Presbyterian denomination posts first-ever decline

(RNS) The Presbyterian Church in America (PCA) lost members last year for the first time in its 37-year history, according to a new report from the denomination. The PCA, a conservative evangelical denomination that prioritizes church growth to save souls, saw membership decline from 345,582 in 2007 to 340,852 in 2008. Newly elected moderator Brad […]

(RNS) The Presbyterian Church in America (PCA) lost members last year for the first time in its 37-year history, according to a new report from the denomination.

The PCA, a conservative evangelical denomination that prioritizes church growth to save souls, saw membership decline from 345,582 in 2007 to 340,852 in 2008.

Newly elected moderator Brad Bradley delivered the news at the PCA’s annual General Assembly in Lake Buena Vista, Fla., last month (June). He cited “extenuating circumstances,” particularly a purging of membership rolls at Coral Ridge Presbyterian Church in Fort Lauderdale, but urged attendees to take the development seriously.


“This might be a wake-up call for us,” said Bradley. He urged every PCA congregation to plant at least one new church by 2020 in a bid to grow the denomination’s ranks.

The PCA wasn’t alone in setting a regrettable record last year. The Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), a more liberal mainline denomination with 2.1 million members, reported a loss of 69,000 members in 2008 — the most since the denomination’s founding in 1983.

Attendees at the PCA assembly said they weren’t especially worried about last year’s membership decline. Larry Ellenbaum of Beaver Falls, Penn., said the dip may have been an anomaly, adding that the PCA should nevertheless intensify its efforts to grow.

“This has always been a fast-growing denomination,” Ellenbaum said. “Now it doesn’t seem to be growing as fast, so we need to do more church planting.”

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