Bible Fellowship Church (1947 - Present) - Religious Group
Religious Family: HolinessReligious Tradition: Evangelical Protestant
Description: The Bible Fellowship Church was formed in 1947 by churches withdrawing from the Mennonite Brethren in Christ when the Brethren changed their name to the United Missionary Church and dropped all Mennonite connections. Members see themselves as continuing the tradition of the Mennonite Brethren of Christ. After the split in 1947, the church was allowed to operate under its former name, but it officially adopted the name Bible Fellowship Church in 1959.
Official Site: https://www.bfc.org/
Connections: Bible Fellowship Church
| Group (Active) | Group (Defunct) | Other |
Maps: Bible Fellowship Church1
Adherence Rate per 1,000 (2020)
Congregations (2020)
Top 5 Bible Fellowship Church States (2020)1 [View all States]
| Rank | State | Congregations | Adherents | Adherence Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Delaware | 5 | 959 | 0.97 |
| 2 | Pennsylvania | 50 | 12,593 | 0.97 |
| 3 | New Jersey | 7 | 565 | 0.06 |
| 4 | New Mexico | 1 | 55 | 0.03 |
| 5 | Maryland | 1 | 35 | 0.01 |
Top 5 Bible Fellowship Church Counties (2020)1 [View all Counties]
| Rank | County | Congregations | Adherents | Adherence Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Berks County, PA | 9 | 4,186 | 9.76 |
| 2 | Lehigh County, PA | 7 | 2,696 | 7.20 |
| 3 | Northumberland County, PA | 3 | 557 | 6.08 |
| 4 | Northampton County, PA | 5 | 1,301 | 4.16 |
| 5 | Lebanon County, PA | 1 | 453 | 3.16 |
Top 5 Bible Fellowship Church Metro Areas (2020)1 [View all Metro Areas]
| Rank | Metro | Congregations | Adherents | Adherence Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Reading, PA Metro Area | 9 | 4,186 | 9.76 |
| 2 | Sunbury, PA Micro Area | 3 | 557 | 6.08 |
| 3 | Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton, PA-NJ Metro Area | 14 | 4,152 | 4.82 |
| 4 | Lebanon, PA Metro Area | 1 | 453 | 3.16 |
| 5 | Lancaster, PA Metro Area | 5 | 985 | 1.78 |
Bible Fellowship Church, Members (1995 - 2010)2
Bible Fellowship Church, Ministers & Churches (1995 - 2010)2
Bible Fellowship Church, Trends (1995 - 2010)2
| YEAR | MEMBERS | MINISTERS | CHURCHES |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1995 | 7,132 | 121 | 58 |
| 1998 | 7,169 | 112 | 56 |
| 2000 | 7,258 | 113 | 57 |
| 2001 | 7,197 | 122 | 55 |
| 2002 | 7,308 | 115 | 57 |
| 2003 | 7,427 | 127 | 57 |
| 2005 | 7,470 | 130 | 61 |
| 2007 | 7,605 | 141 | 60 |
| 2008 | 7,621 | 136 | 62 |
| 2009 | 7,661 | 147 | 63 |
| 2010 | 7,627 | 150 | 65 |
Sources
1 The 2020 data were collected by the Association of Statisticians of American Religious Bodies (ASARB) and include data for 372 religious bodies or groups. Of these, the ASARB was able to gather data on congregations and adherents for 217 and on congregations only for 155. [More information on the data sources]
2 All data on clergy, members, and churches are taken from the National Council of Churches’ Historic Archive CD and recent print editions of the Council’s Yearbook of American and Canadian Churches. The CD archives all 68 editions of the Yearbook (formerly called Yearbook of the Churches and Yearbook of American Churches) from 1916 to 2000. Read more information on the Historic Archive CD and the Yearbook.
Membership figures are "inclusive." According to the Yearbook, this includes "those who are full communicant or confirmed members plus other members baptized, non-confirmed or non-communicant." Each denomination has its own criteria for membership.
When a denomination listed on the Historic Archive CD was difficult to identify, particularly in early editions of the Yearbook, the ARDA staff consulted numerous sources, including Melton’s Encyclopedia of American Religions and the Handbook of Denominations in the United States. In some cases, ARDA staff consulted the denomination’s website or contacted its offices by phone. When a denomination could not be positively identified, its data were omitted.
