14.02.2005
Worldwide Increase Puts LWF Membership at 66 Million
Over One Million New Members in Africa, Dutch Churches' Merger Adds 2.6 Million to LWF EuropeGENEVA, 14 February 2005 (LWI) - An overall increase of 3.63 million Christians among member churches of the Lutheran World Federation (LWF) worldwide over a one-year period puts the total membership in the LWF to 65,927,334 in 2004. This is according to the latest statistical data from the LWF. The 138 LWF member churches, the eleven recognized congregations and one recognized council in 77 countries recorded an increase of more than 5.8 percent. In 2003, LWF member churches around the world had 62.3 million members, compared to 61.7 million in 2001.
Last year, the number of LWF member churches increased from 136 to 138. This figure includes 135 churches with full membership in the LWF and three associate member churches.
The latest increase is largely due to overall growth in a number of the African churches, which recorded an increase of a total 1.1 million members; as well as last year's admission of the recently established Protestant Church in the Netherlands (PCN). A merger of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in the Kingdom of the Netherlands (ELCNL), the Netherlands Reformed Church and the Reformed Churches in the Netherlands, the 2.53-million member PCN is also a member of the World Alliance of Reformed Churches. Prior to the May 2004 merger, the former ELCNL, now the PCN Lutheran Synod, had been a member of the LWF since 1947.
Worldwide membership among Lutheran churches increased by 3.57 million to 69,527,817, representing a growth of 5.4 percent. In 2003, Lutheran churches worldwide had 65.96 million people, whereas in 2001, the figure stood at 65.39 million. Membership in Lutheran churches that do not belong to the LWF decreased by around 60,177 to 3,600,483.
Africa: Further Increase of Nearly 1.1 Million
Lutheran churches in Africa once again recorded a membership increase of almost 1.1 million which accounts for a rise of 8.2 percent, pushing the total in that region to 14,133,572 members. The LWF member churches there had 14,079,022 members in 2004, an increase of 8.4 percent.
The Evangelical Lutheran Church in Mozambique registered the largest increase, with an almost fivefold rise in membership from 1,250 to 5,987. With 500,000 new members, representing a 20 percent increase, the Malagasy Lutheran Church and Evangelical Lutheran Church in Tanzania now each have 3 million members.
The Ethiopian Evangelical Church Mekane Yesus, currently the largest Lutheran church in Africa with 4,164,066 members, recorded 130,653 new members, an increase of 3.25 percent. The Evangelical Lutheran Church in Zimbabwe now with 130,000 had 20,000 new members, an 18 percent increase. The Lutheran Church of Rwanda obtained 3,000 new members, an 18 percent increase, bringing the total to 20,000 members.
The Lutheran Church of Nigeria reported 15,000 new members, an increase of 12.5 percent bringing the total to 135,000. The fourth largest church in Africa, the Lutheran Church of Christ in Nigeria recorded an increase of 3.25 percent with 37,977 additional members, pushing the total to 1,205,000. In predominantly Muslim Senegal, membership in the Lutheran Church of Senegal rose by four percent to reach 3,620 members.
Several churches in South Africa recorded decreasing membership. Indeed, the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Southern Africa lost almost 180,000 members, a 23.4 percent decline, bringing the new total to 589,502. A slight decrease in membership in the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Southern Africa (Cape Church) brings down the total to 4,099 members, whereas the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Southern Africa (N-T) recorded a 10 percent decrease resulting in 9,900 members. The membership of the Moravian Church in South Africa remained unchanged at 100,200.
LWF Membership in Europe Up by 2.6 Million
Between 2003 and 2004, membership in Lutheran churches in Europe increased by 7.3 percent representing 2,633,955 new members, and pushing the total in the region to 38,635,572. Membership among LWF member churches rose to 38,594,553 people. This is largely due to the PCN admission in the LWF last year. Between 2001 and 2003, a 1.75 percent decrease pushed down Lutheran membership to 36 million Christians.
Church of Sweden, the largest Lutheran church worldwide, recorded a one percent increase over the one-year period putting the total membership at 7,220,694. Membership in the third largest LWF member church, the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland, fell by 0.3 percent to 4,586,414 members. The Evangelical Lutheran Church in Denmark, the fourth largest LWF member church, recorded 4,499,501 members, which corresponds to a 0.6 percent decline. The Church of Norway reported 3,922,265 members, a 3.4 percent increase. Membership in the Evangelical Lutheran Free Church of Norway, an associate member church of the LWF, rose by around five percent to 22,815 members.
The Lutheran Council of Great Britain, representing the common work of eleven different Lutheran churches with congregations or chaplaincies there, recorded a nine percent increase in membership, pushing the total to 130,600. The Lutheran Church in Great Britain had 13.5 percent fewer members, recording a total of 2,370.
Membership in the Evangelical Church of the Augsburg Confession in Austria decreased by 3.7 percent to 322,321 members, whereas that of the Evangelical Church of the Augsburg Confession in Romania fell by around three percent, to 14,606 members. The Evangelical Lutheran Church in Romania now has 31,250 members, a decrease of 2.4 percent.
