Who is Who,
|
| Branch | Number of Adherents |
|---|---|
| Catholic | 968,000,000 |
| Protestant | 395,867,000 |
| Other Christians | 275,583,000 |
| Orthodox | 217,948,000 |
| Anglicans | 70,530,000 |
Major Denominational Families of
Christianity
(This table does not include all Christians. These numbers are
estimates, and are here primarily to assist in ranking branches by
size, not to provide a definitive count of membership.)
| Branch | Number of Adherents |
|---|---|
| Catholic | 1,030,000,000 |
| Orthodox/Eastern Christian | 240,000,000 |
| African indigenous sects (AICs) | 110,000,000 |
| Pentecostal | 105,000,000 |
|
Reformed/Presbyterian/ Congregational/United |
75,000,000 |
| Baptist | 70,000,000 |
| Anglican | 68,000,000 |
| Lutheran | 64,000,000 |
| Methodist | 50,000,000 |
| Jehovah's Witnesses | 14,800,000 |
| Latter Day Saints | 11,200,000 |
| Adventist | 11,000,000 |
| Apostolic/New Apostolic | 10,000,000 |
| Stone-Campbell ("Restoration Movement") | 5,400,000 |
| New Thought (Unity, Christian Science, etc.) | 1,500,000 |
| Brethren (incl. Plymouth) | 1,500,000 |
| Mennonite | 1,250,000 |
| Friends (Quakers) | 300,000 |
Catholic:
Includes Old Catholic, Aglipayan (Philipines), Uniate, in addition to
the Catholic Church headquartered at the Vatican. Occasionally
"Catholic" is used, as in the table above, to refer to a branch of
Christianity that includes the Catholic Church headquartered at the
Vatican, as well as relatively recent off-shoots that still consider
themselves Catholic, such as the Old Catholic churches. Certainly it
also includes non-Latin Rite Catholic churches such as Uniates, Greek
Catholics, Ukrainian Catholics, Maronites, etc., all of which are in
full papal communion and regarded as part of the same religious body as
the "Roman Catholic" church. The fact that there are non-Latin Rite
Catholics such as these is one of the reasons that many Catholics do not
like the term "Roman Catholic Church" as a name for their church. While
"Roman Catholic" has long been used without any offense intended, it is
increasingly disliked by some members of the Vatican-based Catholic
Church, and in nearly every place on this web site that this church is
mentioned, the term "Catholic Church" is used. "Roman" is left off, as
both inaccurate and potentially objectionable. On other pages, the term
"Catholics" by itself refers to members of the Vatican-based Catholic
Church, whether they be Roman Catholics, Greek Catholics, Ukrainian
Catholics, Uniates, Coptic Catholics, etc.
This is not the only possible usage of the capitalized term "Catholic." Adherents.com uses the term "Catholic" in essentially the same way that most contemporary sociological literature uses it. In studies of the general population, distinctions between Latin Rite Catholics and other Catholics are ignored. Also, Episcopalians are generally grouped with Protestants (or, in studies with more specificity, Liberal Protestants).
One different definition of "Catholic" and "Catholic Church" is described by Fr. Gene Britton, an Episcopal Priest:
I do have one suggestion for honoring denominational sensitivities... Many of us are Catholics without being ROMAN Catholics. I am a priest in the Episcopal Church, and since priesthood vested in an individual is antithetical to Protestantism, there are no Protestant priests. So, if I am a priest, I must be a Catholic priest. There are three (3) major communions bearing the marks of a Capital-"C" Catholic Church: The Roman Church, the Eastern Orthodox Churches, and the Anglican Communion (which includes the Episcopal Church). [I prefer that people] refrain from using the word "Catholic" as if Romans are the only ones.
As we have discussed with Fr. Britton, the usage he suggests is one considered important by a minority of the population (in the U.S., there are about 60 million Catholics vs. about 2 million Episcopalians, and worldwide the difference in numbers is even larger). Although most Catholics are not bothered by the term "Roman Catholic", they do not wish to be called "Romans", and they do not they consider Anglicans or Eastern Orthodox to be members of the Catholic Church. It is true that Anglicans and Eastern Orthodox Christians may be considered Catholic from some historical and theological perspectives. But ever-increasing ecumenism between Anglicans and other Protestants around the world (and, in 2001, full communion between Episcopalians and ELCA Lutherans in the U.S.), continue to diminish the degree to which most Anglicans wish to be known as Catholics.
