ELGIN, Ill. — The Church of the Brethren reported a slight decline in membership for 2001 — its lowest in five years — but said per capita giving rose by 10 percent.
Membership dropped 0.8 percent last year, bringing the church’stotal membership to 134,828. It is the smallest one-year decline since 1997, according to a church news release. The last recorded net growth was in 1974, and membership declines extend back to the 1960s.
Fifteen of the church’s 23 U.S. districts reported net losses last year, and seven had net gains. One district, Northern Plains, reported no change. The largest declines were seen in five districts that cover Ohio, Indiana, Illinois and Wisconsin. Increases were reported in the Southeastern District covering Tennessee, western North Carolina and Alabama; and the Mid-Atlantic District covering Maryland, the District of Columbia and parts of Virginia, Delaware and West Virginia.
Actual worship attendance, which is a more realistic measurement of a church’s size, was roughly half of reported membership, at 71,737 per week.
One of the three historic peace churches, the Church of the Brethren was formed in 1708 by Anabaptist reformers in Germany. Its membership figures do not include Brethren congregations outside the United States.
The Church of the Brethren in Nigeria is larger than the U.S. church.
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