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United Church of Christ (1957 - Present) - Religious Group

Religious Family: Congregationalists (United Church of Christ)
Religious Tradition: Mainline Protestant
Description: The United Church of Christ was founded in 1957 as a merger of the Congregational-Christian Churches and the Evangelical and Reformed Church. It continues the American Congregational tradition.
Official Site: https://www.ucc.org/

Connections: United Church of Christ


 
 Group (Active) 
 
 Group (Defunct) 
 
 Other 

Maps: United Church of Christ1

Adherence Rate per 1,000 (2020)

Congregations (2020)



Top 5 United Church of Christ States (2020)1 [View all States]

Rank State Congregations Adherents Adherence Rate
1 Vermont 129 11,882 18.48
2 Connecticut 230 63,868 17.71
3 New Hampshire 132 16,899 12.27
4 Maine 145 15,926 11.69
5 Hawaii 114 16,726 11.49

Top 5 United Church of Christ Counties (2020)1 [View all Counties]

Rank County Congregations Adherents Adherence Rate
1 San Juan County, CO 2 182 258.16
2 Thomas County, NE 3 112 167.41
3 Mineral County, CO 1 140 161.85
4 Washington County, IL 11 1,934 140.54
5 Garfield County, NE 1 234 129.07

Top 5 United Church of Christ Metro Areas (2020)1 [View all Metro Areas]

Rank Metro Congregations Adherents Adherence Rate
1 Pottsville, PA Micro Area 35 7,866 54.99
2 Wapakoneta, OH Micro Area 4 2,503 53.92
3 Vermillion, SD Micro Area 1 759 50.71
4 Reading, PA Metro Area 53 17,723 41.33
5 New Philadelphia-Dover, OH Micro Area 11 3,791 40.65

United Church of Christ, Members (1962 - 2010)2


United Church of Christ, Ministers & Churches (1962 - 2010)2


United Church of Christ, Trends (1962 - 2010)2

YEAR MEMBERS MINISTERS CHURCHES
1962 2,056,696 8,528 6,894
1963 2,023,611 8,479 6,886
1964 2,067,223 8,692 6,957
1965 2,070,413 8,692 6,960
1966 2,063,481 8,774 6,945
1967 2,052,857 9,047 6,908
1968 2,032,648 9,058 6,866
1969 1,997,898 10,171 6,803
1970 1,960,608 10,121 6,727
1971 1,928,674 9,378 6,688
1972 1,895,016 9,480 6,635
1973 1,867,810 9,464 6,617
1974 1,841,312 9,526 6,581
1975 1,818,762 9,536 6,552
1976 1,801,241 9,607 6,528
1977 1,785,652 9,739 6,512
1979 1,745,533 9,692 6,467
1980 1,736,244 9,870 6,462
1981 1,726,244 10,008 6,443
1982 1,716,723 10,029 6,461
1983 1,701,513 10,095 6,427
1984 1,696,107 10,157 6,419
1985 1,683,777 10,085 6,408
1986 1,676,105 10,071 6,406
1987 1,662,568 10,080 6,395
1988 1,644,787 10,145 6,362
1989 1,625,969 9,870 6,388
1990 1,599,212 9,635 6,260
1991 1,583,830 10,171 6,301
1992 1,555,382 10,203 6,264
1993 1,530,178 10,230 6,225
1994 1,501,310 10,213 6,180
1995 1,472,213 10,256 6,145
1996 1,452,565 10,311 6,110
1997 1,438,181 10,296 6,061
1998 1,421,088 10,303 6,017
1999 1,401,682 10,302 5,961
2000 1,377,320 10,263 5,923
2001 1,359,105 10,347 5,888
2002 1,330,985 10,364 5,850
2003 1,296,652 10,323 5,738
2004 1,265,786 10,255 5,682
2005 1,224,297 10,231 5,567
2006 1,218,541 10,268 5,452
2007 1,145,281 10,745 5,377
2008 1,111,691 10,201 5,320
2009 1,080,199 10,191 5,287
2010 1,058,423 10,174 5,227
       

Demographic & Public Opinion Data

The following table provides information from United Church of Christ respondents on demographic characteristics and a variety of attitudes and experiences using data from the 2014 U.S. Religious Landscape Survey, collected by Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life.