Orthodox/Eastern Christian: As a "branch", the Orthodox/Eastern churches include Eastern churches not in communion with Constantinople, Chalcedonian and Non-chalcedonian, Nestorian, Coptic, Ethiopian Orthodox, various Jacobite/Syrian Orthodox, Armenian.
Pentecostal: Examples: Assemblies of God, Church of God in Christ, Universal Church of the Kingdom of God, various Churches of God, etc. Includes officially Pentecostal denominations--those which do not identify primarily with other denominational families, such as Baptist or Methodist. There are denominations and/or congregations which have generic pentecostal characteristics, or are charismatic or evangelical, but are not classified primarily as a Pentecostal denomination.
African indigenous sects: Many African Initiated/Indigenous/Independent Churches (AICs) such as the Kimbanguist Church (6.5 million).
Latter Day Saints: Mormons. This branch is primarily comprised of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Note the difference in capitalization and hyphenation between "Latter Day Saints" (a generic term for the entire branch/movement) and "Latter-day Saints" (members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, the predominant religious body). We believe this is the most widely followed hyphenation/capitalization convention, but there are variations. Some writers simply refer to the whole branch as "Mormonism" or "Restoration churches" (although the latter term might be confused with the Stone-Campbell movement). Historically this branch also includes the Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (RLDS) and a small number of even smaller splinter groups. In the year 2000 the RLDS Chuch changed its name to the "Community of Christ." Theologically, the current form of this religious body may be best classified as Liberal Protestant, although scholars continue to classify it under "Latter Day Saints" in historically-based listings.
Adventist: Mostly Seventh-day Adventists, plus some others.
New Thought: The three largest New Thought heirs to Christian Science -- Unity Church, Religious Science and Divine Science -- count among them about 780 churches and between 130,000 and 150,000 members in the U.S., according to a 1996 almanac of American religions.
Mennonite: Includes Amish as well as many other "Plain Churches."
Restoration Movement
(Stone-Campbell): Primarily includes the "Christian Churches and
Churches of Christ", "Church of Christ" (or "Churches of Christ") and
the "Christian Church (Disciples of Christ)"; [Stone-Campbell
churches should not be confused with Latter Day Saint denominations,
which are part of a separate Restoration (usually referred to by Latter
Day Saints simply as "The Restoration" or "Restoration of the Gospel").
From its organization in 1830 until 1838 the Church of Jesus Christ of
Latter-day Saints was known simply as the "Church of Christ." But
despite similarities in names, the Latter Day Saint and Stone/Campbellite
movements are not connected.]
NOTE: Division into denominational families offers a more
detailed look at the composition of Christianity as a whole, but can be
misleading. Among Protestants today, most significant divisions with
regard to culture, practice and doctrine are not between denominational
families, but between Liberal and Conservative
Protestants.
Since the 1940s, one of the most important distinctions Christians have
written about is between Evangelical and non-Evangelical
Christians. At the denominational level, the Evangelical branch of
Christianity is roughly equivalent to the Conservative Protestants,
including Pentecostals. But both sociologists and Christian writers
usually assign non-historical and non-denominational parameters to
"Evangelical", defining the term primarily in theological and behavioral
terms. Based on such criteria, sociologists have sometimes even included
as "Evangelicals" many people not usually considered Protestant, such as
Latter Day Saints and "born-again Catholics".
The variety of terms applied to different divisions and movements among conservative American Protestants can be confusing. Some of the most important and widely used are: born again Christians, Evangelicals, Pentecostals, Charismatics and Fundamentalists. These terms frequently overlap or are defined differently by different writers.
It is beyond the scope of this page to fully describe major divisions in conservative Protestantism, but the following definitions from an article by Harvey Cox for The Atlantic Monthly (Nov. 1995) are useful:
"Born-again" is the broadest category. It includes the 39 percent of the American population who claim they have had a personal experience of Christ. Their political ideas span the spectrum, and Jimmy Carter is not the only born-again political liberal.
"Evangelical" describes a theological position, one recognizing not only the need for such a personal experience with God but also the unique religious authority of Scripture and an obligation to share one's faith with others. Billy Graham is the paradigmatic evangelical.
