Religious Congregations & Membership: 2000

A list of contact persons is provided below. For other questions, contact Glenmary's Communications Office at 513-881-7442 or jbach@glenmary.org

History and Background

Religious Congregations & Membership in the United States: 2000 is the latest in a series of every-10-year studies conducted at the same time as the U.S. census. It provides the most complete data available anywhere on U.S. religious affiliation.

Beginning in the 19th century and continuing into the 1930s, the U.S. Census Bureau attempted to collect religious information about Americans. When this was no longer feasible because of concerns over the separation of church and state, many feared this valuable information would be lost.

In 1956 the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the U.S.A. made an effort to respond to this need and published what became known as the “Church Membership Study.” It used 1952 data for 53 denominations, and is now out of print. The Glenmary Research Center, founded in 1966, became a key stakeholder in the development of every subsequent edition of this Church Membership Study in 1971, 1980, 1990 and, now, 2000.

Beginning in 1990, the Association of Statisticians of American Religious Bodies (ASARB) assumed coordination of the study.

From ‘Churches’ to ‘Religious Congregations’

This study has grown each decade in the number and diversity of religious bodies covered. Because of the increasing breadth of this ecumenical endeavor, a more inclusive name has been chosen for this new edition: Religious Congregations & Membership in the United States: 2000.

Previous studies carry the title “Churches and Church Membership in the United States” followed by the specific dates of the studies: 1971, 1980 and 1990.

Specifics of 2000 Study

The 2000 study contains information for 149 Christian and other religious bodies. This includes the number of churches/congregations, full members and adherents for each group for each county in all 50 states. Data are also presented by state, region and religious group.

The total population for each county is also presented so that the number and percentage of persons in each county who are “unclaimed” by any of the participating religious bodies can be computed.

Responsible for the Study

• The Association of Statisticians of American Religious Bodies (ASARB) coordinates the collection and presentation of data and holds the copyright to the study. The Nazarene Research Center manages and processes the data for the study.

• The Glenmary Research Center collects Catholic data and publishes and distributes the book, CD-ROM and wall map.

• The Lilly Endowment, Inc., provides major support.

Additional Resources:
• Media release dated Sept. 20, 2002
• Key findings from study
• Key findings for specific religious bodies
• Methodology and Cautions
• Glossary of terms/abbreviations
• Maps
• Resource people to contact
• Listings and rankings
• To preview 2000 study online
• To order