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GRC
BRIEFS: Comments From the Director
New
Study Provides Most Complete Data on U.S. Religous Congregations
Once
again, as it has done each decade since the 1970s, the
Glenmary Research Center is publishing the most complete
and exhaustive data on the number of churches and church
members in the United States: Religious Congregations
and Membership in the United States: 2000. This every-10-year
study is conducted at the same time as the U.S. Census
in cooperation with the Association of Statisticians
of American Religious Bodies (ASARB) and other participating
religious groups.
This
study provides the most complete data available anywhere
on U.S. religious affiliation. In fact, the U.S. Census
Bureau Web site directs people with questions about
religion to the Glenmary Research Center.
In
the 19th century and into the 1940s, the U.S. Census
Bureau attempted, in various ways, to collect religious
information about Americans. When this became 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.
The Glenmary Research Center, founded in 1966, became
a key stakeholder in the development of every subsequent
edition of this Church Membership Study: 1970, 1980,
1990 and, now, 2000.
With
the participation and leadership of the Glenmary Research
Center, this study has grown each decade in the number
and diversity of religious bodies covered and the number
of church members included. Because of the increasing
breadth of this ecumenical endeavor, a more inclusive
name has been chosen for this new edition: Religious
Congregations and Membership in the United States: 2000.
The
study contains information for about 150 Christian and
non-Christian religious bodies. This includes the number
of churches/congregations and members for each group
for each county in all 50 states. Data are also presented
by state, region and religious group.
For
the first time, the 2000 study will present partial
data on the race and ethnicity of church members. 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.
Glenmary
regularly uses this data source as a major component
in its decisions to accept or return mission territory,
establish various ministries and engage in ecumenical
activities.
Glenmary’s
role in the current study is threefold: to collect the
Catholic data (Eastern and Latin Rite); to publish and
distribute the resulting book, wall map and CD-ROM;
and to serve as the primary information source for the
interpretation of findings. And requests are many!
Research
Center staff regularly respond to inquiries about religion
in America from researchers at institutions such as
Harvard, the University of Michigan and Israel’s
Ben-Gurion University. Other inquiries are regularly
received from Catholic dioceses as well as Protestant
denominational headquarters, regional departments and
local churches (e.g., evangelism, church planting).
In
addition, requests for information about the distribution
of U.S. religious groups are regularly received from
a wide spectrum of groups from The New York Times
and ABC News to Catholic newspapers to Hallmark Cards
and various marketing companies.
Copies
of this new study (including a book with 24 color maps,
a denominational families wall map and a CD-ROM with
data from 1980, 1990 and 2000 studies in several formats)
may be ordered through the
Glenmary Web site or by calling 615-256-1905, ext.
125. Once the study is published in late July, selected
data may also be viewed and reports printed from the
Religious Congregations and Membership 2000 study at
the American Religion Data Archive Web site (www.
theARDA.com) and the Glenmary Research Center section
of Glenmary’s Web site.
From
time to time, Director Ken Sanchagrin will share some
of his thoughts here concerning recent developments
in research produced outside the GRC. Please check back
for this ongoing dialogue and feel free to e-mail
Dr. Sanchagrin with your responses and suggestions
for future topics.
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