ELCA Membership Slips Below 5 Million In 2003

CHICAGO (ELCA) -- The baptized membership of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) slipped below 5 million in 2003, said the Rev. Lowell G. Almen, ELCA secretary.
Almen announced a reduction of 53,081 baptized members -- a decrease of about 1 percent -- for a total of 4,984,925 baptized members in 10,657 congregations.
"The statistical back door is far too large in our congregations," Almen said. "Backdoor losses muffle front door gains. Too many members slip out the back door and disappear from membership in ELCA congregations each year."
In the past 13 years the ELCA baptized membership has decreased 250,000 from 5,240,739 members reported in 1990. About half the decline occurred in 2002 and 2003. The 2003 decrease, when combined with the decrease of 61,871 baptized members in 2002, resulted in a two-year decline of 114,952.
Parochial reports showed the loss was due to a decrease in the number of new members, the disbanding of 36 congregations and "roll cleaning" in many remaining congregations. In 2003, "roll cleaning" resulted in a loss of 181,022 members on top of 186,162 members in 2002. Those reductions occur when long inactive members who indicate no interest in continued participation are removed from the congregation's membership rolls.
Eight congregations with a combined baptized membership of 11,020 withdrew from the ELCA in 2003.
The average number of people in worship on Sundays decreased slightly in 2003. About 1.5 million or 30 percent of all baptized members participate in worship each week. Average worship attendance, an indicator of active participation by members in congregations, has fluctuated in the ELCA between 30 and 31 percent.
Confirmed membership in 2003 decreased by 33,402 to 3,724,321. Communing and contributing membership, which demonstrates active participation, decreased by 44,730 to 2,349,855 in 2003, following a decline of 65,911 in 2002, for a two-year total slide of 110,641.
The last time a gain of ELCA membership occurred was in 1991, with a net gain of 4,438 baptized members that year. Losses in baptized membership for previous years were: 26,043 in 2001; 23,749 in 2000; 28,557 in 1999; 6,830 in 1998; 2,308 in 1997; 9,517 in 1996; 8,559 in 1995; 12,752 in 1994; 21,783 in 1993; and 10,609 in 1992.
The decrease in ELCA membership reflects a pattern reported by many U.S. church bodies during this period.
For 2003 in the ELCA, accessions by baptism, affirmation of faith and transfer from other ELCA congregations declined. There were 1,789 fewer baptisms of children (71,705 in 2003; 73,494 in 2002; down from 77,541 in 2001); 2,866 fewer affirmations of faith (57,914 in 2003; 60,780 in 2002; 63,072 in 2001); and 3,262 fewer transfers from Lutheran congregations (82,791 in 2003; 86,053 in 2002; 95,988 in 2001).
Adult baptisms increased by 31 (7,428 in 2003; 7,397 in 2002; and 8,455 in 2001), but accessions from non-Lutheran congregations declined 366 (19,064 in 2003; 19,430 in 2002; and 21,131 in 2001).
There were 1,107 fewer deaths in 2003 (48,557 versus 49,664 in 2002) and 3,011 fewer transfers to other Lutheran congregations (59,563 in 2003 and 62,574 in 2002).
The average number of baptized members per congregation decreased in 2003 by two people to 472, and the average confirmed membership decreased by one person to 353. In 2003, the average number of communing and contributing members slipped by three to 223 per congregation.
For 2003, almost 3 percent of ELCA baptized members were identified as people of color or people whose primary language is other than English, a slight increase from 2.75 percent in 2002.
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*The Rev. Lowell G. Almen is ELCA secretary.

For information contact:
John Brooks, Director (773) 380-2958 or news@elca.org
http://www.elca.org/news