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Mar 25th, 2025
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Jehovah's Witnesses, Mormons Fastest-Growing 'Churches' in U.S.
[ christianpost.com] The two fastest-growing church bodies in the United States and Canada, according to a newly published report, are ones whose beliefs are known to conflict with traditional Christian teaching.
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Although Jehovah's Witnesses currently rank 25th in size with over 1.06 million members, they reported a 2.25 percent increase in membership since the publication of the 2007 Yearbook. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints � also known as the Mormon church � grew 1.56 percent and is listed by the NCC as the fourth largest �church.�
Largest 25 Churches (ranked by membership)
1. The Catholic Church � 67,515,016
2. Southern Baptist Convention � 16,306,246
3. The United Methodist Church � 7,995,456
4. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints � 5,779,316
5. The Church of God in Christ � 5,499,875
6. National Baptist Convention, U.S.A., Inc. � 5,000,000
7. Evangelical Lutheran Church in America � 4,774,203
8. National Baptist Convention of America, Inc. � 3,500,000
9. Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) � 3,025,740
10. Assemblies of God � 2,836,174
11. African Methodist Episcopal Church � 2,500,000
12. National Missionary Baptist Convention of America � 2,500,000
13. Progressive National Baptist Convention, Inc. � 2,500,000
14. The Lutheran Church - Missouri Synod (LCMS) � 2,417,997
15. Episcopal Church � 2,154,572
16. Churches of Christ � 1,639,495
17. Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America � 1,500,000
18. Pentecostal Assemblies of the World, Inc. � 1,500,000
19. The African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church � 1,443,405
20. American Baptist Churches in the U.S.A. � 1,371,278
21. United Church of Christ � 1,218,541
22. Baptist Bible Fellowship International � 1,200,000
23. Christian Churches and Churches of Christ � 1,071,616
24. The Orthodox Church in America � 1,064,000
25. Jehovah�s Witnesses � 1,069,530
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24. The Orthodox Church in America � 1,064,000 (???)
25. Jehovah�s Witnesses � 1,069,530 1,064,000? I don't think I would put a lot of stock in these numbers. I recall reading somewhere that converts to JW on average, do not last more than a few years, if that. The Moromons also do a poor job of convert retention... Something that is key to their growth - something most people most places don't like to talk about! - is how they promote large families. Mormon fertility rates being what they are, they will continue to grow even without making a single convert among the non-Mormons. Of course they do make some converts...
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I find those statistics hard to believe, given that every year there are 130-150,000 converts to the Catholic Church and that in the last 10 years we have grown from 64 million to 70 million, (I think that was the last census of Catholics in the USA).
Stephanos I
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I find those statistics hard to believe, given that every year there are 130-150,000 converts to the Catholic Church and that in the last 10 years we have grown from 64 million to 70 million, (I think that was the last census of Catholics in the USA).
Stephanos I I think they are going on percentage of growth over previous report... a Denomination that went from 100 members to 1000 members in one year under this criteria, would said to be "growing at a much faster rate" than the Catholic Church, even if there were 500,000 conversions/infant baptisms. I want to know how the OCA and GOA number keep appearing in the 1M+ Some urban legends never die.
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Aren't there about a million Catholic infant baptisms per year, plus adult converts which range from 150,000-200,000 per year?
Alexis
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Total numbers are rather meaningless. Meaningful numbers are how many attend services without fail, how much money they give, and how strictly they adhere to what their church teaches. Those numbers mean something.
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John Member
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I think they are going on percentage of growth over previous report... a Denomination that went from 100 members to 1000 members in one year under this criteria, would said to be "growing at a much faster rate" than the Catholic Church, even if there were 500,000 conversions/infant baptisms.
I want to know how the OCA and GOA number keep appearing in the 1M+ Some urban legends never die. It is clear that the OCA numbers are greatly exaggerated (since the OCA really has about 20,000 I have always generously assumed that the 1 million figure included all Orthodox in America of all jurisdictions). It is also clear that the Greeks are growing. Their yearbook for 2008 lists something like 7,500 baptisms and chrismations. If I look at how the local Greek Orthodox parish is exploding with people and baptisms I have no problem believing it. But I am not sure why A Simple Sinner seems to have taken the correction of the OCA numbers as some sort of cause of his. Much better to let it go....
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Strange that the Antiochians, Serbs, Romanians, Ukrainians, as well as the Oriental Orthodox Coptic, Armenians, and Ethiopian Christians are not included.
Don't the Antiochians have larger parishes and a better mission department than the OCA?
I guess many of these census groups still have that denominational attitude where they think that Catholics and Orthodox are denominations just like the Protestants and not Churches.
Last edited by Elizabeth Maria; 02/24/08 06:38 PM.
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But I am not sure why A Simple Sinner seems to have taken the correction of the OCA numbers as some sort of cause of his. Much better to let it go.... I don't understand why this post is written about me and not a response to me. If you are telling me as the Administrator/Owner of this forum that it shouldn't be discussed anymore, that is fine. You are the boss and this is your place.
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Joined: Nov 2001
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But I am not sure why A Simple Sinner seems to have taken the correction of the OCA numbers as some sort of cause of his. Much better to let it go.... I don't understand why this post is written about me and not a response to me. If you are telling me as the Administrator/Owner of this forum that it shouldn't be discussed anymore, that is fine. You are the boss and this is your place. Actually, in reading your posts you seem to look for every opportunity to insult the Orthodox. But I'm glad that is not true and that our moderators will not have to worry about it in the future.
