CHICAGO (ELCA) -- The Evangelical Lutheran Church
in America (ELCA) reported a baptized membership of 4,709,956
in 10,448 congregations in 2007. The ELCA Office of the
Secretary analyzed membership and income data obtained
from parochial reports that ELCA congregations submit
at the end of each year.
David D. Swartling, ELCA secretary, said the data
indicated a decline in membership of 64,247 and a decrease
of 22 congregations from 2006. The membership decline
of 1.34 percent in 2007 was less than the 1.58 percent
decline of 76,573 members in 2006, he said.
Total receipts for ELCA congregations exceeded $2.8
billion in 2007, an increase of more than $67 million
from the previous year, according to the ELCA Office
of the Secretary. In 2007 average giving per baptized
member in ELCA congregations increased 3.96 percent
compared to 2006 and 29.09 percent since 2000.
"Congregational reports reflect the wealth of many
ELCA congregations and the opportunities for expanding
ministry," Swartling said. The reported value of assets
held by ELCA congregations increased in 2007 to more than
$20.6 billion, an increase of 6.75 percent over the value
in 2006, he said.
The average number of people at worship in ELCA
congregations in 2007 decreased slightly from the preceding
year. A total of 1,362,120 people, or 28.92 percent of
baptized ELCA members, attended weekly worship. That
compares to 1,408,682, or 29.50 percent of all baptized
ELCA members, participating in worship each week in 2006.
"The ELCA remains committed to increasing the
diversity of the church," Swartling said. For 2007, 3.23
percent of ELCA baptized members were identified as people
of color or people whose primary language is not English,
compared to 3.15 percent in 2006. Approximately 65 percent
of ELCA congregations reported having people of color as
members, he said.
The number of Arab/Middle Eastern members went up 9.87
percent, from 1,944 in 2006 to 2,136 in 2007. Latino/Hispanic
membership increased 0.49 percent, from 39,563 to 39,760.
Multiethnic membership rose 13.25 percent, from 13,613 to
15,417. Members classified as "other" increased 5.50 percent,
from 10,802 to 11,397.
The number of African American/Black members in the ELCA
went down 0.73 percent, from 53,288 in 2006 to 52,896 in 2007.
American Indian/Alaska Native membership dropped 2.01 percent,
from 7,007 to 6,866. Asian/Pacific Islander membership
declined 1.52 percent, from 22,545 to 22,202. White membership
fell 1.43 percent, from 4,624,249 to 4,558,059 in 2007.
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A summary of ELCA congregational statistics for Dec. 31,
2007, is in a PDF file at http://tinyurl.com/ELCAstatistics2007
on the Web.
A table summarizing membership statistics since 1988 is
available at http://archive.ELCA.org/news/table.html on the
ELCA Web site.
For information contact:
John Brooks, Director (773) 380-2958 or news@elca.org
http://www.elca.org/news
ELCA News Blog: http://www.elca.org/news/blog
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About the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America:
The ELCA is one of the largest Christian denominations in the United States, with 2.8 million members in more than 8,500 worshiping communities across the 50 states and in the Caribbean region. Known as the church of "God's work. Our hands.," the ELCA emphasizes the saving grace of God through faith in Jesus Christ, unity among Christians and service in the world. The ELCA's roots are in the writings of the German church reformer Martin Luther.
For information contact:
Candice Hill Buchbinder
Public Relations Manager
Candice.HillBuchbinder@ELCA.org
