This is Life!: Revolutions Around the Cruciform Axis

Fastest Growing Denomination in the U.S.--You Will Be Surprised

According to the National Council of Churches' Yearbook of denominations in the U.S.,
[H/T: Pontie] there are 148,009,649 total members reported in the largest 25 communions in the U.S. Of those denominations, the following reporting increases and decreases are interesting (all emphases and bracketed comments added).

1. The Catholic Church, 67,820,833 members, reporting an increase of .83 percent. . . .

2. The Southern Baptist Convention, 16,267,494 members, reporting a decrease of 1.05 percent.

3. The United Methodist Church, 8,186,254 members, reporting a decrease of .79 percent.

4. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 5,999,177 members, reporting an increase of 1.74 percent.

7. Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, 4,930,429, reporting a decrease of 1.09 percent.

9. Presbyterian Church (USA), 3,189,573 members, reporting a decrease of 1.60 percent.

10. Assemblies of God, 2,779,095 members, reporting an increase of 1.81 percent.

14. The Lutheran Church - Missouri Synod (LCMS), 2,463,747, reporting a decrease of 1.01 percent.

15. Episcopal Church, 2,463,747, reporting a decrease of 1.55 percent. [My former denomination.]

16. Churches of Christ, 1,500,000 members, no increase or decrease reported.

17. Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America, 1,500,000 members, no increase or decrease reported.

20. American Baptist Churches in the USA, 1,432,840, reporting a decrease of .57 percent. [Uh-oh, Tripp!]

21. United Church of Christ, 1,265,786, reporting a decrease of 2.38 percent.

23. Christian Churches and Churches of Christ, 1,071,615 members, no increase or decrease reported. [My heritage churches.]

24. The Orthodox Church in America, 1,064,000 members, reporting an increase of 6.40 percent.

Comments in the the noted post from the Pontificator, point out some curious bewilderments, not the least of which is the inaccuracies involved in member-counting. It may well be that the OCA did not grow by 6% last year. But as the new-father-of-twin-girls, Perry, points out, the OCA and the Antiochians are, indeed, growing.