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In reviewing my last 50 posts I am looking to see where I have taken every "every opportunity to insult the Orthodox."
I have called for these numbers to be made accurate in the same fashion I have been calling for the same in the BCC for over a decade.
I have in one other thread out of the 24 I participated in during the last 50 posts called for a return of UGCC churches. In that instance, my issue is with Moscow not world Orthodoxy.
All Posts All posts made by A Simple Sinner.
1 Re: Jehovah's Witnesses, Mormons Fastest-Growing 'Churches'
2 Re: Vatican slows sainthood process 1. Church News Today
3 Re: Jehovah's Witnesses, Mormons Fastest-Growing 'Churches'
4 Re: Jehovah's Witnesses, Mormons Fastest-Growing 'Churches'
5 Re: Going towards the right after leaving towards the left
6 Re: St. Michael's Orthodox Church, Irvona Pa. 10. Photo
7 Re: Lviv Archbishop says Eastern Catholics have not returned
8 Re: Lviv Archbishop says Eastern Catholics have not
9 Re: Hospodi pomiluj with Soul! 9. Town Hall Yesterday at
10 Re: Going towards the right after leaving towards the left
11 Re: Taize 9. Town Hall 02/22/08 11:37 PM
12 Re: Taize 9. Town Hall 02/22/08 10:47 PM
13 Re: Taize 9. Town Hall 02/22/08 07:44 PM
14 Re: Why are there no Eastern Catholic/ Orthodox
15 Re: Uzhorod-Pics From Blessed Theodore Romzha Martyrdom
16 Re: Taize 9. Town Hall 02/22/08 01:12 PM
17 Re: Taize 9. Town Hall 02/21/08 10:35 PM
18 Re: Taize 9. Town Hall 02/21/08 07:01 PM
19 Re: Bishop Kallistos Ware in Detroit 1. Church News
20 Re: Apostles' Creed in Slavonic? 9. Town Hall 02/21/08
21 Re: Going towards the right after leaving towards the left
22 Re: Vatican slows sainthood process 1. Church News
23 Re: Going towards the right after leaving towards the left
24 Greek Catholic Martyrs of the Soviet Yoke. 10. Photo
25 Re: I think I want to be Melkite Catholic 4. East-N-West
26 Re: I think I want to be Melkite Catholic 4. East-N-West
27 Re: Involvement in Latin Parish 4. East-N-West 02/19/08
28 Re: You tube must sees from Chaldean Catholic church. 2.
29 Re: You tube must sees from Chaldean Catholic church. 2.
30 Re: Involvement in Latin Parish 4. East-N-West 02/19/08
31 Re: Vatican slows sainthood process 1. Church News AM
32 Re: Vatican slows sainthood process 1. Church News
33 Re: Kosovo's Independence In Days 9. Town Hall 02/18/08
34 Re: The Beverly Hillbillies 9. Town Hall 02/18/08 02:29
35 Re: St Gregory Palamas 2. Faith & Worship 02/17/08 03:09
36 Re: St Gregory Palamas 2. Faith & Worship 02/17/08 03:56
37 Re: Jampot 9. Town Hall 02/16/08 09:52 PM
38 Re: St Gregory Palamas 2. Faith & Worship 02/16/08 09:43
39 Re: Slovak or Ruthenian? 2. Faith & Worship 02/16/08 09:38
40 Re: differing family opinions re: rites and mass vs. D.L.
41 Re: My version of Pascal�s Wager: Catholicism or Orthodoxy?
42 Re: Attention all men! 9. Town Hall 02/14/08 10:19 PM
43 Re: Attention all men! 9. Town Hall 02/14/08 08:27 PM
44 Re: Attention all men! 9. Town Hall 02/14/08 08:18 PM
45 Re: University Massacre 7. Prayer 02/14/08 08:04 PM
46 Re: Attention all men! 9. Town Hall 02/14/08 08:00 PM
47 Re: Godparents question 2. Faith & Worship 02/14/08 07:56
48 Re: My version of Pascal�s Wager: Catholicism or Orthodoxy?
49 Re: My version of Pascal�s Wager: Catholicism or Orthodoxy?
50 Re: Venerating Converts to Orthodoxy as Saints
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And I was hoping that the list of 50 above were the 50 largest denominational churches in the USA. Oh well.  Can that be found? Again, I wonder why they do not combine all the Eastern Orthodox Churches into one entity, after all we do concelebrate the one Holy Eucharist. Are the Eastern Catholic parishes included in the number given for the Catholic Church?
Last edited by Elizabeth Maria; 02/24/08 09:10 PM.
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I would think that the Eastern Catholic parishes are included in the number given for the Catholic Church.
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Again, I wonder why they do not combine all the Eastern Orthodox Churches into one entity, after all we do concelebrate the one Holy Eucharist. Oh my!! That would be like the old Mark Twain story. The fighting would be so ferocious that the day after, there would only be a few strands of hair and a few scraps of fabric left. 
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The Association of Religion Data Archives is probably a good resource. http://www.thearda.com/It individually tracks each jurisdiction and all Orthodox Churches (Chalcedonian and Non) as the "Eastern Liturgical Family".
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