• 83% percent of Americans identify themselves as Christians (Catholics or Protestants), but only 49% of these individuals described themselves as absolutely committed to Christianity. http://www.barna.org/FlexPage.aspx?Page=BarnaUpdateNarrowPreview&BarnaUpdateID=271

• States with highest ratio of religious adherents

• 1 Utah 74.7%

• 2 North Dakota 73.2%

• 3 District Of Columbia 73.2%

• 4 South Dakota 67.8%

• ----------------------------

• 4 States with lowest ratio adherents

• 48 Alaska 34.3%

• 49 Nevada 34.3%

• 50 Washington 33.0%

• 51 Oregon 31.3%

• http://ext.nazarene.org/rcms/stateswithhighestratioadherents.html Association of Religion Data Archives www.TheARDA.com

• 49% of adults identify themselves as attenders of Protestant churches, while 23% say they attend the Catholic segment. © The Barna Group, Ltd. 2007, http://www.barna.org/FlexPage.aspx?Page=BarnaUpdateNarrowPreview&BarnaUpdateID=271

• The Eastern United States is the only region of the country where Protestants account for less than half (44.1%) of the population. Catholics are the best represented religious tradition in this region; claiming 35.1% of the population. ^5.5Baylor Institute for Studies of Religion - American Piety in the 21 Century – September 2006 . http://www.baylor.edu/isreligion/index.php?id=40634

• The West has the highest percentages of religiously unaffiliated people (17.6%) and people in other religious traditions (10.3%) of any U.S. Region. ^^5.5 Baylor Institute for Studies of Religion

• In 2002, Protestants ranked highest in percentage of total surveyed population at 52% (Baptist being the largest single denomination), followed by Catholics at 24%, then Mormons at 2%, Orthodox Catholic bodies at 1%. (20001). http://www.adherents.com/rel_USA.html.

• Catholics showed a 16% gain in membership (2000) while Mormons boasted 19%. The only other major Christian body that increased was the Southern Baptists at nearly 5 percent. ^3.5http://www.glenmary.org/grc/RCMS_2000/Catholic_findings.htm

• From 1978 to 2004, there was a rapid increase in the number of Catholics in the world by more than 45 percent from almost 757 million to 1.098 billion. Annuarium Statisticum Ecclesiae of 2004

• More than 60% of adult Americans claim to belong to a church or synagogue. The same number believe religion "can answer all or most of today' questions, although well under half of Americans attend church regularly." Copyright © 2004 -- The Gallup Organization http://www.gallup.com/content/login.aspx?ci=1804

• only 20.4 percent of the population, or half the Gallup figure, attended church each weekend. May 6, 1998 article by C. Kirk Hadaway and P.L. Marler Did You Really Go To Church This Week: Behind the Poll Data, in The Christian Century, http://www.religion-online.org/showarticle.asp?title=237.

• 44% of Americans say they go to church at least once a week. . http://www.religioustolerance.org/rel_rate.htm

• Almost half (49.2%) of Americans say they attend church at least once a month. 2006 Baylor Religion Survey. http://www.baylor.edu/isreligion/index.php?id=40634

• The number of Americans who do not attend church has increased 92% since 1991 http://www.barna.org/FlexPage.aspx?Page=BarnaUpdate&BarnaUpdateID=163

• 33 percent of adults are classified as unchurched – people who have not attended a religious service of any type (not necessarily a church) during the past six months. ³© The Barna Group, Ltd. 2007, http://www.barna.org; http://www.christianpost.com/article/20070320/26418_Study%3A_U.S._Unchurched_Population_Nears_100_Million.htm

• Only19 percent of political conservatives were likely to be unchurched versus 47 percent political liberals.

• Those least likely to be unchurched are residents in the South (26 percent) compared with residents in the West (42 percent) and Northeast (39 percent). ^³

• Ethnically, only 24 percent of African Americans were likely to be unchurched, versus 32% of white and 63% of Asians. ^³

• Religiously, 1 percent of evangelical Christians, 16 percent of “non-evangelical born-again Christians” [as if there is such a thing) and 24 percent of the “Christian” population as a whole (25% of Catholics, 20% of Protestants) were unchurched, while. 61 percent of adults who are associated with a faith outside Christianity had not attended any kind of religious service over the past 6 months. ^³

• Nearly 60% of Americans say they hold their current religious beliefs because of their parents. U.S. News & World Report, April 4, 1994, pp. 48-59

