In this chapter I thought we would take a look at congregations that reported multiple markers of vitality. I queried all churches of at least five members that had an increase in worship attendance; at least one profession of faith; children, youth, young adults, and other adults in Christian formation; at least five people in covenant groups; at least ten VBS participants; at least one community outreach ministry; sent at least one person on a mission team; and paid 100% or more of apportionments. There were 793 congregations that fell into this category, comprising 2.4% of congregations and 10% of membership.
These 793 churches ranged in average worship attendance from 27 to 4400
The median average worship attendance was 257. (Half the churches had an average attendance less than 257 and half greater)
The mean for worship attendance was 386. (Total worship attendance divided by number of churches.)
These churches combined for an increase in membership of .88% and an increase in worship attendance of 5.91%
Combined, these churches accounted for
13% of the total number of people in confirmation classes
12% of the total number of professions of faith
20% of the total number of people in covenant groups
11% of the total number of people in Vacation Bible School
8.5% of all Sunday School Classes
7.6% of all short-term classes
10% of all those served by outreach ministries
13.75% of all those in Christian Formation
Geographically these churches represented
36 Churches in the Western Jurisdiction (2.1% of churches in the jurisdiction)
315 Churches in the Southeastern Jurisdiction (2.8% of churches in the jurisdiction)
133 Churches in the North Central Jurisdiction (1.9% of churches in the jurisdiction)
104 Churches in the Northeastern Jurisdiction (1.5% of churches in the jurisdiction)
205 Churches in the South Central Jurisdiction (3.6 of churches in the jurisdiction)
In guessing by name, about 17% of the congregations were served by a lead pastor who was a woman.
(Note: I wondered in VBS was perhaps a regional thing, so I ran a new search eliminating VBS as a factor. This added 58 more churches to the total group that were pretty well distributed throughout the country, leading me to believe that including VBS as a factor was not having a negative effect on particular regions.)
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.
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.
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