The LCMS -- Raw Data....
Snapshot of the Lutheran Church Missouri Synod...
|
1990 |
2000 |
Growth/Decline |
| Congregations |
6,020 |
6,077 |
+57 (0.9%) |
| Adherents |
2,603,725 |
2,521,062 |
-82,663 (-3.2%) |
Lutheran Church--Missouri Synod--Rates of Adherence Per 1000 Population (2000) Where we live:
|
Values: |
N |
|---|
|
22.51 to 68.62 |
10 |
|
6.58 to 22.39 |
10 |
|
3.31 to 6.56 |
10 |
|
1.63 to 3.07 |
10 |
|
0.32 to 1.61 |
10 |
|
| Year |
 Clergy |
 Congregations |
 Members |
| 1925 |
3,062 |
3,849 |
628,695 |
| 1929 |
3,271 |
3,942 |
696,967 |
| 1935 |
3,605 |
4,224 |
1,230,705 |
| 1939 |
- |
4,205 |
1,277,097 |
| 1941 |
- |
4,326 |
1,320,510 |
| 1944 |
0 |
4,073 |
1,356,655 |
| 1946 |
0 |
4,064 |
1,469,213 |
| 1950 |
4,621 |
4,430 |
1,674,901 |
| 1951 |
4,661 |
4,478 |
1,728,989 |
| 1953 |
4,817 |
4,592 |
1,850,100 |
| 1954 |
4,916 |
4,701 |
1,932,000 |
| 1955 |
5,020 |
4,805 |
2,004,110 |
| 1956 |
5,037 |
4,989 |
2,076,550 |
| 1957 |
5,178 |
4,979 |
2,150,230 |
| 1958 |
5,299 |
5,028 |
2,234,844 |
| 1959 |
5,398 |
5,109 |
2,304,962 |
| 1960 |
5,506 |
5,215 |
2,391,195 |
| 1961 |
5,658 |
5,276 |
2,464,436 |
| 1962 |
5,756 |
5,432 |
2,522,095 |
| 1963 |
6,091 |
5,519 |
2,591,762 |
| 1964 |
6,257 |
5,556 |
2,650,857 |
| 1965 |
6,395 |
5,639 |
2,692,889 |
| 1966 |
6,469 |
5,647 |
2,729,897 |
| 1967 |
6,572 |
5,707 |
2,759,308 |
| 1968 |
6,719 |
5,733 |
2,781,892 |
| 1969 |
6,758 |
5,745 |
2,786,102 |
| 1970 |
6,866 |
5,690 |
2,788,536 |
| 1971 |
7,041 |
5,724 |
2,788,110 |
| 1972 |
7,174 |
5,741 |
2,781,297 |
| 1973 |
7,316 |
5,777 |
2,776,104 |
| 1974 |
7,331 |
5,813 |
2,769,594 |
| 1975 |
7,425 |
5,797 |
2,763,545 |
| 1976 |
7,414 |
5,832 |
2,757,271 |
| 1977 |
7,163 |
5,687 |
2,673,321 |
| 1978 |
7,161 |
5,669 |
2,631,374 |
| 1979 |
7,211 |
5,689 |
2,623,181 |
| 1980 |
7,296 |
5,694 |
2,625,650 |
| 1981 |
7,376 |
5,710 |
2,636,715 |
| 1982 |
7,559 |
5,752 |
2,630,823 |
| 1983 |
7,682 |
5,829 |
2,630,947 |
| 1984 |
7,823 |
5,812 |
2,628,133 |
| 1985 |
7,954 |
5,876 |
2,638,164 |
| 1986 |
8,044 |
5,897 |
2,630,588 |
| 1987 |
8,139 |
5,912 |
2,614,375 |
| 1988 |
8,193 |
5,939 |
2,604,278 |
| 1989 |
8,271 |
5,990 |
2,609,025 |
| 1990 |
8,301 |
5,296 |
2,602,849 |
| 1991 |
8,389 |
5,364 |
2,607,309 |
| 1992 |
8,799 |
5,369 |
2,609,905 |
| 1993 |
8,844 |
6,134 |
2,598,935 |
| 1994 |
8,879 |
6,148 |
2,596,927 |
| 1995 |
8,140 |
6,154 |
2,594,555 |
| 1996 |
8,215 |
6,099 |
2,601,144 |
| 1997 |
8,672 |
6,215 |
2,603,036 |
| 1998 |
8,316 |
6,218 |
2,594,404 |
| 1999 |
8,365 |
6,220 |
2,582,440 |
| 2000 |
8,257 |
6,150 |
2,554,088 |
| 2001 |
8,497 |
6,187 |
2,540,045 |
| 2002 |
8,505 |
6,142 |
2,512,714 |
| 2003 |
8,515 |
6,160 |
2,488,936 |
| 2004 |
8,515 |
6,151 |
2,463,747 |
| 2005 |
8,502 |
6,144 |
2,440,864 |
| 2006 |
8,601 |
6,155 |
2,417,997 |
| 2007 |
8,901 |
6,167 |
2,383,084 |
| 2008 |
9,010 |
6,123 |
2,337,349 |
|
6 comments:
From 2000-2008 membership declined 7% while the number of clergy rose 9%. How exactly does that work ?
All the while some parishes claiming "a shortage of ministers" as to why they are not using called and ordained ministers for their services.
The link to the U.S. map showing the LCMS rates of adherence per 1000 Population (2000) includes a color legend and a state value ranking table. There are some graphics on the table of LCMS membership data also available, along with data on other denominations, on the Association of Religion Data Archives website.
The ARDA graphics show that the number of congregations has been flat since 1993, while the membership was slowly declining from 1970 - 2000, after which it has started to decline more sharply. The number of LCMS clergy has continued to increase steadily since 1950.
Adding the 2009 and 2010 data released by the LCMS, one can see, by year, the average ratios of members, congregations, and clergy in the graphs, Membership per Clergy, Congregations per Clergy, and Membership per Congregation.
More than likely the increase in clergy is due to the amount of men remaining in the pulpit after retirement. Also, the number of people it takes to increase the clergy roster by one percent is far less than the number of people it takes to increase the LCMS membership by one percent.
The expected pastoral shortfall did not happen, what we have at this time is a shortfall in calling congregations, many of whom cannot afford a Pastor full time. The number of permanent vacancies has gone up and it is a serious concern.
Rev. Allen Bergstrazer has nailed
it. The number of permanent vacancy
parishes in the LCMS has reached a
new level. Our seminary graduates
have been the victims of this
situation. These are small rural
and urban parishes which in former
years could afford a sem grad. This
is no longer the case. So retired
pastors are filling the gaps on a
part-time basis. Unfortunately, the
sems have no way to change this.
But but but.......Church Growth programs and membership in Willow Creek were supposed to result in an unprecedented explosion in new members?!?!? Where's the growth? Of course, the liturgy is to blame!
As LCMS emeritus, I am serving about half-time an urban congregation and (I confess) during the 70's, I was once distracted by church growth notions that relied on human endeavor. Though numbers can reveal some problems, they are not salvific. We are a church that fully appreciates our Lord's gift of the Means of Grace; upon them alone we rely for both diagnosis and cure. With that in mind, I have been disappointed over the years that we Lutherans often seem to lack some of the enthusiasm for God's Word that that our "evangelical" friends display. Praise God, this is not universally true; but, there occasionally seems to be a link between the decline of membership and a lack of confidence in the efficacy of God's Word. As we celebrate the salvation God's Word vouchsafes, let us do in the spirit of the psalmist: "Let the redeemed of the Lord say so!"
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