• Canadian church attendance has plunged to just above 20 percent (from a reported 60% in 1946). Fall 2002 Issue American Outlook Magazine, Hudson Institute, by John G. Stackhouse, Jr. http://www.americanoutlook.org/index.cfm?fuseaction=article_detail&id=2020

• Of the 17 religious bodies in America with 1 million or more adherents in 2000, only six showed an increase in numbers while 10 showed a decline in numbers. Muslims were not counted in 1990. Glenmary Research Centers. ^3.5http://www.glenmary.org/grc/RCMS_2000/Catholic_findings.htm

• Among the gainers, four religious bodies showed double-digit increases-- between 16 percent for Catholics and 19 percent for Latter-Day Saints (Mormons). The only other Christian body showing a gain was the Southern Baptist Convention at nearly 5 percent.^^3.5

• It can be noted that, except for Catholics, all those bodies gaining members between 1990 and 2000 generally are considered “Conservative Protestants,” while most of those showing a decrease in number of adherents generally are considered “Moderate” or “Liberal” Protestants.^^3.5

• In every state, the percent Catholic growth from 1990 to 2000 was very substantially greater than the general population growth [including a 45 percent increase in Arkansas and 111 percent increase in Nevada.] ^^3.5

• Just a third of persons in Evangelical Protestant congregations and denominations (32.6%) refer to themselves as “Evangelical.” ^5.5Baylor Institute for Studies of Religion - American Piety in the 21 Century – September 2006 . http://www.baylor.edu/isreligion/index.php?id=40634

• Only 15 percent of the population use the term “Evangelical” to describe their religious identity and barely two in 100 Americans say it is the best description. ^^5.5

• Only 7% of US adults qualify as “evangelicals” (2004) [see criteria under first section].⁴© The Barna Group, Ltd. http://www.barna.org/FlexPage.aspx?Page=Topic&TopicID=2

• 38% of US adults classify as born again, but not evangelical. (2004).^⁴

• 11% of the US population identify with a faith other than Christianity (2004).^⁴

• At latest count, there were 1,210 Protestant churches in the United States with a weekly attendance of 2,000 people or more. The four states with the greatest concentrations of megachurches were California (14 percent), Texas (13 percent), Florida (7 percent), and Georgia (6 percent). http://www.hirr.hartsem.edu/megachurch/megachurches.html

• 600,000 active and retired, civilian and military, clergy serve in various denominations in the United States. The Yearbook of American and Canadian Churches http://www.electronicchurch.org http://hirr.hartsem.edu/research/fastfacts/fast_facts.html

• The average mainline pastor spent 50.8 hours a week at work. God’s Potters: Pastoral Leadership and the Shaping of Congregations, by Jackson Carroll, (W.B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 2006). http://hirr.hartsem.edu/research/fastfacts/fast_facts.html

• Atheists and agnostics comprise 9% of adults nationwide (2007); 6% of souls over 61, 9% of those ages 42-60, 14% of those 23-41, and 19% of those 18-22. Indications from the past indicate that these beliefs stay fairly constant through life. http://www.barna.org/FlexPage.aspx?Page=BarnaUpdateNarrowPreview&BarnaUpdateID=272

• 28% of American adults have left the faith of their childhood, not including those who switched from one Protestant denomination to another. 10% of all these were Catholics (mostly replaced with immigrants) Jehovah's Witnesses (so-called) had the highest losses, with a turnover rate of about two-thirds. Beacon Journal wire services. http://www.ohio.com/news/nation/15973167.html

• Persons aged 18-30 are three times more likely to have no religious affiliation (18.6%) than are persons aged 65 or older (5.4%). ^5.5Baylor Institute for Studies of Religion - American Piety in the 21 Century – September 2006 . http://www.baylor.edu/isreligion/index.php?id=40634

• The number of American adults who identify themselves with Christianity has dropped from 86% in 1990 to 77% in 2001. ARIS Study American Religious Identification Survey was conducted in February to April 2001.

• Christianity in America has suffered a loss of 9.7 percentage points in 11 years -- about 0.9 percentage points per year. If this trend continues, then by about the year 2042, non-Christians will outnumber the Christians in the U.S. Diana Eck, A New Religious America: How a 'Christian Country' Has Become the World's Most Religiously Diverse Nation, 2001). http://www.letusreason.org/Current30.htm

• Hartford Seminary report the number of Muslim places of worship grew by 42 percent in America between 1990 and 2000, compared with the 12 percent average increase for evangelical churches

• The the number of Islamic mosques in America has increased 25% since 1994. Council on American-Islamic Relations

• By 2010, Islam is expected to be the second-largest faith in the U.S., after Christianity. http://www.iiie.net/Opinions/IslamInUSFactSheet.html

• By 2050, Muslims are expected to outnumber Protestants in the U.S (includes so-called “Nation of Islam” Muslims). Secrets of Islam: US News and World Report

• Adherents to Buddhism has increase 170% from 1990 to 2001. (Science and Spirit, September/October 2002. Discipleship Journal, March/April 2003, pg. 14).

