Churches of God, General Conference (1825 - Present) - Religious Group
Religious Family: Presbyterian/ReformedReligious Tradition: Evangelical Protestant
Description: The Churches of God, General Conference was founded in 1825 by John Winebrenner, formerly a minister with the German Reformed Church. It was known for much of its history as the General Eldership of the Churches of God in North America.
Official Site: https://www.cggc.org/
Interactive Timeline: Presbyterian/Reformed Family Interactive Timeline
Connections: Churches of God, General Conference
| Group (Active) | Group (Defunct) | Other |
Maps: Churches of God, General Conference1
Adherence Rate per 1,000 (2020)
Congregations (2020)
Top 5 Churches of God, General Conference States (2020)1 [View all States]
| Rank | State | Congregations | Adherents | Adherence Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pennsylvania | 150 | 16,626 | 1.28 |
| 2 | Indiana | 21 | 4,372 | 0.64 |
| 3 | Ohio | 33 | 3,152 | 0.27 |
| 4 | Illinois | 21 | 3,156 | 0.25 |
| 5 | Maryland | 17 | 1,104 | 0.18 |
Top 5 Churches of God, General Conference Counties (2020)1 [View all Counties]
| Rank | County | Congregations | Adherents | Adherence Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Whitley County, IN | 4 | 1,760 | 51.48 |
| 2 | Clark County, IL | 3 | 350 | 22.65 |
| 3 | Sullivan County, IN | 1 | 438 | 21.04 |
| 4 | Perry County, PA | 11 | 752 | 16.40 |
| 5 | Mercer County, OH | 4 | 652 | 15.33 |
Top 5 Churches of God, General Conference Metro Areas (2020)1 [View all Metro Areas]
| Rank | Metro | Congregations | Adherents | Adherence Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Celina, OH Micro Area | 4 | 652 | 15.33 |
| 2 | Decatur, IL Metro Area | 5 | 1,574 | 15.13 |
| 3 | Van Wert, OH Micro Area | 3 | 352 | 12.17 |
| 4 | Findlay, OH Micro Area | 5 | 804 | 10.73 |
| 5 | Harrisburg-Carlisle, PA Metro Area | 49 | 6,119 | 10.34 |
Churches of God, General Conference, Members (1925 - 2010)2
Churches of God, General Conference, Ministers & Churches (1925 - 2010)2
Churches of God, General Conference, Trends (1925 - 2010)2
| YEAR | MEMBERS | MINISTERS | CHURCHES |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1925 | 28,484 | 449 | 484 |
| 1929 | 28,871 | 437 | 451 |
| 1935 | 29,496 | 399 | 401 |
| 1937 | 30,864 | 374 | |
| 1939 | 31,000 | 350 | |
| 1942 | 33,727 | 415 | |
| 1944 | 33,563 | 397 | |
| 1947 | 31,817 | 392 | |
| 1950 | 32,352 | 254 | 380 |
| 1954 | 35,963 | 348 | 362 |
| 1955 | 36,882 | 389 | 398 |
| 1957 | 35,700 | 318 | 378 |
| 1959 | 37,304 | 327 | 385 |
| 1960 | 37,390 | 371 | 376 |
| 1961 | 36,995 | 365 | 376 |
| 1965 | 36,550 | 379 | 374 |
| 1967 | 36,042 | 353 | 352 |
| 1973 | 36,661 | 339 | 353 |
| 1974 | 37,040 | 346 | 351 |
| 1975 | 36,016 | 283 | 347 |
| 1979 | 34,874 | 307 | 345 |
| 1980 | 34,638 | 374 | 344 |
| 1981 | 34,773 | 429 | 345 |
| 1982 | 34,241 | 428 | 345 |
| 1983 | 34,424 | 433 | 352 |
| 1984 | 34,424 | 433 | 352 |
| 1985 | 34,870 | 458 | 353 |
| 1987 | 34,028 | 321 | 348 |
| 1988 | 33,778 | 327 | 343 |
| 1989 | 33,909 | 500 | 350 |
| 1990 | 33,371 | 437 | 349 |
| 1991 | 33,584 | 437 | 354 |
| 1992 | 33,096 | 423 | 359 |
| 1993 | 32,488 | 436 | 347 |
| 1994 | 31,862 | 430 | 352 |
| 1995 | 31,745 | 437 | 349 |
| 1996 | 31,558 | 444 | 350 |
| 1997 | 31,557 | 431 | 342 |
| 1998 | 31,833 | 434 | 339 |
| 1999 | 32,045 | 443 | 340 |
| 2000 | 32,380 | 454 | 342 |
| 2001 | 32,429 | 449 | 339 |
| 2002 | 32,654 | 460 | 337 |
| 2003 | 32,961 | 470 | 331 |
| 2004 | 32,880 | 446 | 336 |
| 2005 | 32,855 | 387 | 324 |
| 2006 | 33,209 | 399 | 324 |
| 2007 | 33,083 | 451 | 321 |
| 2008 | 31,326 | 545 | 322 |
| 2009 | 32,691 | 553 | 321 |
| 2010 | 32,560 | 601 | 332 |
Sources
1 The 2020 data were collected by the Association of Statisticians of American Religious Bodies (ASARB) and include data for 372 religious bodies or groups. Of these, the ASARB was able to gather data on congregations and adherents for 217 and on congregations only for 155. [More information on the data sources]
2 All data on clergy, members, and churches are taken from the National Council of Churches’ Historic Archive CD and recent print editions of the Council’s Yearbook of American and Canadian Churches. The CD archives all 68 editions of the Yearbook (formerly called Yearbook of the Churches and Yearbook of American Churches) from 1916 to 2000. Read more information on the Historic Archive CD and the Yearbook.
Membership figures are "inclusive." According to the Yearbook, this includes "those who are full communicant or confirmed members plus other members baptized, non-confirmed or non-communicant." Each denomination has its own criteria for membership.
When a denomination listed on the Historic Archive CD was difficult to identify, particularly in early editions of the Yearbook, the ARDA staff consulted numerous sources, including Melton’s Encyclopedia of American Religions and the Handbook of Denominations in the United States. In some cases, ARDA staff consulted the denomination’s website or contacted its offices by phone. When a denomination could not be positively identified, its data were omitted.