"Fundamentalists," though they share many of the evangelicals' beliefs, also fiercely insist on the "verbal inerrancy" of the Bible, and this has led them into noisy conflicts over creation and evolution. William Jennings Bryan, who defended a literal reading of Genesis at the famous Scopes "monkey trial" in 1925, was a classic fundamentalist.
Pentecostals, by far the fastest-growing wing of Christianity today, share most evangelical beliefs, but for them all theology is secondary. What is most important is an immediate encounter with the Holy Spirit in a style of worship that is exuberant and even ecstatic. Aimee Semple McPherson was the first Pentecostal preacher to achieve celebrity status in America.
"Charismatics" (the word's root means "gift of grace") are people who practice a Pentecostal form of worship but remain in their own Catholic or Protestant churches.
Significant Sociologically Distinct Branches of Christianity
The list of branches shown below
represents an attempt to be less arbitrary, showing major branches
between which there are real differences with regard to
culture, practice, doctrine, and history. Given these criteria, this
list is more subjective than a listing of denominational families,
which was primarily based on historical considerations only. Once again,
the numbers are estimates. The boundaries between some of these
groups are somewhat blurry (such as between some Pentecostal and
Conservative Protestant groups).
| Branch | Number of Adherents |
|---|---|
| Catholic | 1,030,000,000 |
| Orthodox/Eastern Christian | 240,000,000 |
| Conservative Protestant | 200,000,000 |
| Liberal Protestant * | 150,000,000 |
| African indigenous sects (AICs) | 110,000,000 |
| Pentecostal | 105,000,000 |
| Anglican * | 68,000,000 |
| Jehovah's Witnesses | 14,800,000 |
| Latter Day Saints | 11,200,000 |
| New Thought (Unity, Christian Science, etc.) | 1,500,000 |
| Friends (Quakers)* | 300,000 |
* Liberal Protestants: A recent development in the United States has been the formal ecumenical movement marking increased cooperation among a number of long-separated liberal-to-moderate Protestant denominations. Currently a significant part of this unification of this branch of Protestantism is the "Churches United in Christ" agreement, which will create a network of denominations which share ministries and recognize one another's churches and share in Communion. Currently the combined membership of this movement is 17 million, representing about 7% of U.S. Christians, or about 12% of affiliated Christians in the U.S. [Article.]
* Anglicans are clearly
distinct from Liberal Protestants in history, polity and liturgy.
Anglicans, however, exhibit extreme ecumenical tendencies and in some
countries have forged formal communions or outright mergers with Liberal
Protestants. Anglicans are often grouped with Liberal Protestants in
studies of a strictly sociological nature. Positions on political
issues, voting patterns, educational/vocational demographics, etc. tend
to be similar between the two groups.
* Quakers: Classification of Quakers into functionally meaningful
"branches" of Christianity is difficult. Certainly the Quaker faith and
witness arose from a Protestant background and Quakerism is correctly
classified today as Protestant. But it is not as simple to group Quakers
as "Conservative Protestant" or "Liberal Protestant." Like many other
historical denominational families (Methodist, Presbyterian, Lutheran,
etc.), different Quaker denominations, and even congregations, are
clearly either Liberal or Conservative with regards to many issues. But,
although embracing certain degrees of ecumenicalism, Quakers
nevertheless have maintained denominational identity which exceeds that
of most other Protestant denominations. Various innovations by founder
George Fox, including distinctive forms of Quaker worship (Meetings,
"gathering", etc.), emphasis on Inner Light, as well as the pacifistic
stand against violence in all forms, including self defense, all serve
to heighten Quaker identity. Quakers still exhibit separate expressions
of art and culture. So while "Lutheranism", "Presbyterianism",
"Methodism", "Congregationalism", etc. are no longer sociological
significant categories for most purposes, "Quakerism" still is and will
continue to be so into the forseeable future. Those interested in this
topic may find appreciate
A Certain Kind of Perfection: An Anthology of Evangelical and Liberal
Quaker Writers (edited by Carolyn Wilhelm, Margery P. Abbott).
Reprinted with permission The document created 13 March 2001. Last modified 9 February 2001. Copyright © 2000 by http://www.adherents.com/
Image from the U.S. Center for World Mission Mission Frontiers.org
go to "All about Church Page"
|
|