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United Methodist Church (1968 - Present) - Religious Group

Religious Family: Methodist
Religious Tradition: Mainline Protestant
Description: The United Methodist Church, the third-largest church in America, continues the Methodist movement founded in the 18th century in England by John Wesley. In 1968, a long process of consolidation of various Methodist churches in the United States culminated in the formation of the United Methodist Church by the merger of the Methodist Church (1939-1968) and the United Evangelical Brethren.
Official Site: http://www.umc.org/
Interactive Timeline: Methodist Family Interactive Timeline

Connections: United Methodist Church


 
 Group (Active) 
 
 Group (Defunct) 
 
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Maps: United Methodist Church1

Adherence Rate per 1,000 (2020)

Congregations (2020)



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

Rank State Congregations Adherents Adherence Rate
1 Oklahoma 550 247,277 62.45
2 West Virginia 1041 111,565 62.20
3 North Carolina 1800 595,636 57.06
4 Kansas 630 165,658 56.39
5 Mississippi 989 164,073 55.41

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

Rank County Congregations Adherents Adherence Rate
1 Hooker County, NE 1 274 385.37
2 Cimarron County, OK 6 820 357.14
3 Lane County, KS 2 530 336.72
4 Cheyenne County, KS 2 837 319.95
5 Clark County, KS 2 631 316.93

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

Rank Metro Congregations Adherents Adherence Rate
1 Woodward, OK Micro Area 11 3,952 163.18
2 Maysville, KY Micro Area 14 2,646 154.56
3 Oil City, PA Micro Area 38 7,655 151.72
4 Kill Devil Hills, NC Micro Area 15 5,472 148.23
5 Cambridge, MD Micro Area 39 4,373 134.43

United Methodist Church, Members (1967 - 2009)2


United Methodist Church, Ministers & Churches (1967 - 2009)2


United Methodist Church, Trends (1967 - 2009)2

YEAR MEMBERS MINISTERS CHURCHES
1967 11,026,976 41,993
1968 10,990,720 33,236 41,901
1969 10,824,010 34,651 40,989
1970 10,671,774 34,561 40,653
1971 10,509,198 34,822 40,054
1972 10,334,521 34,974 39,626
1973 10,192,265 34,885 39,395
1974 10,063,046 35,106 39,195
1975 9,957,710 35,245 39,027
1976 9,861,028 35,488 38,795
1977 9,785,534 35,779 38,744
1978 9,731,779 35,939 36,682
1979 9,653,711 36,066 38,576
1980 9,519,407 36,502 38,417
1981 9,457,012 36,676 38,298
1982 9,405,164 36,882 38,181
1983 9,291,936 37,228 38,055
1984 9,266,853 37,483 37,990
1985 9,192,172 37,808 37,876
1986 9,124,575 37,999 37,750
1987 9,055,145 37,641
1988 8,979,139 37,514
1989 8,904,824 37,407
1991 8,789,101 38,492 37,100
1993 8,646,595 38,479 36,771
1994 8,584,125 38,481 36,559
1995 8,538,662 39,061 36,361
1996 8,496,047 36,170
1998 8,400,000 36,170
1999 8,377,662 43,872 35,609
2000 8,340,954 44,118 35,469
2001 8,298,145 44,539 35,275
2002 8,251,175 44,987 35,102
2003 8,186,254 45,176 34,892
2004 8,075,010 45,149 34,660
2005 7,995,456 45,158 34,397
2006 7,931,733 45,220 34,398
2007 7,853,987 45,186 34,136
2009 7,679,850 45,230 33,583
       

Demographic & Public Opinion Data

The following table provides information from United Methodist Church 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 Methodist Church)
Percent
Percent that live in the South. 47
Percent that are currently citizens of the United States 98.9
Percent that are 60 or older 54.6
Percent female 56.6
Percent of Hispanic origin or descent 1.5
Percent that are white 95.5
Percent born in the United States 97
Percent that are currently married 60.4
Percent with a family income of less than $40,000 a year 25.9
Percent that have a B.A., B.S. or other 4-year college degree 49.9
   

Religious Practices (United Methodist Church)
Percent
Percent that are members of a local house of worship 72.6
Percent that pray at least once a day 61.9
Percent that meditate at least once a week 42.9
Percent that attend religious services at least once a week 46
Percent that read scripture outside of religious services at least once a week 38.7
Percent that participate in prayer groups, Scripture study groups or religious education programs at least once a week 25.1
Percent that share their faith with "non-believers or people from other relgious backgrounds" at least once a week 15.8
Percent that did volunteer work in the last seven days 40.8
Percent that speak in tongues at least once a month 6.2
   

Religious Beliefs (United Methodist Church)
Percent
Percent that believe in God or a universal spirit 98.3
Percent that believe in Heaven 83.6
Percent that believe in Hell 61
Percent that believe in reincarnation 0
Percent that say religion is a very important part of their life 62.1
Percent that believe their holy book is the word of God 69.1
Percent that believe that their church or denomination should preserve its traditional beliefs and practices 39
Percent that look most to "religious teachings and beliefs" when it comes to questions of right and wrong 37.1
Percent that believe that churches and other religious organizations bring people together and strengthen community bonds 95.4
Percent that believe that churches and other religious organizations play an important role in helping the poor and needy 94.2
Percent that believe that churches and other religious organizations protect and strengthen morality in society 88.1
Percent that believe that churches and other religious organizations are too involved with politics 36.8
Percent that believe that churches and other religious organizations are too concerned with money and power 40.8
Percent that believe that churches and other religious organizations focus too much on rules 37.4
Percent that think about the meaning and purpose of life at least once a week 51
Percent that feel a strong sense of gratitude or thankfulness at least once a week 83.9
Percent that feel a deep sense of wonder about the universe at least once a week 43.9
Percent that feel a deep sense of spiritual peace and well-being at least once a week 63.1
Percent that think many religions can lead to eternal life 82.5
   

Moral Attitudes (United Methodist Church)
Percent
Percent that believe that there are clear and absolute standards for what is right and wrong 38.4
Percent that think homosexuality should be accepted by society 60.1
Percent that "strongly favor" allowing gays and lesbians to marry legally 17.9
Percent that think more women in the workforce is a change for the worse 9.7
Percent that think that more people having children without getting married is a change for the worse 67.6
Percent that believe that abortion should be illegal in all cases 6.5
   

Political Attitudes (United Methodist Church)
Percent
Percent Republican 40.7
Percent that are conservative or very conservative 44.6
Percent that are not registered to vote 7
Percent that personally know anyone who is gay or lesbian 84.9
Percent that believe that government aid to the poor does more harm than good 53.7
Percent that think that growing immigration is a change for the worse 46.2
Percent that believe that stricter environmental laws and regulations are worth the cost. 53
Percent that would prefer a smaller government, with fewer services 68.6
   

Other Beliefs and Attitudes (United Methodist Church)
Percent
Percent that are very satisfied with their health 54.8
Percent that are "very satisfied" with family life 75.6
Percent that say they are "very happy" with life these days 36.3
Percent that believe that humans and other living beings evolved over time 63.5
   

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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