Denominational Profile

History

Oldest and largest of the Spiritualist churches is the National Spiritualist Association of Churches (NSAC), formed in 1893 at Chicago. Among its leaders were Harrison D. Barrett and James M. Peebles, both former Unitarian clergymen, and Cora L. Richmond, an outstanding medium and author. The association was formed both for fellowship and to deal with fraudulent mediumship.
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Membership Data

Year	Clergy	Churches	Members
1936	-	258	11,266
1946	-	280	12,000
1950	186	265	7,801
1951	225	285	10,500
1952	216	252	8,105
1953	218	245	7,637
1954	219	244	7,958
1955	227	245	7,990
1956	224	244	7,900
1957	225	247	8,850
1958	220	214	8,001
1959	228	245	8,825
1960	235	225	8,000
1961	139	198	5,438
1962	225	178	5,721
1963	222	175	5,811
1964	216	195	6,082
1965	208	195	4,962
1966	174	183	-
1968	201	203	-
1970	204	201	-
1974	182	200	5,000
1976	-	164	5,168
1984	142	142	5,558
1990	218	120	3,406
1992	95	137	3,883
1994	97	143	3,634
1995	129	130	2,258
1997	134	130	3,530
1999	87	136	3,000
2000	-	156	-

Source

Data were taken from the National Council of Churches' Historic Archive CD and recent editions of the Yearbook of American and Canadian Churches. Denomination descriptions provided by Dr. J. Gordon Melton, Director, Institute for the Study of American Religion (ISAR). [More information on data sources]