ELCA Membership Tanking

ELCA NEWS SERVICE

July 19, 2007

ELCA Membership Drops 1.6 Percent to 4.8 Million in 2006 07-130-FI/LA*

CHICAGO (ELCA) -- The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) had 4,774,203 baptized members in 10,470 congregations at the end of 2006, according to the Rev. Lowell G. Almen, ELCA secretary. Those figures represent decreases of 76,573 baptized members and 79 congregations since 2005.

The secretary's comparison of congregational statistics for 2005 and 2006 noted that confirmed membership in the ELCA declined in 2006 by 56,546 to 3,580,402.

In the past 16 years the ELCA lost approximately 466,000 baptized members from the 5,240,739 members reported in 1990, Almen said. More than two-thirds of the decline occurred between 2002 and 2006, with a combined decrease of 325,674 baptized
members, according to annual reports from congregations compiled by the ELCA Office of the Secretary.

Parochial reports showed the loss was because of a decrease in the number of new members, the disbanding of 40 congregations, and "roll cleaning" in many remaining congregations, Almen said. Roll cleaning resulted in a loss of 202,246 members in 2006 and a loss of 208,436 members in 2005. Those reductions occur when
long-inactive members, who indicate no interest in continued participation, are removed from the rolls of congregations, he explained.

Nineteen congregations with a combined baptized membership of 7,196 withdrew from the ELCA in 2006. One congregation with membership of 104 was removed.

The average number of people in worship on Sundays decreased slightly in 2006. A total 1,408,682 or 29.50 percent of all baptized ELCA members participated in worship each week. That percentage fluctuated in the ELCA between 30 and 31 percent in recent years.

The last time a gain of ELCA membership occurred was in 1991, with a net gain of 4,438 baptized members that year, Almen reported.

Baptisms, affirmations of faith and transfers from other Lutheran congregations accounted for fewer new members in 2006 than they did in 2005. There were 66,166 baptisms of children in 2006 -- down 1,486 from 67,652 in 2005. There were 52,357
affirmations of faith in 2006, compared to 53,961 in 2005. There were 71,110 transfers from Lutheran congregations in 2006 -- down 5,408 from 76,518 in 2005.

Adult baptisms decreased by 359 -- from 6,764 in 2005 to 6,405 in 2006. accessions from non-Lutheran congregations declined 1,003 -- from 17,794 in 2005 to 16,791 in 2006.

There were 1,513 fewer deaths of ELCA members -- 47,210 in 2005 to 45,697 in 2006. There were 3,176 fewer transfers to other Lutheran congregations -- from 53,429 in 2005 to 50,253 in 2006.

The average number of baptized members per congregation decreased in 2006 by four people to 459, and the average confirmed membership decreased by three people to 345.

For 2006, 3.15 percent of ELCA baptized members were identified as persons of color or persons whose primary language is not English, essentially unchanged from 2005, according to Almen.

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A table summarizing annual statistics compiled by the ELCA Office of the Secretary is at http://www.ELCA.org/news/table.html on the Web.

* The Rev. Lowell G. Almen is secretary of the ELCA.