The Christian Methodist Newsletter


Volume 13, Number 4                                                 Winter 2003- 2004

2004 - The New Year

In continuing our ministry of informing the people of what is happening in our United Methodist Church, this edition of The Christian Methodist Newsletter offers the following data for the annual conferences. One area of concern for those of us in Concerned Methodists is the continuing loss of members from our denomination over the past thirty-three years. We are working with others to address our problems so that this trend may be reversed. Following are membership results from the various annual conferences for 2003, with actual membership changes from the preceding year:

Annual Conference Membership Net Change Jurisdiction

Alabama - West Florida 145,7861 + 9334 SEJ

Alaska Missionary 4,132 + 22 W-J

Arkansas 142,4071,5 + 879 SCJ

Austria Provisional 6861 + 27 Eurasia

Baltimore - Washington 206,8303 - 1,1263 NEJ

California - Nevada 90,9541 - 1,2461 W-J

California - Pacific 92,298 2 - 2,6682 W-J

Central Pennsylvania 155,168 - 2,748 NEJ

Central Texas 156,874 +114 SCJ

Czech & Slovak Republics 1,529 + 69 Eurasia

Dakotas 44,309 - 984 NCJ

Desert Southwest 45,104 + 119 W-J

Detroit 104,969 + 979 NCJ

East Ohio 187,3544 - 1,476 NCJ

Eastern Pennsylvania 131,625 - 1,816 NEJ

Florida 332,1244 - 1,9292 SEJ

Germany North 7,886 + 259 Eurasia

Greater New Jersey 111,740 - 2,084 NEJ

Holston 169,3954 - 1,4514 SEJ

Illinois Great Rivers 159,658 - 4,837 NCJ

Iowa 198,159 - 1,523 NCJ

Kansas East 77,132 + 366 SCJ

Kansas West 88,286 - 1,187 SCJ

Kentucky 151,378 - 1,686 SEJ

Liberia 168,618 First time reported Africa

Louisiana 126,607 - 57 SCJ

Memphis 91,098 - 284 SEJ

Minnesota 88,610 - 2,280 NCJ

Mississippi 190,304 - 411 SEJ

Missouri 178,1125 - 1,906 SCJ

Nebraska 87,9814 - 2,165 SCJ

New England 104,255 - 1,186 NEJ

New Mexico 41,721 - 412 SCJ

New York 135,0591 - 4,594 NEJ

North Alabama 159,288 - 442 SEJ

North Carolina 232,900 + 2,154 SEJ

North Central New York 81,468 - 3,047 NEJ

North Georgia 328,625 + 6,140 SEJ

Annual Conference Membership Net Change Jurisdiction

North Indiana 102,920 - 515 NCJ

North Texas 161,290 + 1,261 SCJ

Northern Illinois 116,3364 - 1,980 NCJ

Northwest Texas 67,306 -1,427 SCJ

Norwegian 13,087 - 103 Eurasia

Oklahoma 250,629 - 1,899 SCJ

Oklahoma Indian Missionary 6,282 + 5 SCJ

Oregon - Idaho 36,162 - 574 W-J

Pacific Northwest 61,567 - 2,174 W-J

Peninsula - Delaware 95,9384 - 121 NEJ

The Polish Conference 2,5284 +194 Eurasia

Red Bird Missionary 1,3454 - 8 SEJ

Rio Grande 15,1394 + 59 SCJ

Rocky Mountain 70,617 - 1,772 W-J

Sierra Leone 100,102 + 5,588 Africa

South Carolina 241,820 - 766 SEJ

South Georgia 141,336 - 633 SEJ

South German 15,323 + 140 Eurasia

South Indiana 118,6494 - 2,145 NCJ

Southwest Texas 120,915 + 52 SCJ

Tennessee 115,184 + 598 SEJ

Texas 287,462 + 2,219 SCJ

Troy 55,0774 - 820 NEJ

Virginia 341,321 + 1,090 SEJ

West Michigan 69,9734 - 1,273 NCJ

West Ohio 250,653 - 4,659 NCJ

West Virginia 108,481 - 2,153 NEJ

Western New York 60,050 - 200 NEJ

Western North Carolina 292,071 + 344 NEJ

Western Pennsylvania 201,0204 - 1,030 NEJ

Wisconsin 99,611 - 2,228 NCJ

Wyoming 64,894 - 1,354 NEJ

Yellowstone 16,9964 - 2744 W-J

Net estimated change in members in the United Methodist Church is a decline of 48,646 for the year.

Sources: Annual Conference Reports, Newscope, United Methodist News Service.

Footnotes:

1 Indicates figures that were reported last year, believed to be incorrect but no others are available.

2 Indicates errors in the data received; figures were estimated by Concerned Methodists.

3 2001 figures are shown since more current statistics were not available.

4 Figures that we received differed significantly from the computations of Concerned Methodists. The statistics shown were the ones that have been received.

5 Conferences merged: the Little Rock and the North Arkansas conferences; the Missouri East and the Missouri West conferences.

Jurisdiction to which each annual conference belongs:

"NCJ" - North Central Jurisdiction "NEJ" - Northeastern Jurisdiction

"SCJ" - South Central Jurisdiction "SEJ" - Southeastern Jurisdiction "W-J" - Western Jurisdiction

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Published by: Concerned Methodists, P. O. Box 2864, Fayetteville, NC 28302.

Tel.: (910) 488-4379; FAX: (901) 488-5090

Website: www.cmpage.org  E-mail: concmths@infionline.net