Chapter Six - 2010 Statistics

Today's chapter deals with a statistic that I call the participation ratio. This is the ratio of people in worship to membership. For example, a church that reports a membership of 200 and an average worship attendance of 100 would have a participation ratio of 100 to 200 or .5. Reported as a percentage this would be 50%. In the aggregate there are at least three ways to look at the participation ratio. One is the total participation ratio, which looks at the total number of worshippers divided by the total membership. The other is the average participation ratio, which takes participation ratio of all churches and averages them. So for example if one church has 100 members and 75 people in worship and another church has 400 members and 75 members in worship, the total participation ratio would be 30%, (75+75)/(100+ 400), and the average participation ratio would be 48%, (.75+.19)/2. The third way is the median, which indicates that half the churches were above the stated participation ratio and half were below. 

The statistics below are for churches of at least 5  members. 

In 2007 the total participation ratio was 41.26% and the median participation ratio was 45.66%

   For churches with a membership of 100 or less, the total participation ratio was 55.41%

   For churches with a membership of 101 to 500, the total participation ratio was 42.61%

   For churches with a membership of 501 to 1000, the total participation ratio was 39.41%

   For churches with a membership of over 1000, the total participation ratio was 35.29%

In 2008 the total participation ratio was 40.94% and the median participation ratio was 45.1%

  For churches with a membership of 100 or less, the total participation ratio was 54.67%

  For churches with a membership of 101 to 500, the total participation ratio was 42.2%

  For churches with a membership of 501 to 1000, the total participation ratio was 39.09%

  For churches with a membership of over 1000, the total participation ratio was 35.32%

In 2009 the total participation ratio was 40.66%, the average participation ratio was 50.73%, and the median participation ratio was 45%

   For churches with a membership of 100 or less, the total participation ratio was 54.36%, and the average participation ratio was 60.43%

   For churches with a membership of 101 to 500, the total participation ratio was 42.02%, and the average participation ratio was 43%

   For churches with a membership of 501 to 1000, the total participation ratio was 38.99%, and the average participation ratio was 39.11%

   For churches with a membership of over 1000, the total participation ratio was 34.76%, and the average participation ratio was 36.06%

In 2010 the total participation ratio was 40.3%, the average participation ratio was 50.47%, and the median participation ratio was 44.66%

   For churches with a membership of 100 or less, the total participation ratio was 53.9%, and the average participation ratio was 60.08%

   For churches with a membership of 101 to 500, the total participation ratio was 41.70%, and the average participation ratio was 42.74%

   For churches with a membership of 501 to 1000, the total participation ratio was 38.55%, and the average participation ratio was 38.61%

   For churches with a membership of over 1000, the total participation ratio was 34.42%, and the average participation ratio was 35.66%

  

From a regional perspective in 2010

   Churches in the South Central Jurisdiction had a total participation ratio of 35.91% and an average participation ratio of 47.68%

   Churches in the Northeastern Jurisdiction had a total participation ratio of 37.18% and an average participation ratio of 46.1%  

   Churches in the Southeastern Jurisdiction had a total participation ratio of 39.74% and an average participation ratio of 50.25%

   Churches in the North Central Jurisdiction had a total participation ratio of 47.2% and an average participation ratio of 55.26%

   Churches in the Western Jurisdiction had a total participation ratio of 51.71% and an average participation ratio of 59.5%

I think that it is interesting to note significantly higher participation ratio of small churches as opposed to large churches and the significantly higher participation ratio of churches in the Western and North Central jurisdictions to the other regions. 

While I don't think these statistics provide any  answers, they do raise a number of questions for me, including:

    - What role does weather play in the participation ratio? (You would think that having more severe winters in the North Central jurisdiction might lead to lower participation ratios, but that does not appear to be true.)

    - How does the average age of congregational members relate to overall participation ratio? (The U.S. Congregational Life Survey indicates that younger United Methodist worshippers attend worship less frequently than  older worshippers. So, is a low participation rate a sign of less commitment or of younger members?)

   - Does the fact that the Western jurisdiction has the highest participation rate have something to do with less cultural pressure in the West to belong to a church, so that those who do join are more likely to participate?

  - What accounts for the inverse relationship between church size and worship participation? (Do people in large churches think they are less needed? Do small churches keep their membership roles cleaner?)

The statistical data included herein were provided at no charge by the General Council on Finance and Administration of The United Methodist Church (GCFA) and may be obtained directly from GCFA, PO Box 340020, Nashville, TN 37203-0029. This data is proprietary and is owned by GCFA and may not be used in any commercial or exploitative way, to make a financial profit, or in a manner that defames the United Methodist denomination or its agencies or organizations. GCFA does not endorse any particular use of the data or accept responsibility for its interpretation or analysis by another.