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Reformed Church in the United States (1934 - Present) - Religious Group

Religious Family: Presbyterian/Reformed
Religious Tradition: Evangelical Protestant
Description: In 1934, the majority of the Reformed Church in the United States (formed in the 1720s) merged with the Evangelical Synod to form the Evangelical and Reformed Church (now a constituent part of the United Church of Christ). At that time, the Eureka Classis (based in South Dakota) refused to join the merger and continued as the Reformed Church in the United States and laid claim to the history of that body from the eighteenth century. The Church is a member of the International Conference of Reformed Churches.
Official Site: http://www.rcus.org/
Interactive Timeline: Presbyterian/Reformed Family Interactive Timeline

Maps: Reformed Church in the United States1

Adherence Rate per 1,000 (2020)

Congregations (2020)



Top 5 Reformed Church in the United States States (2020)1 [View all States]

Rank State Congregations Adherents Adherence Rate
1 South Dakota 10 929 1.05
2 Wyoming 2 126 0.22
3 Nebraska 4 409 0.21
4 North Dakota 3 89 0.11
5 Minnesota 3 551 0.10

Top 5 Reformed Church in the United States Counties (2020)1 [View all Counties]

Rank County Congregations Adherents Adherence Rate
1 McPherson County, SD 1 108 44.79
2 Clay County, NE 2 264 43.25
3 Campbell County, SD 1 54 39.22
4 Hutchinson County, SD 1 144 19.39
5 Lincoln County, CO 1 48 8.46

Top 5 Reformed Church in the United States Metro Areas (2020)1 [View all Metro Areas]

Rank Metro Congregations Adherents Adherence Rate
1 Mitchell, SD Micro Area 1 96 4.10
2 Vermillion, SD Micro Area 1 39 2.61
3 Aberdeen, SD Micro Area 1 109 2.58
4 Manitowoc, WI Micro Area 1 135 1.66
5 Watertown, SD Micro Area 1 53 1.54

Reformed Church in the United States, Members (1961 - 2002)2


Reformed Church in the United States, Ministers & Churches (1961 - 2002)2


Reformed Church in the United States, Trends (1961 - 2002)2

YEAR MEMBERS MINISTERS CHURCHES
1961 3,467 15 21
1962 3,431 15 21
1963 2,519 16 20
1964 3,487 15 20
1965 2,554 18 20
1967 3,423 19 20
1969 3,853 23 23
1971 4,038 25 25
1973 4,008 21 24
1974 3,940 22 24
1975 3,960 26 26
1976 3,861 25 26
1977 3,790 31 26
1980 3,660 27 29
1982 3,710 32 30
1984 3,807 33 33
1985 3,778 34 34
1992 4,178 36 37
1993 4,204 38 37
1994 4,172 40 36
1995 4,250 39 41
1997 4,246 42 38
1998 4,257 42 40
2002 4,369 50 48
       

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.

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