Slight Decrease among Lutheran Churches in Germany
The total number of Lutheran Christians in Germany stood at 13,103,946 in 2004, which was 159,923 fewer members than the previous year, representing a 1.2 percent decrease. Germany is still the country with the highest number of Lutheran Christians. In 2003, the churches there recorded a combined membership of 13,263,869 compared to 13.65 million members in 2001. The Evangelical Lutheran Free Church in Germany, not an LWF member church, recorded the highest decline in percentage terms with 26 percent less members, reducing the total to 1,470. The Church of Lippe [Lutheran Section] recorded a 14 percent decrease with a substantially lower total of 32,600 members.
Membership in the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Hanover, the largest church in the country, remained unchanged at 3,127,000 members. The Evangelical Lutheran Church in Bavaria recorded 2.7 million members, representing a two percent decrease. The North Elbian Evangelical Lutheran Church had around 2.8 percent fewer members, reducing the total to 2,151,450. The Evangelical Lutheran Church of Saxony had 2.3 percent less members with a total of 895,000, whereas the Evangelical Church of Pomerania had 115,000 members, a six percent decrease. Among other churches that recorded a decline was the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Brunswick, with 417,576 members, a decrease of 2.2 percent.
Membership remained unchanged in several other German churches including the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Baden with 3,710 members, Evangelical Church in Württemberg with 2,346,879 members and Evangelical Lutheran Church of Mecklenburg with 225,000 members.
Significant Growth among Some Asian Churches
The number of Lutherans in Asia increased by just under one percent bringing the total to 7,391,102. Out of this figure, the LWF member churches account for 7,229,661.
The West Japan Evangelical Lutheran Church, a non-LWF member church, doubled its membership to 3,700. Membership in the Lutheran Church in Korea rose by 82 percent to a new total of 4,698 members. A 50 percent increase in the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Thailand has resulted in a new figure of 2,584 members.
The Evangelical Lutheran Church in Madhya Pradesh (India) increased membership by around 13.5 percent to reach 15,880 members, whereas that of the Tamil Evangelical Lutheran Church (India) rose by 12,003 members, around 11 percent, to a new total of 120,000.
The Basel Christian Church of Malaysia recorded an increase of around 11 percent, pushing the total to 50,000. The Evangelical Lutheran Church in Myanmar (Lutheran Bethlehem Church) had an increase of 11 percent, with a new total of 1,800 members.
The Chinese Lutheran Brethren Church in Taiwan (Republic of China), recorded 1,668 members, a decrease of 44 percent. The Lutheran Church of New Zealand had 22 percent fewer members, with a new total of 962.
Slight Decrease in Latin America
Lutheran churches in Latin America and the Caribbean recorded a slight fall in membership, around one percent, bringing in a new total of 1,116,913. This includes 842,096 represented in the LWF member churches. The LWF member churches had 5,069 fewer members, representing a 0.6 percent decrease.
Membership in the Evangelical Church of the Lutheran Confession in Brazil decreased by around 0.7 percent to 710,000. The non-LWF member Evangelical Lutheran Church of Brazil, recorded an increase of around 0.5 percent, bringing the total membership to 223,588.
Membership Decline in North America
In North America, membership in Lutheran churches between 2003 and 2004 fell by around 2.2 percent. Out of the total 8,250,658 Lutherans in the region 5,182,002 belong to the four LWF member churches there.
The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, the second largest LWF member church recorded 4,984,925 members, a 2.25 percent decrease. A 40 percent decline in membership in the Lithuanian Evangelical Lutheran Church in Diaspora (USA) pushed down the membership to 3,000.
The Lutheran Church - Missouri Synod (USA and Canada), which is not a member of the LWF, had 2,488,936 members, down by two percent. The Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod (USA), also a non-LWF member church recorded a 3.2 percent decrease to reach a total of 400,622 members. The Association of Free Lutheran Congregations (USA), also outside the LWF, registered an eight percent increase for a new total of 39,319 members.
The Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada had a new total of 182,077 members, a decline by around 3.5 percent. Membership in the Estonian Evangelical Lutheran Church Abroad (Canada) remained steady at 12,000 members.
The membership statistics are based on information received from the LWF member churches, the recognized congregations and council, as well as from other Lutheran churches, organizations, mission bodies and congregations. The figures recorded for the year ending 2003 were used for churches that did not indicate any change in statistics by the end of January 2005. (1,645 words)
The statistics in detail will be printed in Lutheran World Information (LWI) No. 01/2005.
A one-page summary of the LWF Statistics 2004 is posted in PDF format on the LWF Web site under: http://www.lutheranworld.org/LWF_Documents/LWF-Statistics-01-2004.pdf
Full details can be found under: http://www.lutheranworld.org/LWF_Documents/LWF-Statistics-2004.pdf
For further information, please contact the LWF Office for Communication Services in Geneva.
Tel.: +41/22-791 63 54
Fax: +41/22-791 66 30
E-mail: pmu@lutheranworld.org
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