Statistics compiled by the ELCA Office of the Secretary

The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America Statistics compiled by the ELCA Office of the Secretary   Year Members Change % Congregations Change % 1987 5,288,048 11,133 1988 5,251,534 -36,514 -0.69% 11,120 -13 -0.12% 1989 5,238,798 -12,736 -0.24% 11,067 -53 -0.48% 1990 5,240,739 +1,941 0.04% 11,087 +20 0.18% 1991 5,245,177 +4,438 0.08% 11,074 -13 -0.12% 1992 5,234,568 -10,609 -0.20% 11,055 -19 -0.17% 1993 5,212,785 -21,783 -0.42% 11,023 -32 -0.29% 1994 5,199,048 -13,737 -0.26% 10,973 -50 -0.45% 1995 5,190,489 -8,559 -0.16% 10,955 -18 -0.16% 1996 5,187,363 -3,126 -0.06% 10,936 -19 -0.17% 1997 5,185,055 -2,308 -0.04% 10,889 -47 -0.43% 1998 5,178,225 -6,830 -0.13% 10,862 -27 -0.25% 1999 5,149,668 -28,557 -0.55% 10,851 -11 -0.10% 2000 5,125,919 -23,749 -0.46% 10,816  -35 -0.32% 2001 5,099,877 -26,042 -0.51% 10,766 -50 -0.46% 2002* 5,038,006 -61,871 -1.21% 10,721 -45 -0.42% 2003 4,984,925 -53,081 -1.05% 10,657 -64 -0.60% 2004 4,930,429 -54,496 -1.09% 10,585 -72 -0.68% 2005 4,850,776 -79,653 -1.62% 10,549 -36 -0.34% 2006 4,774,203 -76,573 -1.58% 10,470 -79 -0.75% 2007 4,709,956 -64,247 -1.34% 10,448 -22 -0.21% * Only congregations existing on December 31 are included in the overall membership statistics. Prior to 2002 all congregations that existed during the course of the previous year were included. The ELCA released a news report this morning regarding the annual membership census. The data for 2007 shows “a decline in membership of 64,247 and a decrease of 22 congregations from 2006″. As this table shows, membership in the ELCA has been in steady decline since it was created in late 1980s. Looking at tables is all well and good, but I’m a visual learner, so I decided to make a couple of graphs to put things into perspective. Using the data from the aforementioned table, the first graph shows the total “baptized membership” of the ELCA from 1987 to 2007. You can clearly see a significant decline in membership over the last twenty years — but keep in mind that in the same time frame the ELCA also lost 685 congregations. If you lose churches, you’re going to be losing members. At the same time, I certainly don’t believe that the 685 fewer churches account for the entire loss of membership during these years. The second graph shows the yearly change in membership as a bar graph. The 1990s were up and down in terms of membership, but since 1999 — and even more so since 2002 — the ELCA has been losing lots and lots of members