Number of congregations departing the PCUSA, by denomination and year. Slide comes from a presentation given in 2014. Click on image to make it larger.
While the Presbyterian Church (USA) is in a decades-long membership decline, two other Presbyterian denominations are growing, according to their respective statistics, and a third, while having a slight decrease in its membership totals, grew by five churches during the year.
ECO: A Covenant Order of Evangelical Presbyterians
In 2014, the newest member of the Presbyterian family of denominations, ECO: A Covenant Order of Evangelical Presbyterians, had 77 churches join the denomination. Between January and May of 2015, 17 more churches had joined. On June 5, the web site listed 208 congregations and 305 pastors in the denomination.
ECO reached a mile-marker on May 19 when The First Presbyterian Church of Griffin, Ga., officially joined ECO, becoming its 200th church.
Dana Allin, synod executive of ECO, told The Christian Post that “Roughly 190 congregations were formerly PCUSA. Some have been church plants and some have not been connected to a denomination previously but have seen how being a part of ECO can help their mission.”
ECO developed from the formation of The Fellowship of Presbyterians (FOP). In August of 2011, more than 2,000 people gathered at the initial Fellowship meeting in Minneapolis, Minn. Five months later at a similar gathering of approximately 2,220 in Orlando, Fla., ECO was established, providing a new denominational home for those ready to do church differently while upholding a conservative or traditional Reformed faith.
Evangelical Presbyterian Church
Number of members in congregations departing PCUSA, by new denomination and year. Slide comes from a presentation given in 2014. Click on image to make it larger.
As the Evangelical Presbyterian Church prepares for its 35th General Assembly this June, denominational reports show that 46 new churches have joined the EPC since last year’s General Assembly.
As of May 26, 2015, the EPC has 566 churches, compared to 520 on May 30, 2014. The EPC tracks church movement from May of one year until May of the next, with the list being revealed at the annual June General Assembly meeting.
In his written report to the upcoming General Assembly, Stated Clerk Jeff Jeremiah wrote of the EPC’s “growing pains.”
“As a result of adding over 380 churches, we’ve added five new presbyteries since 2010. Those new presbyteries were created out of the original eight,” he said. “The gathering of long-time friends who looked forward to being together three or four times a year came to an end. New presbyteries produced the need for new leadership to step forward. ‘Old’ presbyteries, having ‘given up’ churches and leaders, have had to review their mission and re-organize to accommodate their new status. In the midst of these changes it is inevitable that problems will arise. I’m very grateful for the way TEs and REs have stepped into key positions and committees in all our presbyteries. We’re truly a “work in progress,” but we are progressing as we build strong presbyteries throughout the EPC.”
All but nine of the churches that joined the EPC between May 2013 and May 2014 were from the PCUSA. One church joined from the Presbyterian Church in America and another from the Reformed Church of America.
The EPC’s report also showed that one church was dismissed to independence, and six churches were dissolved. One of those six churches merged with another congregation.
Presbyterian Church in America
The Presbyterian Church in America also experienced an increase in the total number of churches in 2014 — from 1,494 churches at the end of 2013, to 1,499 by the close of 2014. However, membership decreased in 2014 by 1,318 members. Total membership in 2014 was 358,516, while in 2013 it was 359,834.
Presbyterian Church (USA)
The PCUSA’ 2014 comparative statistics recently released by the Office of the General Assembly reported that the PCUSA dismissed 101 congregations to other denominations in 2014 and closed or dissolved 36 churches. However, the statistics also show that there are 209 fewer churches in 2014 – 9,829 – than there were in 2013 when there were 10,038 PCUSA churches. No churches joined the PCUSA in 2014.
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While commentary can be made that the growth in the number of other alphabet soup Presbyterian groups came at the expense of the PCUSA, hence no real organic growth. The other commentary which distinguishes all these other groups are the relative theological peace, stability and leadership of these groups. Traits one cannot associate with the PCUSA.
