Date: Fri, 26 Feb 1999 00:12:51 -0500 From: Darrell Todd Maurina Organization: Christian Renewal/United Reformed News Service Subject: NR 99023: CRC Decline Nears 41,000 Members: 12.9% of Denominational Membership Lost Since 1992 NR #1999-023: Christian Reformed Decline Nears 41,000 Members: 12.9% of Denominational Membership Lost Since 1992 The Christian Reformed membership decline has continued now for seven consecutive years and has reached almost thirteen percent of the denomination's 1991 peak membership of 316,415. Membership losses in 1998, reported by the 1999 CRC Yearbook, total 3563. Membership loss since 1991 is much greater: the denomination has lost 40,949 members since the losses began, and has now reached levels last seen three decades ago in 1966. Unlike many mainline denominations in which declines have been standard fare for many years, the Christian Reformed Church experienced rapid growth for much of its history and never suffered two consecutive years of decline before the current conservative secessions began. At least 58% of the total loss can be directly traced to churches which are largely composed of conservatives who have seceded from the Christian Reformed denomination over opposition to such issues as the ordination of women, theistic evolution, homosexuality, and abortion. The CRC allows women to be ordained, but so far has not taken stands on the denominational level explicitly endorsing the other major items over which conservatives have seceded. "No organization desires to see its shrinkage, and it can certainly be said that we're not pleased with this course of events," said CRC General Secretary Dr. David Engelhard. "We recognize that there is loss due to disenchantment, but there is also loss due to churches cleaning up and paying more attention to people on their membership rolls." NR #1999-023: For Immediate Release: Christian Reformed Decline Nears 41,000 Members: 12.9% of Denominational Membership Lost Since 1991 Peak * Yearbook drop from 279,029 to 275,466 leads to 3563-member loss this year * Current Christian Reformed membership drops to 1966 levels * United Reformed Churches grow 73%; total membership of conservative secession groups nears 24,000 by Darrell Todd Maurina, Press Officer United Reformed News Service GRAND RAPIDS, MICH. (February 25, 1999) URNS - The Christian Reformed membership decline has continued now for seven consecutive years and has reached almost thirteen percent of the denomination's 1991 peak membership of 316,415. Membership losses in 1998, reported by the 1999 CRC Yearbook, total 3563; current CRC total membership is 275,466. Membership loss since 1991 is much greater: the denomination has lost 40,949 members since the losses began, and has now reached levels last seen over three decades ago in 1966. Unlike many mainline denominations in which declines have been standard fare for many years, the Christian Reformed Church experienced rapid growth for much of its history and never suffered two consecutive years of decline before the current conservative secessions began. One bright spot in the decline is that it is the second-lowest annual loss since the conservative secession began. The 1996 yearbook indicates that the denomination declined 2383 members from 294,179 in 1994 to 291,796 members in 1995, but in most recent years the annual loss has exceeded five thousand members. The CRC Yearbook is issued early in each year, normally in January or February, and reports membership statistics as of August 31 of the preceding year. At least 58% of the total loss can be directly traced to churches which are largely composed of conservatives who have seceded from the Christian Reformed denomination over opposition to such issues as the ordination of women, theistic evolution, homosexuality, and abortion. The CRC allows women to be ordained, but so far has not taken stands on the denominational level explicitly endorsing the other major items over which conservatives have seceded. In addition to the 58% who have joined the main groups of seceders, a few churches and significant numbers of individuals or groups have left the CRC to affiliate with other denominations such as the Orthodox Presbyterian Church, Presbyterian Church in America, Protestant Reformed Churches, and Canadian Reformed Churches. Of the four major groups of seceding churches, the largest is the United Reformed Churches, whose seventy member congregations total 16,106 members. The second group, the Christian