The Presbyterian Church in America (PCA) saw widespread growth in 2024, with notable increases in membership, giving and professions of faith, according to the denomination’s latest five-year statistical summary published by the Administrative Committee.
Of the 1,667 congregations in the PCA, 992 submitted statistical data revealing a 1.84% increase in total membership over the previous year, bringing the total to 400,751 — up from 393,528 in 2023, according to ByFaithOnline, the official magazine of the PCA.
This marks the third consecutive year of membership growth for the denomination.
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The five-year summary, which summarizes data from 2020 through 2024, showed upward trends in nearly all major categories, including baptisms, congregational giving and benevolence support.
The most significant year-over-year increase was seen in professions of faith by adults, which rose by 22.34%, from 4,641 in 2023 to 5,678 in 2024. Adult baptisms grew 16.56%, reaching 3,083. Professions of faith by children also rose 14.08%, increasing from 4,859 to 5,543. Infant baptisms saw a more modest increase of 2.4%, totaling 5,541 for the year.
Total contributions from PCA congregations reached an all-time high of $1.29 billion in 2024, representing a 15.98% increase from the previous year’s total of $1.11 billion. Per capita giving rose by more than 13%, from $3,644.06 in 2023 to $4,118.98 in 2024.
Giving to denominational ministries also increased. Contributions to the General Assembly causes grew by 12.06%, reaching nearly $23.94 million. Total benevolences — funds directed toward missions, mercy ministries and other external causes — rose by 4.73%, totaling $170.29 million.
Presbyteries in the denomination decreased by one to 87. However, the number of churches increased to 1,667 in 2024, up from 1,645 the year before. Teaching elders rose to 5,347, and ministerial candidates also increased from 572 to 767.
The 2024 data suggests a continued recovery from the disruptions of the COVID-19 pandemic, during which giving, attendance and overall activity dipped across many denominations nationwide.Â
According to a May report, the Southern Baptist Convention, the largest Evangelical denomination in the U.S., had approximately 12.72 million members in 2024, a 2% decline from the approximately 12.98 million reported for 2023.
However, the SBC saw 250,643 baptisms in 2024, about 10% more than the 226,919 that occurred in 2023, itself a rise from 2022.
A December 2024 report found that the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) had around 1 million fewer active members than in 2009, with the progressive mainline Protestant denomination continuing its years-long decline.
Meanwhile, thousands of churches have left the United Methodist Church (UMC) largely due to a schism over the denomination’s stance on homosexuality. Over 7,000 congregations have disaffiliated since 2019, according to statistics.
Despite denominational changes, the share of Americans who identify as Christians shows signs of leveling off after years of decline at slightly above six in 10, according to a recent Pew Research Center survey of 36,908 U.S. adults.
“Americans born in 2000 through 2006 (those ages 18 to 24 in the 2023-24 RLS) are just as likely as those born in the 1990s (now ages 24 to 34) to identify as Christians, to say religion is very important in their lives, and to report that they attend religious services at least monthly,” the Pew analysis reads.Â
“Time will tell whether the recent stability in measures of religious commitment is the beginning of a lasting shift in America’s religious trajectory. But it is inevitable that older generations will decline in size as their members gradually die. We also know that the younger cohorts succeeding them are much less religious. This means that, for lasting stability to take hold in the U.S. religious landscape, something would need to change. For example, today’s young adults would have to become more religious as they age, or new generations of adults who are more religious than their parents would have to emerge.”
Leah M. Klett is a reporter for The Christian Post. She can be reached at: leah.klett@christianpost.com
