Church of the Brethren membership in the United States and Puerto Rico is just over 87,000, according to the statistical report in the 2022 Church of the Brethren Yearbook, published by Brethren Press. The 2022 edition–published late last year–includes the 2021 statistical report and the 2022 directory for the denomination.
April 15 is the deadline for congregational forms to be received by the Yearbook Office in order for information to be included in the 2022 Church of the Brethren Yearbook.
Many congregations have added an online option to weekly worship as part of their response to the pandemic. Last year’s survey by the Church of the Brethren Yearbook staff showed that 84 percent of Church of the Brethren congregations responding said they had worshiped online during the pandemic. When asked if they planned to continue this in the future, 72 percent said yes. That means online worship numbers are now a meaningful part of total worship participation.
Church of the Brethren membership in the United States and Puerto Rico is more than 91,000, according to the most recent statistical report in the 2021 Church of the Brethren Yearbook from Brethren Press. The 2021 Yearbook–published last fall–includes the 2020 statistical report and the 2021 directory for the denomination.
Earlier this year, the Church of the Brethren Yearbook Office conducted a survey asking congregational leaders to weigh in on their worship habits during the COVID-19 pandemic. More than 300 Church of the Brethren congregations participated in the survey, representing more than a third of the close to 900 total number of congregations in the denomination.
All Church of the Brethren congregations–whether they offer online worship or not–are encouraged to complete this survey. Pastors and worship leaders are the primary audience for completing the survey.
COVID-19 affected the ways in which we worship. Many congregations responded by offering ways to gather online, and this shift will change how worship attendance is counted and then reported to the Church of the Brethren Yearbook Office. All Church of the Brethren congregations–whether they offer online worship or not–are encouraged to complete this 5-minute survey.
The Church of the Brethren Yearbook is now offering resources that may be downloaded and printed from a new web page at www.brethren.org/yearbook. The Yearbook is published annually by Brethren Press. It includes statistics as reported by congregations and districts and a denominational directory of districts, congregations, ministers, and more.
Church of the Brethren membership in the United States and Puerto Rico has fallen below 100,000, according to the 2020 Church of the Brethren Yearbook from Brethren Press. For 2019, the Yearbook reported 98,680 members in 24 districts and 978 local worshiping communities across the Church of the Brethren denomination–a net loss of 5,766 over the previous year.
Changes are forthcoming in the way directory and statistical data will be collected. No Form B will be mailed this fall but instead will be combined into a later mailing.