Presbyterian Church, is entirely composed of Korean congregations, most of which left the CRC under the leadership of Dr. John E. Kim, formerly pastor of the CRC's second-largest church. At their initial organization in 1993, the Christian Presbyterians counted over 6000 members and have continued rapid growth, but part of the initial membership and most recent growth has been from the receipt of members and congregations which never were Christian Reformed; 2934 of the initial members came from CRC sources and some additional Korean CRC members have left since that time. The oldest and smallest of the secession groups is the federation of Orthodox Christian Reformed Churches, a small 1399-member denomination with twelve churches. So far, about twenty secession churches with approximately 3500 members have chosen not to affiliate with any of the organized denominations and most are loosely associated under the rubric of the Alliance of Reformed Churches. CRC General Secretary Dr. David Engelhard wasn't pleased with the membership loss. "No organization desires to see its shrinkage, and it can certainly be said that we're not pleased with this course of events," said Engelhard. "We recognize that there is loss due to disenchantment, but there is also loss due to churches cleaning up and paying more attention to people on their membership rolls." Engelhard attributed the membership decline to two major factors: denominational conflicts over the ordination of women and a half-decade-old decision requiring churches to make denominational financial contributions based on the number of professing members rather than the total number of families. "There has been a combination of transition within the ministry share system and the transition and upheaval within the Christian Reformed Church regarding women in office," said Engelhard. Engelhard noted a recent denominational change allowing churches to declare people "inactive" if they do not attend, contribute financially, or otherwise participate in church life. "Increasing numbers of churches are declaring people inactive, and lapsing members who haven't been in attendance for some time," said Engelhard. "That will become official next year, and some churches are saying if they are not paying any contributions we will keep them out of our official numbers." "I do think that even though churches were told that the active/inactive categories of membership go into effect next year, I think some of them began unofficially doing a similar thing at least this year," said Engelhard. While Engelhard said the denomination doesn't want to place too much emphasis on membership numbers, that wasn't always the case. A decade ago, the Christian Reformed Church had a goal of raising denominational membership to 400,000 by the year 2000, but CRC membership is now lower than it was three decades ago. "Christian Reformed Home Missions was trying to challenge the Christian Reformed Church in the late eighties with that catchy slogan, '400,000 by 2000.' I think we've now seen wisely that that may not be the best thing to do, if for no other reason than that it's embarrassing when things don't go as we would like them to do," said Engelhard. "The whole idea of challenging members and congregations to work for evangelism is commendable, but saying how many will be brought in is better left unsaid, and to work for bringing people into the kingdom without regard to some numerical goal." The total number of Christian Reformed churches has also begun to decline. Even after the total membership of the denomination began to plateau and decline, the number of churches continued to increase, due in large measure to planting of new churches. Recent closure and merger of congregations has ended that trend: the CRC now has 964 churches, down from a high point of 991 churches in 1995. While the CRC continues to lose members, the largest group of churches seceding from the CRC has experienced rapid growth. The United Reformed Churches federated in 1996 with 44 churches and reported 9299 members in its February 1997 yearbook. That number expanded to 66 churches with 14,973 members in the February 1998 yearbook, and the yearbook expected to be issued in March 1999 reports 16,106 members in seventy churches - a 73% growth rate over a three year period. "I think it's an evidence of the Lord's blessing on us as we seek to be faithful to Him and His Word," said Rev. Jerome Julien, stated clerk of the United Reformed Churches. In 1998, the URC