Evangelical Lutherans report membership decline


Published/Last Modified on Saturday, August 5, 2006 1:09 PM MDT


CHICAGO (AP) _ The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America says its membership dropped 1.6 percent to 4.85 million last year.


Income for the year increased nearly 3 percent or $76 million over 2004, to reach about $2.7 billion. Offerings to congregations increased, as did return on investments.

The denomination blames the membership decline on the disbanding of 31 of its 10,549 congregations, an update of membership lists in many churches and a decrease in new members.

Over the past 15 years, the baptized membership of the denomination has decreased by about 390,000, with half of that decline occurring between 2002 and 2005.

The Evangelical Lutheran Church is among many mainline Protestant denominations that have seen their membership plummet in recent years.

Copyright © 2013 Douglas Dispatch

Comments

Write a Comment

Comment posters are responsible for the opinions they express and the accuracy of the information they provide. We urge comment writers to treat this as a public forum where manners matter. We encourage a collegial, non-insulting tone. All readers comments must be approved by our staff before posting to the Web site. They review submitted comments periodically during the day for offensive or off-topic content before posting. Be aware, in accordance with the Communications Decency Act and provisions upheld in judicial appeal, that you are responsible for comments posted on this Web site. The Douglas Dispatch is not liable for messages from third parties.

DO NOT POST:
* Potentially libelous statements or damaging innuendo.
* Obscene, explicit, or racist language.
* Personal attacks, insults or threats.
* The use of another person's real name to disguise your identity.
* Comments unrelated to the story.
* Personal Information (phone numbers, addresses, etc.)

Opinions, advice and all other information expressed in douglasdispatch.com's reader comments represent the individual's own views and not necessarily those of the Douglas Dispatch. The Douglas Dispatch does not endorse and is not responsible for statements, advice or opinions offered by anyone other than authorized Douglas Dispatch spokespersons.

Your thoughtful contribution to the online discussion is appreciated.

(optional)
   









Contact Us

Email the Editor
530 11th Street
Douglas, AZ 85607
tel: 520.364.3424
fax: 520.364.6750
Subscribe Online
Place A Classified