General Assembly (OGA) by the presbytery, since name changes require presbytery approval. The information from each congregation was then combined by the OGA to make this dataset.

Data File

Cases: 10753
Variables: 81
Weight Variable: None

Data Collection

Each congregation was given a period of approximately two months out of the year to submit their data to their presbytery. Each presbytery established its own specific deadline for the submission of this data.

Funded By

The Office of the General Assembly

Collection Procedures

The Office of the General Assembly sent handbooks of instructions to each local congregation, which aided them in compiling, calculating and sending their own information to the local presbytery. Local congregations submitted their information by logging onto a website and entering their user name and password provided on the front of the handbook that was sent to them. After providing membership, racial/ethnic, financial and miscellaneous information, the local congregations submitted their data to the presbytery by clicking the "Submit Church Information to Presbytery" button. The data were then transferred from each presbytery to the OGA.

Sampling Procedures

Data were collected from virtually every congregation in the Presbyterian Church (USA).

Principal Investigators

Kris Valerius, Manager of the Office of the General Assembly Records of the Presbyterian Church (USA)