Church of God and Saints of Christ (1896 - Present) - Religious Group
Religious Family: JudaismReligious Tradition: Other Christians
Description: Elder William S. Crowdy, a black cook on the Sante Fe Railroad, claimed to have a vision from God telling him to lead his people to true religion. He left his job and founded the Church of God and Saints of Christ in 1896 at Lawrence, Kansas. The doctrine of the Church of God is a complicated mixture of Judaism, Christianity, and black nationalism.
Official Site: https://www.cogasoc.org/
Church of God and Saints of Christ: Congregations (2020)1
Top 5 Church of God and Saints of Christ States (2020)1 [View all States]
| Rank | State | Congregations | Adherents | Adherence Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | New Jersey | 4 | -- | -- |
| 2 | Maryland | 3 | -- | -- |
| 3 | Connecticut | 2 | -- | -- |
| 4 | Ohio | 2 | -- | -- |
| 5 | Virginia | 2 | -- | -- |
Top 5 Church of God and Saints of Christ Counties (2020)1 [View all Counties]
| Rank | County | Congregations | Adherents | Adherence Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Essex County, NJ | 2 | -- | -- |
| 2 | Fairfield County, CT | 1 | -- | -- |
| 3 | New Haven County, CT | 1 | -- | -- |
| 4 | Broward County, FL | 1 | -- | -- |
| 5 | DeKalb County, GA | 1 | -- | -- |
Top 5 Church of God and Saints of Christ Metro Areas (2020)1 [View all Metro Areas]
| Rank | Metro | Congregations | Adherents | Adherence Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA Metro Area | 4 | -- | -- |
| 2 | Virginia Beach-Norfolk-Newport News, VA-NC Metro Area | 2 | -- | -- |
| 3 | Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV Metro Area | 1 | -- | -- |
| 4 | Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD Metro Area | 1 | -- | -- |
| 5 | Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH Metro Area | 1 | -- | -- |
Church of God and Saints of Christ, Members (1935 - 1959)2
Church of God and Saints of Christ, Ministers & Churches (1935 - 1959)2
Church of God and Saints of Christ, Trends (1935 - 1959)2
| YEAR | MEMBERS | MINISTERS | CHURCHES |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1935 | 3,311 | 200 | 94 |
| 1937 | 7,000 | 120 | |
| 1946 | 34,045 | 189 | |
| 1951 | 34,710 | 204 | |
| 1952 | 34,816 | 208 | |
| 1953 | 35,126 | 214 | |
| 1954 | 35,921 | 213 | |
| 1955 | 36,041 | 216 | |
| 1959 | 38,127 | 217 | |
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.
