The Evangelical Presbyterian Church (EPC) experienced another year of growth in 2016 – adding 26 churches and 967 members during the year. The denomination also increased its worship attendance by more than 2,000.
By the end of 2016, the EPC had 150,042 members, an increase of 967 from the 2015 total of 149,075. Total churches increased from 576 in 2015, to 602 in 2016 – an increase of 26 churches.
Between May 28, 2016 and May 22, 2015, 11 churches from the Presbyterian Church (USA) joined the EPC during the year, while four churches were either dismissed or dissolved.
An increase in worship attendance was also reported. In 2015, the EPC reported that 93,736 attended worship. That number increased by 2,168 in 2016 to a total of 95,904.
Other statistics found in the 2016 Annual Statistical Report Summary include: (Statistics found on page 362 of pdf file.)
- Adult profession, 1,071
- Youth profession, 1,351
- Transfer gains, 1,870
- Transfer loss, 942
- Death, 1,461
- Infant baptism, 1,502
- Adult baptism, 701
GA begins Tuesday
The 37th Annual General Assembly of the Evangelical Presbyterian Church begins Tuesday (6/20/17) at Fair Oaks Presbyterian Church in Sacramento, Calif.
The GA’s theme – Generation to Generation – comes from Psalm 79:13: “From generation to generation we will proclaim your praise.”
GA documents can be found here, and #epc2017ga is the assembly’s official hashtag to post, follow or comment on the work of the assembly. The GA brochure that includes the schedule, descriptions of events for adults and children and information on the keynote speakers is available here.
For more EPC General Assembly news, visit the EPConnection.
5 Comments. Leave new
The Presbyterian Church in America also grew last year.
Total membership increased by 3,829 to 374,161, an increase of 1.03%. The number of professions of faith by adults increased by 124 to 5,306, while that of children and youth dipped slightly by 74 to 4,423. The number of adult baptisms fell by 36 to 7,399, while that of infant baptisms increased by a modest 157 to 5,581.
Likewise, the number of teaching elders increased by 161 to 4,761, and the number of candidates increased by 88 to 637. The number of churches also increased from 1,534 to 1,545.
Giving was also up, as total contributions increased from $784 million in 2015 to $814 million in 2016.
You would think that the louisville sluggers would take note of this given the declining membership, but when you have blackmail money, endowments and investment income from a record stock market, who needs people.
On old Elder one time said to me, Jesus never majored in the ‘book of numbers’. The point being that numerical growth should never used used by a church or denomination as an indication of either spiritual health, strength of membership faith or being ‘blessed’. As numerical decline either in a local church or denomination does not always imply a state of dysfunction, institutional rot, or being in state of damnation.
There are a host of factors, economic, demographic, population trends that either affect a local church or mission, that are far outside one’s local control. That said though what separates the ECOs/EPCs/PCA’s of the world from the PCUSA is indeed a degree and matter of overall spiritual health across the body, relative positive leadership, vice the hot mess, message incoherence, and incompetence of all things Louisville. And an overall respect for personal and corporate rights and personal freedoms. Vice the PCUSA who either sees its membership or base as assets to be milked, assessed or appropriated. There is also an over all culture of fear, paranoia, hostility that permeates all things on the larger institutional scale of the PCUSA.
From the matters of abortion, to Israel, to the plight of the working class poor, to matters of political correctness and censorship of expression, the soil upon which the PCUSA seeks to plant and grow is simply toxic for lack of a better term and hostile to life, hence they die over time. Its not rocket science.
You are so right, the PCUSA is all about the money.
A 63% level of membership-to-worship attendance. Except for very small congregations (micro-churches under 50 members), I doubt most PCUSA congregations reach that ratio.