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Show WHAT ABOUT CLHTJRCHES. Are the churches languishing? Are they losing or gaining in members? These questions are answered by annual collection of statistics .issued by the Federal Council of Churches of Christ in America.. Despite the disturbed socfal conditions condi-tions due to reconstruction, the statistics statis-tics report a total growth in member ship of 2.S61.181 in 1919 over the cen r,us of 1916. There is an increase of 3519 ministers minis-ters and of 6317 church organizations. The total number of churches now stands at 233.S34. There are 195,315 ministers, priests and rabbis. Roman Catholics report they have a baptized membership of 17,549,324. Jews report they have only 260,000 who hold membership in the syna gogues, despite the great number of persons of Jewish ancestry in the United States. In explanation of the figures on Jews the explanation is made that inembership in Jewish congregations in most cases is limited to heads of families and these only are reported. Trie two L. D. S. bodies are reported report-ed together as "the two Mormon bodies." bod-ies." The membership of the two is given at 494,388. The total protestant church membership mem-bership is given at 25,980,456. The report sets forth that the Roman Ro-man Catholic figures 'represent baptized bap-tized members, both children and adults, while the protestant figures are simply for the communicant members. mem-bers. The membership of the larger Protestant Pro-testant bodies is as follows: Methodist Metho-dist Episcopal, North, 4,175,502; Southern Eaptist Convention, 2.S87,-42S; 2.S87,-42S; Methodist Episcopal, South, 2,-152,974; 2,-152,974; Presbyterian in the U. S. A., 1,603,033; Northern Baptist Convention, Conven-tion, 1,502,341; Disciples of Christ, 1,-193,423; 1,-193,423; Protestant Episcopal, 1,065,-S25; 1,065,-S25; Congregational Churches, 808,-122; 808,-122; the newly-formed United Lutheran Luther-an Church in America, 7S2,807, (the membership of the twenty Lutheran bodies in the United States totals 2,-451,997; 2,-451,997; the four leadiog colored denominations, de-nominations, National Baptist Convention, Con-vention, African Methodist Episcopal, African Methodist Episcopal Zion and Colored Methodist Episcopal total 4,-191,257. |