Moravian Church in America (Unitas Fratrum), Southern Province (1857 - Present) - Religious Group
Religious Family: UnclassifiedReligious Tradition: Mainline Protestant
Description: The Moravian Church in America (Unitas Fratrum) traces its origins to the reforming activity of John Hus in the 15th century in Czechoslovakia. It was brought to America in 1735 by a group under the leadership of Bishop August Gottlieb Spangenberg. In 1857, they divided into the Moravian Church in America (Unitas Fratrum) Northern Province and Southern province while still sharing full fellowship.
Official Site: https://www.moravian.org/southern/
Maps: Moravian Church in America (Unitas Fratrum), Southern Province1
Adherence Rate per 1,000 (2020)
Congregations (2020)
Top 4 Moravian Church in America (Unitas Fratrum), Southern Province States (2020)1 [View all States]
| Rank | State | Congregations | Adherents | Adherence Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | North Carolina | 44 | 13,130 | 1.26 |
| 2 | Florida | 5 | 880 | 0.04 |
| 3 | Virginia | 3 | 190 | 0.02 |
| 4 | Georgia | 1 | 91 | 0.01 |
Top 5 Moravian Church in America (Unitas Fratrum), Southern Province Counties (2020)1 [View all Counties]
| Rank | County | Congregations | Adherents | Adherence Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Forsyth County, NC | 29 | 10,104 | 26.41 |
| 2 | Stokes County, NC | 2 | 624 | 14.02 |
| 3 | Carroll County, VA | 3 | 190 | 6.52 |
| 4 | Davie County, NC | 1 | 215 | 5.03 |
| 5 | Surry County, NC | 1 | 228 | 3.20 |
Top 5 Moravian Church in America (Unitas Fratrum), Southern Province Metro Areas (2020)1 [View all Metro Areas]
| Rank | Metro | Congregations | Adherents | Adherence Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Winston-Salem, NC Metro Area | 33 | 10,997 | 16.27 |
| 2 | Mount Airy, NC Micro Area | 1 | 228 | 3.20 |
| 3 | Greensboro-High Point, NC Metro Area | 4 | 678 | 0.87 |
| 4 | Hickory-Lenoir-Morganton, NC Metro Area | 1 | 131 | 0.36 |
| 5 | Wilmington, NC Metro Area | 1 | 97 | 0.34 |
Moravian Church in America (Unitas Fratrum), Southern Province, Members (1967 - 1991)2
Moravian Church in America (Unitas Fratrum), Southern Province, Ministers & Churches (1967 - 1991)2
Moravian Church in America (Unitas Fratrum), Southern Province, Trends (1967 - 1991)2
| YEAR | MEMBERS | MINISTERS | CHURCHES |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1967 | 22,373 | 60 | 49 |
| 1968 | 22,732 | 58 | 49 |
| 1969 | 22,333 | 57 | 49 |
| 1970 | 22,357 | 58 | 50 |
| 1971 | 22,784 | 58 | 49 |
| 1972 | 22,784 | 60 | 49 |
| 1974 | 21,549 | 61 | 51 |
| 1975 | 21,467 | 67 | 51 |
| 1976 | 21,288 | 70 | 50 |
| 1977 | 20,957 | 70 | 50 |
| 1978 | 21,002 | 72 | 52 |
| 1979 | 21,058 | 69 | 53 |
| 1980 | 21,057 | 78 | 53 |
| 1981 | 21,233 | 77 | 55 |
| 1982 | 21,618 | 81 | 56 |
| 1983 | 21,726 | 81 | 55 |
| 1984 | 21,516 | 85 | 56 |
| 1985 | 21,714 | 85 | 56 |
| 1986 | 21,722 | 83 | 56 |
| 1987 | 21,675 | 83 | 55 |
| 1988 | 21,467 | 87 | 54 |
| 1989 | 21,341 | 89 | 55 |
| 1991 | 21,513 | 95 | 56 |
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.
