Denominational Profile

History

Methodist Protestant Church Methodist Episcopal Church Methodist Episcopal Church, South	merged intoMethodist Church (1939-1968)	merged intoUnited Methodist Church (1968)
		split into Evangelical Methodist Church (1946)

The Methodist Church was formed in 1939 by a reunion of the Methodist Protestant Church, the Methodist Episcopal Church (North) and the Methodist Episcopal Church, South.

Membership Data

Year	Clergy	Churches	Members
1940	-	42,139	7,377,487
1942	-	42,206	6,640,424
1944	-	41,067	8,046,129
1946	-	-	8,430,146
1948	-	40,321	8,567,772
1950	24,255	40,158	8,935,647
1951	-	39,961	9,065,727
1952	25,491	39,906	9,180,428
1953	25,907	39,780	9,151,524
1954	26,165	39,801	9,202,728
1955	26,649	39,854	9,292,046
1956	26,909	39,845	9,422,893
1957	26,872	39,359	9,543,245
1958	27,328	39,338	9,670,690
1959	27,750	39,236	9,815,460
1960	27,748	38,882	9,893,094
1961	28,254	39,850	10,046,293
1962	28,611	39,044	10,153,003
1963	28,697	38,990	10,234,986
1964	28,988	38,908	10,304,184
1965	28,981	38,876	10,331,574
1966	29,287	37,603	10,310,619
1967	29,207	38,060	10,289,214

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]