CHICAGO — Membership in the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA), the country’s largest Lutheran denomination, has fallen for the 16th consecutive year, the ELCA announced Aug. 14.
While the ELCA grows worldwide — particularly in sub-Saharan Africa — baptized membership in the United States declined by more than 64,000 in 2007, a 1.34 percent drop.
The church now counts 4.7 million baptized members in approximately 10,500 congregations.
John Brooks, an ELCA spokesman, said a committee has been formed to identify potential causes of the decline. The church has made a concerted effort in recent years to diversify its members, who are more than 98 percent white.
According to the report, “multiethnic” membership rose by 13.3 percent from 2006 to 2007.
“One of our strategic priorities is to become a multicultural church,” Brooks said.
The church formed in 1988 when three Lutheran denominations — the American Lutheran Church, the Association of Evangelical Lutheran Churches and the Lutheran Church in America — merged.
Share with others: