HISTORICAL DEVELOPMENT OF DENOMINATIONS IN THE U.S.
Religious pluralism was not desired our forefathers. It was adopted because
No church was strong enough to dominate
Sectarian groups were not strong enough to dominate
Government supported Christian values
The King James Bible was read in schools
Blasphemy was a punishable offense
Sabbath laws were enforced
Court decisions made reference to Protestant Christianity
There was an expectation that Christianity would become
more unified
America’s mission was to convert the world
Sects later became to be seen as a revitalization of true religion
An unregulated, free market religious economy was the solution to competition among churches and sects
Religion became a matter of individual choice
CHANGES IN DENOMINATIONAL PROFILE: 1776-1850
The religious profile of the U.S. has changed dramatically historically
Mainline denominations have been declining since the late 18th century
The decline went unnoticed initially because
The overall population grew and mainline churches participated in that growth
The church membership rate increased from 17% to 34 %
Liberal Protestant church es continued to represent the privileged and powerful
Elite seminaries trained ministers
Media coverage of mainlines was respectful and posed no challenge to their position
The first major shift in denominational loyalty occurred following the colonial settlement
Percent of Adherents
Denomination 1776 1850
------------------------------------------------------
Congregationalists 20.4 4.0
Episcopalians 15.7 3.5
Presbyterians 19.0 11.6
Baptists 16.9 20.5
Methodists 2.5 34.2
Catholics 1.8 13.9
Causes of Shift
Some churches were unprepared to deal with a competitive religious economy
Highly educated clergy disdained competitive economy
Some churches were unprepared to move West
Episcopalians and Congregationalists were hindered by a professional clergy, centralized organization, established churches in the colonies, and more complex theology
Methodists and Baptists were aided by clergy selected from parishioner ranks, democratic
organization, efficient organization, and a simple theology
Table 1
Percent of Americans Who Belong to a Local Congregation |
1776 |
17% |
1850 |
34% |
1860 |
37% |
1870 |
35% |
1890 |
45% |
1906 |
51% |
1916 |
53% |
1926 |
56% |
1952 |
59% |
1980 |
62% |
1990 |
64% |
2005* |
69% |
*From the Baylor Survey
Source: What Americans Really Believe by Rodney Stark |
Table 2
Weekly Church Attendance, 1954-2005 |
1954 (Gallup) |
44% |
1968 (Gallup) |
45% |
1964 (American Piety) |
44% |
Catholics no longer required to attend every week |
1973 (GSS*) |
36% |
1975 (GSS) |
36% |
1980 (GSS) |
35% |
1985 (GSS) |
37% |
1990 (GSS) |
35% |
1998 † (GSS) |
32% |
2005 (Baylor) |
38% |
2007 (Baylor) |
36% |
* General Social Survey
† No GSS in 1995
Source: What Americans Really Believe by Rodney Stark |
Table 3
Some Growing and Some Declining American Denominations |
Members per 1,000 US. population |
|
1960 |
2000 |
% Change |
Christian Church (Disciples) |
10.0 |
2.7 |
-71 |
United Church of Christ |
12.4 |
5.0 |
-60 |
Episcopal Church |
18.1 |
8.2 |
-55 |
United Methodist Church |
58.9 |
29.8 |
-49 |
Presbyterian Church (USA) |
23.0 |
12.7 |
-45 |
Evangelical Lutheran Church |
29.3 |
18.2 |
-39 |
Unitarian-Universalist |
1.0 |
0.8 |
-20 |
Liberal Protestants |
152.7 |
77.4 |
-49 |
|
|
|
|
Southern Baptist Convention |
53.8 |
56.3 |
+5 |
Church of the Nazarene |
1.7 |
2.2 |
+35 |
Seventh-day Adventist |
1.8 |
3.1 |
+72 |
Foursquare Gospel |
0.5 |
0.9 |
+80 |
Jehovah’s Witness* |
1.4 |
3.5 |
+150 |
Assemblies of God |
2.8 |
9.1 |
+225 |
Church of God (Cleveland, TN) |
0.9 |
3.1 |
+244 |
Church of God in Christ |
2.2 |
19.5 |
+786 |
Conservative Protestants |
73.3 |
115.9 |
+158 |
|
|
|
|
Roman Catholic |
233.0 |
221.7 |
-5 |
Latter-day Saints (Mormon) † |
8.2 |
18.2 |
+122 |
* “Publishers” only
† American members only
Source: Calculated from the Yearbook of American Churches, 1962 and Yearbook of American and Canadian Churches 2001 and published in What Americans Really Believe by Rodney Stark |
Explanations for mainline losses
Conservative churches grew at the expense of liberal churches through switching
Youthful defections mounted in the 1960s as part of the protest counterculture
Baby boom children reached college age in the 1960s and 1970s