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