Liberal Catholic Church, Province of the United States of America (1916 - Present) - Religious Group
Religious Family: Other GroupsReligious Tradition: Other Christians
Description: The Liberal Catholic Church was established in 1916 through a reorganization of the former Old Catholic Church in Great Britain. The first Bishop was James Ingall Wedgwood, who brought the church to the United States shortly afterward and ordained new priests. After a schism and subsequent legal dispute over the name, the church reincorporated with its current name in 1962, in Maryland, but the world headquarters is in London.
Official Site: http://www.thelccusa.org/
Liberal Catholic Church, Province of the United States of America: Congregations (2020)1
Top 5 Liberal Catholic Church, Province of the United States of America States (2020)1 [View all States]
| Rank | State | Congregations | Adherents | Adherence Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | California | 2 | -- | -- |
| 2 | New Mexico | 2 | -- | -- |
| 3 | Colorado | 1 | -- | -- |
| 4 | Illinois | 1 | -- | -- |
| 5 | Iowa | 1 | -- | -- |
Top 5 Liberal Catholic Church, Province of the United States of America Counties (2020)1 [View all Counties]
| Rank | County | Congregations | Adherents | Adherence Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Contra Costa County, CA | 1 | -- | -- |
| 2 | Ventura County, CA | 1 | -- | -- |
| 3 | Weld County, CO | 1 | -- | -- |
| 4 | DuPage County, IL | 1 | -- | -- |
| 5 | Jefferson County, IA | 1 | -- | -- |
Top 5 Liberal Catholic Church, Province of the United States of America Metro Areas (2020)1 [View all Metro Areas]
| Rank | Metro | Congregations | Adherents | Adherence Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Albuquerque, NM Metro Area | 2 | -- | -- |
| 2 | Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD Metro Area | 1 | -- | -- |
| 3 | Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN-WI Metro Area | 1 | -- | -- |
| 4 | Fairfield, IA Micro Area | 1 | -- | -- |
| 5 | Greeley, CO Metro Area | 1 | -- | -- |
Liberal Catholic Church, Province of the United States of America, Members (1971 - 2006)2
Liberal Catholic Church, Province of the United States of America, Ministers & Churches (1971 - 2006)2
Liberal Catholic Church, Province of the United States of America, Trends (1971 - 2006)2
| YEAR | MEMBERS | MINISTERS | CHURCHES |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1971 | 1,500 | 18 | |
| 1972 | 1,500 | 84 | 18 |
| 1973 | 2,393 | 107 | 29 |
| 1985 | 2,500 | 121 | 31 |
| 1986 | 2,800 | 130 | 33 |
| 1987 | 2,800 | 127 | 34 |
| 1996 | 6,500 | 54 | 16 |
| 2000 | 6,500 | 57 | 27 |
| 2002 | 6,500 | 47 | 24 |
| 2003 | 5,800 | 53 | 21 |
| 2006 | 5,800 | 44 | 21 |
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.
