Note and Comment

Review and Herald Publishing Association · Takoma Park Station, Washington, D. C. · Feb 24, 1916

Increase in American Churches

SAYS the New York Times of January 30:—

“According to figures given out yesterday by the Federal Council of Churches, the churches of the United States, irrespective of denomination, had last year the greatest growth in their history. The report indicates that of the 100,000,000 Americans approximately 40,000,000 are church members. The following table shows the enrolled membership for 1915 of the best-known religious bodies, with the gain or loss of each:—

	Present Membership	Growth in 1915
Baptists, North .....	1,252,633	14,310
Baptists, South .....	2,705,121	112,804
Catholics, East. Ortho.	467,500	5,000
Catholics, Roman ...	14,049,068	259,426
Congregationalists ...	771,362	18,274
Disciples of Christ...	1,363,100	.....
Evangelicals .......	205,255	14,962
Friends (Quakers)..	120,712	.....
Lutherans ........	2,434,188	*10,786
Methodists, North ....	3,657,594	54,329
Methodists, Prot. ....	201,110	20,728
Methodists, South ...	2,072,035	66,328
Presbyterians, North.	1,434,400	56,200
Presbyterians, United	153,651	5,431
Presbyterians, South	332,339	21,737
Protestant Episcopal .	1,040,896	25,648
Reformed in Amer...	126,847	3,704
Reformed in U. S...	320,459	7,779
Unitarians ........	70,542	.....
United Brethren ....	360,387	38,343
Universalists .....	55,000	3,000

Loss”