After 50 years more or less of decline into extinction, liberal or religious left groups, ECUSA, PCUSA most notable, have bought into two false narratives. The death or the end of Christendom, and the death of the “church’, at least what happens on a Sunday. The problem is that other Christian groups, Assembles of God, Pentecostal-holiness groups, ethnic Roman Catholic groups, evangelical groups, most of the developing world, never got that memo.
As liberal protestant Christianity slide into irrelevance, their response has been what we have seen and continue to witness in the sham that is “1001”. Mostly bogus, made up, collections of people, that if they do exist have little or nothing to do with the traditional marks of the faith and church, Word, Sacrament, and Jesus Christ. In fact most of the material from these shams run away from faith and Christ as a confessional reality. What I call taking about Budda, Vishnu, over coffee or a beer. Ok. Again, you get out of a process, what one chooses to invest. And if the PCUSA sees “1001” as a bridge to something, it is really the preverbal bridge to nowhere.
Peter,
While clearly one questions the effectiveness of 1001 in particular…church planting has been proven to be the most effective way to reach people outside the church with the Gospel of Jesus Christ (whether dechurched, unchurched, yet-churched, non-churched, anti-churched or whatever word that take on).
As a representative of one of ECO’s new communities of faith that is not a “splant” (split plant), I would like to affirm that positive growth of the gospel is occurring.
While most of the attention and concernation on this website (and elsewhere) is about institutional sustainability rather than identifying and celebrating where organic growth (as you call it) is occurring.
Journeying on in Christ,
Wes Barry
What bothers me most is those individuals who say that they have no religious home. Why is this? Todays secular world does not provide the answers. Only God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit do.
“God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit”
Are you saying that you believe that Jesus and the Holy Spirit are not also God? Or did you mean to say, “the Father, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit”?
Just FYI, the Orthodox Presbyterian Church increased in membership and churches in 2014 also.
I guess we’re not on the radar, but the Reformed Presbyterian Church of North America, the oldest existing Presbyterian denomination in the USA other than the PCUSA, gained membership and congregations. Much of this was by profession of faith.
The next-oldest, the Associate Reformed Presbyterian Church, can *also* say the same. The Synods of our two denominations met at the same time and place, with many joint sessions, last week at the ARPC’s Bonclarken Conference Center at Flat Rock, NC.
Both of our denominations are still strictly in the Westminster Standards, and Jesus, Zion’s only King and Head, is giving the growth for His glory.
The PCA latest report is that not all PCA churches are submitting their stats. I don’t know how accurate the above numbers are in light of his.
Society will change, but God does not. Nor does His Word.
Malachi 3:6 For I am the Lord I do not change.
Hebrews 13:8 Jesus Christ the same Yesterday, and today, and for ever.
Matthew 24:35 Jesus said: Heaven and earth will pass away, but My Words shall not pass away.
Hebrews 10:26 For if we sin willfully after that we have received the knowledge of the truth, there remains no more sacrifice for sin.
Proverbs 3:5 Trust in the Lord with all your heart. And lean not onto your own understanding.
Proverbs 28:26 He that trust in his own heart is a fool: but whoso walketh wisely he shall be delivered.
Some have said that Gods grace and God’s love allow the homosexual to practice their sin. Not according to Romans 6:1-2 What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound? God forbid. How shall we, that are dead to sin, live any longer therein? Verses 14,15 same thing.
Leviticus 18:22 and 20:13 say it is an abomination for a man to lie with a man, as he would with a woman. Romans 1:25-27 1-Corinthians 6:9-10; 1 Timothy 1:10, all condemn it.
Love and Grace is not a license to sin.
God’s Word should rule over any opinion, feelings, and especially church policy.
The Bible is not a Buffet meal, where you can pick and chose what you like, and leaving what you don’t like.
You can’t let feelings decide your christian beliefs. Read Proverbs 3:5 and 28:26 above again. and again.
These are some of the reasons my wife and I left the p.c.U.S.A.