• The fastest growing religion percentage wise is Wicca. Going from 8,000 in 1990 to 134,000 in 2001. Doubling about every 30 months. (American Religious Identification Survey, done by The Graduate Center of the City University of New York).

• Paranormal beliefs are most prevalent in eastern states, with the highest percentages of agreement on eight of the 10 belief questions. Southerners are the least receptive to the paranormal, with the lowest percentages on six of the 10 items. ^5.5Baylor Institute for Studies of Religion - American Piety in the 21 Century – September 2006 . http://www.baylor.edu/isreligion/index.php?id=40634

• 85-90% of Americans routinely respond “yes” when asked “Do you, personally, believe in God?” ^³

• Nearly three fourths of Americans (71.5%) say they pray pray at least once a week. ^³

• 91% of all households own at least one Bible. 1998 Barna Research: 1998 http://webminister.com/growth01/plan0031.htm

• 38% read the Bible during a typical week, not including when they are at church. Barna Research: 1998 http://webminister.com/growth01/plan0031.htm

• The King James Version is more likely to be the Bible read during the week than is the NIV by a 5:1 ratio. Barna Research: 1998 http://webminister.com/growth01/plan0031.htm

• 48% of all shoppers who set out to buy a Bible leave the bookstore without buying one. Often because they are overwhelmed by hundreds of study, devotional and specialty Bibles. Zondervan Publishing study, USA Today, February 21, 2000 http://youthtools.ibelieve.com/content.asp?SID=12&CID=247

• 59% of Americans "say they read the Bible at least on occasion [down from 73% in the 1980's]. The most likely readers are women, nonwhites, older people, Republicans, and political conservatives." 16% say they read the Bible every day, 41% of Americans say they rarely or never read the Bible. Gallup Poll 2000 Copyright © 2004 -- The Gallup Organization http://www.gallup.com/content/login.aspx?ci=2416

• 80% of Americans polled said the Bible was the most influential book in history. Barna Research 1998. Printed in USA Today, May 27, 1998

• And est. 168,000 new Bibles are sold, given away, or otherwise distributed in the United States per day through Wycliffe International, the Society of Gideons, and the International Bible Society.

• BIBLE STATISTICS:

• Number of books in the Bible: 66

• Chapters: 1,189

• Verses: 31,101

• Words: 783,137

• Letters: 3,566,480

• Number of promises given in the Bible: 1,260

• Commands: 6,468

• Predictions: over 8,000

• Fulfilled prophecy: 3,268 verses

• Unfulfilled prophecy: 3,140

• Number of questions: 3,294

• The number of Number of Arabic Words in the Quran is 77,439 [77,473 in English] (reported byAl-Fadl bin Shadhan as said by ‘Ata bin Yasar).

• 48% think that the United States has had special protection from God for most of its history. http://people-press.org/reports/print.php3?PageID=386

• 67% of adult Americans "used at least one of three forms of religious media - radio, television or books." "Overall more than half of the nation's adults said they had tuned in to a Christian radio program of some type during the past month." In addition, 43% of adults polled "said they had watched some Christian programming on television during the past month." (Barna Research Group of Ventura, California. http://www.barna.org/FlexPage.aspx?Page=BarnaUpdate&BarnaUpdateID=116).

• Church members gave 2.56 percent of their income in 2004, down from 3.11 percent in 1968. Only 15% was for ministry outside the church. Empty Tomb Inc.http://www.washingtontimes.com/national/20061012-105326-4799r.htm October 13, 2006

³© The Barna Group, Ltd. 2007,. http://www.barna.org; http://www.christianpost.com/article/20070320/26418_Study%3A_U.S._Unchurched_Population_Nears_100_Million.htm

^^3.5Glenmary Research Center s http://www.glenmary.org/grc/RCMS_2000/Catholic_findings.htm

• ⁴http://www.barna.org/FlexPage.aspx?Page=Topic&TopicID=2

• 5.5Baylor Institute for Studies of Religion - American Piety in the 21 Century – September 2006 . http://www.baylor.edu/isreligion/index.php?id=40634

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