The United Church of Christ is a lot like other mainline Protestant denominations in terms of general trends in worship attendance. In general the long term trend is toward fewer congregations featuring fewer present in worship.
The UCC’s Fall 2013 Statistical Profile notes that more than 7 in 10 congregations have an average weekly worship attendance of less than 100 individuals compared to just over 6 in 10 a decade earlier (an increase from 62.8% to 70.4%).
Not only are small congregations growing smaller, but the largest congregations are also declining in number. More specifically, from 2002 to 2012 the percent of congregations in the largest worship attendance category (those with an average weekly attendance of 401+) declined from 1.6% to 0.7%.
So What?
I write this piece as an insider. I have been a part of the UCC since 2010.
Currently I serve two UCC congregations that are in the minority with average worship attendance well over 100. The United Church (Marco Island, FL) has an average attendance that falls mid-way between 100 and 200 while Naples United Church of Christ (Naples, FL) has an average attendance that is a few hundred beyond what is needed to be included in the top 1% (those congregations with at least 401 in worship on an average week).
Even though both congregations feature much higher than average worship attendance, it is important to note both have undergone radical shifts over the last 10 years. From 2002 to 2012 (the years used for the national statistics), United Church experienced a decline in average worship attendance of just over 40% while Naples United Church of Christ experienced an increase of around 100%.
The bottom line is clear: change is a given. For most congregations the change continues to be in the direction of fewer people present for worship. This is also connected to another trend: ongoing decline in church membership and therefore declines in denominational membership numbers. For example: While the state of Florida grew significantly in population during the first ten years of this century, membership in congregations of the Florida Conference of the UCC (my conference) declined by almost 1/4 (down 23.6%)
- What size congregation do you feel most comfortable in: under 100, 101-200, 201-400, or 400+. Why?
- How has your congregation’s average worship attendance changed over the last 10 years?
- What do you expect will happen to your congregation’s worship attendance in the next 10 years? Explain the factors you think most likely to contribute to this outcome.