Demographics (United Church of Christ)
Percent
Percent that live in the South. 16.3
Percent that are currently citizens of the United States 98.7
Percent that are 60 or older 59.9
Percent female 58.1
Percent of Hispanic origin or descent 0.9
Percent that are white 91.2
Percent born in the United States 96.5
Percent that are currently married 59.9
Percent with a family income of less than $40,000 a year 25.6
Percent that have a B.A., B.S. or other 4-year college degree 66.1
   

Religious Practices (United Church of Christ)
Percent
Percent that are members of a local house of worship 76.7
Percent that pray at least once a day 52.9
Percent that meditate at least once a week 45.8
Percent that attend religious services at least once a week 43.6
Percent that read scripture outside of religious services at least once a week 25.1
Percent that participate in prayer groups, Scripture study groups or religious education programs at least once a week 17.2
Percent that share their faith with "non-believers or people from other relgious backgrounds" at least once a week 11.5
Percent that did volunteer work in the last seven days 45.4
Percent that speak in tongues at least once a month 4.8
   

Religious Beliefs (United Church of Christ)
Percent
Percent that believe in God or a universal spirit 95.2
Percent that believe in Heaven 68.7
Percent that believe in Hell 35.7
Percent that believe in reincarnation 0
Percent that say religion is a very important part of their life 56.4
Percent that believe their holy book is the word of God 42.3
Percent that believe that their church or denomination should preserve its traditional beliefs and practices 22.9
Percent that look most to "religious teachings and beliefs" when it comes to questions of right and wrong 23.3
Percent that believe that churches and other religious organizations bring people together and strengthen community bonds 94.3
Percent that believe that churches and other religious organizations play an important role in helping the poor and needy 95.6
Percent that believe that churches and other religious organizations protect and strengthen morality in society 77.5
Percent that believe that churches and other religious organizations are too involved with politics 41
Percent that believe that churches and other religious organizations are too concerned with money and power 41.4
Percent that believe that churches and other religious organizations focus too much on rules 48.5
Percent that think about the meaning and purpose of life at least once a week 55.9
Percent that feel a strong sense of gratitude or thankfulness at least once a week 85.9
Percent that feel a deep sense of wonder about the universe at least once a week 55.1
Percent that feel a deep sense of spiritual peace and well-being at least once a week 55.5
Percent that think many religions can lead to eternal life 90.3
   

Moral Attitudes (United Church of Christ)
Percent
Percent that believe that there are clear and absolute standards for what is right and wrong 23.3
Percent that think homosexuality should be accepted by society 83.7
Percent that "strongly favor" allowing gays and lesbians to marry legally 36.6
Percent that think more women in the workforce is a change for the worse 4.8
Percent that think that more people having children without getting married is a change for the worse 52.9
Percent that believe that abortion should be illegal in all cases 4.4
   

Political Attitudes (United Church of Christ)
Percent
Percent Republican 16.3
Percent that are conservative or very conservative 22
Percent that are not registered to vote 7.5
Percent that personally know anyone who is gay or lesbian 92.1
Percent that believe that government aid to the poor does more harm than good 33
Percent that think that growing immigration is a change for the worse 28.2
Percent that believe that stricter environmental laws and regulations are worth the cost. 76.7
Percent that would prefer a smaller government, with fewer services 47.6
   

Other Beliefs and Attitudes (United Church of Christ)
Percent
Percent that are very satisfied with their health 57.3
Percent that are "very satisfied" with family life 78
Percent that say they are "very happy" with life these days 30
Percent that believe that humans and other living beings evolved over time 78
   

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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