New PCA Stats Reveal The Denomination Grew in 2024, Bucking Trends

New numbers released by the Presbyterian Church in America’s (PCA) Administrative Committee reveal that the conservative denomination continues to grow and expand, being an outlier in ecclesial trends that have seen membership in most denominations sharply declining.

byFaith Magazine, the official publication of the PCA, reveals that, according to statistics submitted by churches, the denomination saw growth in most major categories last year.

The overall membership of the PCA grew by 1.84% in 2024…The largest growth rate was in the number of professions of faith by adults (22.34%) and adult baptisms (16.56%). After four years of decline, denominational agencies and committees also experienced a significant increase in support from congregations (12.06%)

It wasn’t just in 2024, however, with a five year summary revealing that since 2020:

Membership and Churches: Presbyteries remained stable at 87 while churches slightly increased from 1,580 in 2020 to 1,667 in 2024. Total membership (communicants and non-communicants) grew from 383,338 to 400,75, or 4.54%
Clergy and Leadership: Teaching Elders rose from 5,117 to 5,347, and Licentiates increased from 171 to 214, representing an increase of 4.49% and 25.15%.
Baptisms and Professions of Faith: Infant baptisms grew from 4,583 to 5,541, and professions of faith by children increased from 4,023 to 5,543, while adult professions slightly rose from 4,291 to 5,678. Put another way, infant baptisms increased by about 20.90%, professions of faith by children by about 37.78%, and adult professions by about 32.32% over the last five years.
Financials: Total contributions increased from $1,042,366,740 in 2020 to $1,289,245,520 in 2024, a 23.7% rise. Per capita giving also grew from $2,719 to $3,216. Benevolences (charitable giving) increased from $151,012,763 to $170,288,378, with per capita benevolences rising from $394 to $425. Congregational current expenses went up from $683,085,062 to $925,491,768, and the building fund grew from $100,487,760 to $114,694,061.
Overall Disbursements: Total disbursements rose from $934,585,585 in 2020 to $1,210,474,227 in 2024, a 29.5% increase.

While the PCA has experienced steady growth in membership, clergy, baptisms, and financial contributions over the past five years, along with significant increases in per capita giving and overall disbursements, the same cannot be said for its progressive mainline counterpart, the Presbyterian Church (USA) (PCUSA).

The PCUSA has been losing members and financial resources for decades, enduring nearly 60 years of continuous membership decline. As of 2023, its membership stands at just 1,094,663, reflecting a 15.93% drop over the last five years. If current trends persist, the PCA will surpass the PCUSA in membership in less than two decades.