Read statistics, reports and articles
Statistics and information are the heart of Research Services. We provide statistics on church membership, finances, and ministers of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.); year-to-year trends for congregations and presbyteries; demographics and more. Research Services aldo provides a wide variety of articles and reports. These documents provide everything from statistical snapshots of Presbyterians to detailed nationwide reports.
Presbyterian Panel Reports & Summaries
Perry Chang, a sociologist who has served in Research Services since 2004, directs the Presbyterian Panel, a ministry that "listens to Presbyterians" quarterly through national surveys of more than 3,500 members, elders and ministers. Learn more.
Comparative Statistics
The Comparative Statistics report is published annually in the Fall and summarizes data on membership and ministers provided by each congregation to the Office of the General Assembly via the Session Annual Statistical Report.
The report compares the annual statistics to show trends in areas such as membership gains and losses, receipts and expenditures, and number of ministers.
Download Comparative Statistics reports
Comparative Statistics 2010, with introductory essay, Mapping the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.)
See individual Comparative Statistics 2010 tables:
1. PC(USA) Congregations and Membership, 1999 to 2010
2. Distribution of PC(USA) Congregations by Membership Size and Synod, 2010
3. PC(USA) Membership by Region and State/Territory, 2010
4. Membership Gains and Losses of PC(USA) Synods and Presbyteries, 2010
5. Distribution of PC(USA) Congregations with One-Fifth or More Racial-Ethnic Membership by Synod, 2010
6-7. Fifteen Largest PC(USA) Congregations Based on Membership Size, 2010 | Descriptive Statistics for PC(USA) Ministers and Candidates, 2002 to 2010
8. PC(USA) Active Ministers by Call and Synod, 2010
9. Number and Percent of Active PC(USA) Ministers by Call and Gender, 2006 to 2010
10. PC(USA) Membership, Total Individual Contributions, and Expenditures for Local Program and Local Mission by Synod and Presbytery, 2009 and 2010
11-12. PC(USA) Congregational Receipts, 2009 and 2010; PC(USA) Congregational Expenditures, 2009 and 2010
13-14. PC(USA) Synod and Presbytery Rankings Based on Per Member Validated Mission Expenditures, 2010 | Race-Ethnicity and Gender of PC(USA) Members, Elders, Deacons, Active Ministers and Commissioned Lay Pastors, 2010
15. Number of Congregations, How They Are Served, Worship Attendance and Giving Information by Membership Size, 2010
16. Technical Information
Download the entire report
See color maps from the 2010 report
Comparative Statistics 2007 - The Annual Well-Church Assessment
Comparative Statistics 2006 - A Look at What Others Are Doing
Comparative Statistics 2005 - Plumbing The Heart of God’s People
Comparative Statistics 2004 - The State of Religion in the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) in 2004
Comparative Statistics 2003 - Encouraging Figures
How can I order Comparative Statistics?
To order hardcopy of the booklet ($10 per booklet), call Presbyterian Distribution Service (PDS) at (800) 524-2612. Comparative Statistics booklets are available from PDS for recent years. Contact Research Services (800) 728-7228, ext. 2040 or research@pcusa.org for earlier editions.
- 2010 2005610034
- 2009 0205609033
- 2008 0205608032
Field Guide to U.S. Congregations
The U.S. Congregational Life Survey is the largest and most representative view of the American religious landscape ever developed in the United States, including 500,000 worshipers in more than 5,000 congregations across the country. Resources include:
- A Field Guide to U.S. Congregations: Who's Going Where and Why presents a comprehensive portrait of U.S. congregational life and how it has changed in recent years.
- Beyond the Ordinary: 10 Strengths of U.S. Congregations examines the characteristics of excellent congregations.
- Places of Promise: Finding Strength in Your Congregation’s Location will help you learn about the role location plays in determining congregational strengths and numerical growth.
- A Field Guide to Presbyterian Congregations describes Presbyterian worshipers and congregations and how they are changing.
- Fast Growing Presbyterian Churches takes a look at the fastest growing churches in the denomination and how they are different from others.
- Myths and Facts About Evangelism and Church Growth challenges what you might think and provides the truth.
- Beyond the Ordinary: Insights into U.S. congregational life blog presents other new findings from the survey
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Associate Pastors in the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) presents the first systematic look at associate pastors including their demographics, background in ministry, where they serve, their experiences in ministry, and how they compare to solo pastors and heads of staff.
Your congregation can take the U.S. Congregational Life Survey to discover how you compare to these national benchmarks and to discover your congregation’s strengths.
Clerk's Annual Questionnaire
Each year, the Research Services office develops the Clerk's Annual Questionnaire form, a two-page questionnaire that the Office of the General Assembly distributes, as a supplement to the Session Annual Statistical Report, to all congregations. Research Services staff work with other entities of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) to develop questions for inclusion in the Clerk's Annual Questionnaire form. Each year, different topics are covered. Instructions that accompany the form suggest that the clerk of session of each congregation complete it, reporting pertinent information for the congregation.
2010 Clerk's Annual Questionnaire
2009 Clerk's Annual Questionnaire
2008 Clerk's Annual Questionnaire
2007 Clerk's Annual Questionnaire
2006 Clerk's Annual Questionnaire
2005 Clerk's Annual Questionnaire
Presbyterians Today - Go Figure! Articles
Go Figure! columns in Presbyterians Today magazine present statistical snapshots of Presbyterians, from the beliefs and practices of individuals to the programs and activities of congregations. Each brief essay combines graphics and text to highlight interesting and useful findings from the Presbyterian Panel or other surveys.
Go Figure! is written by John P. (Jack) Marcum and other research staff. For information about Research Services articles in Presbyterians Today, email Jack Marcum.
FAQ/Interesting Facts
We are asked many questions about the denomination. Here are brief answers to some of the more frequent questions. Most can be found in the 2010 edition of Comparative Statistics.
Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) Neighborhood Demographic Reports
Research Services provides free online demographic information for the community around your congregation based on U.S. Census data. You can find information on:
- Annual population growth
- Percentage of households with children
- Adult age distribution
- Housing types
- Education level of adults
- Household income
- Major cultural/ethnic
You can also identify other Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) congregations in your area, look at neighborhood demographics, and zoom in and out on a demographics map. Get help with Demographics online by phone at (888) 728-7228, x2040, or by email.
Trends and statistics
2011 Survey of PC(USA) Associate Pastors —The first systematic look at associate pastors including their demographics, background in ministry, where they serve, their experiences in ministry, and how they compare to solo pastors and heads of staff.
2010 Survey of PC(USA) Congregations — A snapshot of worship, programs, mission and identity, participants, leadership, and finances of PC(USA) congregations.
2008 Survey of PC(USA) Congregations — worship services, congregational ministries, participants, leadership and other topics (parallel survey of congregations, mosques and synagogues across the United States).
Recent Changes in Membership and Attendance in Mainline Protestant Congregations
Myths and Facts about Evangelism and Church Growth
The U.S. Congregational Life Survey provided a unique look at what works in the areas of evangelism and church growth. Responses from samples of fast-growing churches helped us debunk common myths. Continue reading.
Research results
2008 Survey of Presbyterian Pastors — housing, finances, health and well-being, life stressors, sabbaticals and other topics.
A Study of the Effectiveness of Interim Pastors
Faith Community Today - FACT
Faith Communities Today (FACT) is the largest survey of congregations ever conducted in the United States. FACT is intended to provide a public profile of religion in America by providing information from 14,301 congregations in 41 participating groups including Protestant, Catholic, Jewish, Muslim and Orthodox organizations.