Sad Statistics

After four years, spent tabulating statistics from every congregation in the country, the Bureau of the Census last week released a U. S. religious census for 1936 (first since 1926). It made sad reading for the devout. Though church membership had risen in the decade from 54,576,346 to 55,807,366, the percentage of increase was well under that for the population as a whole. Worse still, church expenditures had dropped from $817,214,528 in 1926 to $518,953,571 in 1936, and the value of church buildings from $3,839,500,610 to $3,411,875,467.

New sects swelled the total number of U. S. religious bodies from 213 to 256, though the number of church buildings was reduced during the decade from 232,154 to 199,302. The Roman Catholics, largest single church, showed an increase of 1,309,934 (total: 19,914,937 members). Jewish congregations rose 559,942 to 4,641,184. Most major Protestant churches showed a decline: Baptists from 8,441,030 to 8,262,287; Methodists from 8,070,619 to 7,001,637; Presbyterians from 2,625,284 to 2,513,653; Episcopalians from 1,859,086 to 1,735,335; Disciples of Christ from 1,377,595 to 1,196,315; the Congregational & Christian Church from 994,491 to 976,388; Quakers from 110,422 to 93,697. Gainers included the Lutherans (3,965,152 to 4,245,160), Mormons (606,561 to 774,169), the Evangelical & Reformed Church (675,804 to 723,877), Christian Scientists (202,098 to 268,915), Seventh-Day Adventists (110,998 to 133,254), the Salvation Army (74,768 to 103,038).

Smallest sect reporting was the Friends (Primitive), whose lone congregation had 14 members. Most remarkable sect: the Two -Seed -in -the -Spirit Predestinarian Baptists (16 churches, 201 members), who believe that Adam & Eve were infused with a "good seed" from God, that Eve received a "bad seed" from Satan. Since everyone is born of either a good seed or a bad seed, and nothing can be done about it, this church does no gospel preaching, no missionary work.

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