lost one church - Evergreen Covenant Reformed Church of Agassiz, British Columbia, which dropped from 57 members in the 1997 yearbook to 18 members in the 1998 yearbook and disbanded last year. However, the URC gained five new congregations in Strathroy, Ontario; Fresno, California; Hills, Minnesota; Pantego, North Carolina; and Waupun, Wisconsin. Why do new churches and people join the United Reformed Churches? "We're seeking to be faithful to the Reformed faith as it is set forth in the Three Forms of Unity," said Julien. "That would be a reason for me to want to join." Each of the URC's six classes saw membership growth over the past year, but the greatest is in Classis Southwest United States - home of URC ministers Dr. Michael Scott Horton and Dr. Kim Riddlebarger of the nationally-syndicated White Horse Inn radio broadcast, as well as four URC ministers and elders who serve on the faculty and executive staff of Westminster Theological Seminary in California. At 3447 members, Classis Southwest United States is the URC's second-largest classis, and over this past year grew a total of 436 members or 14.5%. The smallest URC classis, Classis Eastern United States, grew sixteen percent to 1345 members by gaining 151 new members, due in large measure to the addition of a single new church. The only area where growth was significantly less was the URC's two Canadian classes - particularly Classis Southern Ontario which added only 58 members for a growth rate of 1.7%. "I think that you saw the secession begin in Southern Ontario for the most part, and that reflects a little more maturity in terms of people coming," said Julien. "Here in the States we're still in the process of receiving, and there will be some more people who will come. There will be some in Canada too, but there will be more in the States." Cross-References to Related Articles: #1993-004: Christian Reformed Financial Crunch Prompts Hiring and Salary Freeze, $4.5 Million Denominational Budget Cut #1993-015: Massive Membership Decline Wipes Out Three Years of Christian Reformed Growth; Largest Decline in CRC History Knocks Denomination Back to 1989 Levels; CRC Yearbook Undercounts Loss By 4500 members #1993-043: Christian Presbyterian Church Takes Form as Many Koreans Depart Systematically from Christian Reformed Denomination #1993-044: First General Assembly of Christian Presbyterian Church Enrolls 41.4% of Christian Reformed Koreans #1994-006: 1994 CRC Yearbook Reports Loss of 11,000 Members, Ten Years of Growth Wiped Out; 3.5% drop from 311,202 to 300,320 members unprecedented in CRC history; Accelerating denominational loss totals 16,095 or 5.1% since 1992; CRC yearbook claims drop from 311,202 to 300,320 equals decline of 783 #1995-016 Continuing Christian Reformed Hemorrhage Costs CRC 22,000 Members in Three Years; Unprecedented Loss Tops Seven Percent of Pre-1993 Membership, Knocks Denomination Back Fifteen Years to 1980 Membership Levels #1996-019: Christian Reformed Decline Reaches 7.7% of Denomination; Fourth Consecutive Year of Decline Costs CRC Over 24,600 Members, Drops Denomination Back to 1979 Levels #1997-020: Christian Reformed Membership Loss Speeds Up: 30,551 Members Lost in Five Year Slide #1998-013: Christian Reformed Denomination Records Second-Worst Membership Drop in History #1998-021: CRC Synod to Consider Inactive Membership Category #1998-061: Inactive Membership Categories Approved for CRC Contact List: Elder Pete Elzinga, Interim Committee Chairman, Alliance of Reformed Churches 10532 Paw Paw Dr., Holland, MI 49424 H: (616) 772-2918 Dr. David Engelhard, General Secretary, Christian Reformed Church in North America 2850 Kalamazoo Ave. SE, Grand Rapids, MI 49560 O: (616) 224-0744 * H: (616) 243-2418 * FAX: (616) 224-5895 * E-mail: engelhad@crcna.org Rev. Jerome Julien, Stated Clerk, United Reformed Churches in North America 3646 - 193rd Pl., Lansing, IL 60438 H/O: (708) 418-5321 * FAX: (708) 418-5591 Dr. John E. Kim, President, Chongshin Theological Seminary 31-3 Dongjak Ku, Sadang-Dong, Seoul 156-763, KOREA O: [82] (2)-533-9203 * FAX: [82] (2)-537-0752 Rev. Al Korvemaker, Yearbook Manager, Orthodox Christian Reformed Churches 326-19533 Fraser Hwy., Surrey, BC V3S 7K7 H/O: (604) 574-2240 Rev. Dwight Dong-Wan Kim, Recording Clerk, Christian Presbyterian Church 4741 N. Glen Arden Ave., Covina, CA 91724 O: (213) 665-0224 * H: (818) 332-9686 ---------------------------------------------------------- file: /pub/resources/text/reformed/archive99: nr99-023.txt .