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While the Presbyterian Church (USA) faced declines in membership, congregations, and funding in 2024 — according to statistics the Presbyterian Church (USA) released this week — the more conservative Presbyterian Church in America (PCA) experienced growth during the same period.
Juicy Ecumenism reported that the PC(USA) lost 48,885 members — roughly a 4.5% decline — last year, continuing the mostly consistent annual loss rate the church has seen for the past decade. If its decline continues, the PC(USA) is reportedly on track to dip for the first time below 1 million members in 2025.
CatholicVote previously reported that several other Protestant denominations have experienced declines in finances and membership, which an AP News report suggested is linked to progressive theology.
The PC(USA) reported it lost 140 churches and established only four. According to Juicy Ecumenism, the previous average for the establishment of new churches between 1995 and 2005 had been nearly 30 churches per year.
The congregations of the remaining 8,432 churches are becoming smaller and smaller, the data shows, as only 367 churches have more than 800 members. Almost 70% of the churches have fewer than 100 members, and nearly a quarter of the churches have no more than 25 members.
According to Juicy Ecumenism, however, the more conservative PCA reported 7,223 new members and 22 new churches in 2024, including a 16.56% increase in adult baptisms and a 2.4% increase in infant baptisms.
The outlet noted that while most members of the PC(USA) are above 50 years old, and over one-third are 71 or older, deaths in the church do not account for the decline in membership. The data report 20,420 members’ deaths, which is not even half of the total membership drop. The PC(USA) also reported that 181 members who identify as “nonbinary” or “genderqueer” joined in 2024.
The PC(USA) also has experienced funding issues due to its decline in members, according to the report. The Presbyterian Mission Agency was forced to drastically cut its annual giving to missionaries, and the agency was finally eliminated in early 2025, becoming part of a new entity. The funding shortage also resulted in layoffs of dozens of mission workers in February.
