Lutheran Membership Drops but Giving Rises
While membership in the nation’s largest Lutheran denomination shrunk by more than one percent in the last year, income grew by 1.79 percent, reports from the church’s Office of the Secretary revealed.
While membership in the nation’s largest Lutheran denomination shrunk by more than one percent in the last year, income grew by 1.79 percent, reports from the church’s Office of the Secretary revealed.
The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America lost 54,596 baptized members in 2004, bringing the total number of members down to 4,930,420. The loss was part of a larger trend of Christians leaving traditionally mainline denominations over the past few decades – the ELCA alone lost 300,000 net members in the last 14 years.
Despite this hemorrhage, the denomination’s Office of the Secretary reported a $46 million increase in offerings and funds to the church in the last year. Figures show that total receipts added to $2,600,358,990. The rise in income is also part of a larger trend seen in traditional churches – in the three-year period of 2002-2004, receipts grew nearly $150 million.
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This means that the average ELCA church attendant gave much more to the church in 2004 than in 2003; regular giving per confirmed member was over $571 – an increase of 3.85 percent. Nonetheless, the figure still falls far short of the 10 percent tithe Christians are encouraged to give to the church, considering America’s 2004 per capita income is an estimated $40,100.
Of total funds received, ELCA congregations devoted 90.71 percent to operating expenses, capital improvements, debt reduction, and other expenses. Another 6.42 percent was contributed for synod and churchwide mission support, hunger and disaster appeals, missionary sponsorship, Mission Partners, and designated causes. The remainder supported special synod and local benevolences.
