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Did
You Know?
When
people log on to the U.S. Census Bureau's
Web site in search of information on Church
membership, they are referred to the Glenmary
Research Center?
Why?
The
U.S. Census Bureau collected religious data
in 1850, 1890, 1906, 1916 and 1936. Its
1946 religious census was suspended, however,
before any data was collected "after
a number of groups challenged its propriety.
The Jewish community voiced special concern
in the immediate aftermath of the Holocaust..."
(Finke, The Churching of America
1776-1990, pg. 2).
Since
that time, the numbers collected by
ASARB (Association
of Statisticians of American Religious Bodies)
and published by the Glenmary Research Center
are the best source of religious data available
anywhere.
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Religious Congregations Membership Study 2000
This
project is the fifth in a series originally published
in 1956 under the title Churches and Church Membership
in the United States: An Enumeration and Analysis
by Counties, States and Regions by the National
Council of Churches of Christ in the USA. (out
of print). All subsequent editions of the CMS, as
it has become known, have been published
by the Glenmary Research Center.
Previous
Church Membership Studies
- Churches and Church Membership in the United States 1971: An Enumeration
by Region, State and County. 1974. (out of print)
- Churches and Church Membership in the United States 1980: An Enumeration
by Region, State, and County Based on Data Reported
by 111 Church Bodies.
1982. (out
of print)
- Churches and Church Membership in the United States 1990: An Enumeration
by Region, State, and County Based on Data Reported
for 133 Church Groupings.
1992. (in stock; available for purchase from the
GRC)
Since
1980 these studies have been sponsored by ASARB
(Association of Statisticians of American Religious
Bodies) with major support from the Lilly Endowment
and various religious bodies. GRC staff are members
of ASARB and its committee responsible for collecting
the data upon which the study is based.
The
1971 through 1990 Church Membership Studies are
available in MicroCase format for downloading from
American Religion Data Archive (ARDA) at www.TheARDA.com.
Selections from the 1971, 1980 and 1990 studies
are available for purchase from the GRC. Contact grc@glenmary.org
for more information on available excerpts.
The
2000 Study
Currently
various religious bodies and scholars are in the
process of collecting data for the Religious
Congregations Membership Study 2000 (RCMS 2000).
Administrative activities, distribution of instruments,
some data collection and processing of the data
are carried out by the
Church Growth Center of the Church of the Nazarene.
In
addition to serving, again, as publisher of the
RCMS 2000 and a series of maps based on the data,
the Glenmary Research Center is responsible for
and funds the collection of the data for Roman Catholic
(Latin and Eastern Rite) parishes throughout the
United States. Principle Investigator for this portion
of the RCMS is Cliff
Grammich, Ph.D.
As
in years past, the RCMS 2000 will provide the following
information for the United States, Census Regions,
States, all Counties or county equivalents and
Metropolitan Status:
- Denomination
- Number of Churches (or equivalent)
- Number of Communicant, Confirmed, or Full Members
- Number of Total Adherents
- For Total Adherents, Adherents as Percent of
2000 Population
- For Total Adherents, Adherents as Percent of Total adherents
Publication
of the bound edition with approximately 20 maps
and one wall map is scheduled for early 2002. Release
in one or more electronic formats is also planned.
Exactly which formats will be available, to whom
and at what cost is currently under discussion.
For
more information, contact the Glenmary Research
Center.
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