Episcopal Church

Denominational Profile

History

	Episcopal Church (1789)	continuedEpiscopal Church
		split into Anglican Orthodox Church of North America (1963) Apostolic Episcopal Church (1925) Reformed Episcopal Church (1873)

The Episcopal Church continues the mission established by the Church of England in the American Colonies in the seventeenth century. Becoming independent after the American Revolution, the church was known for many years as the Protestant Episcopal Church in the U.S.A.

Membership Data

Year	Clergy	Churches	Members
1925	5,771	7,833	1,164,911
1929	5,927	7,692	1,237,695
1931	-	-	1,261,158
1933	-	7,424	1,876,390
1935	5,939	7,529	1,897,136
1937	-	7,364	1,942,322
1939	-	7,074	1,996,434
1942	-	7,685	2,074,178
1944	-	7,894	2,227,524
1946	-	-	2,155,514
1947	-	6,985	2,160,207
1949	6,654	7,784	2,540,548
1950	6,473	7,116	2,417,464
1951	6,740	7,185	2,482,887
1952	6,961	7,215	2,550,831
1953	6,970	7,170	2,660,699
1954	7,193	7,271	2,757,944
1956	7,484	6,708	2,852,965
1957	7,874	6,842	2,965,137
1958	8,430	7,011	3,126,662
1959	8,708	7,657	3,444,265
1960	8,938	7,155	3,269,325
1961	9,385	7,096	3,317,870
1962	9,615	7,248	3,336,728
1963	9,445	7,547	3,340,759
1964	10,213	7,202	3,410,657
1966	10,719	7,562	3,429,153
1967	10,639	7,180	3,420,297
1968	11,010	7,137	3,373,890
1969	11,041	7,112	3,330,272
1970	11,355	7,069	3,285,826
1971	11,108	7,116	3,217,365
1972	11,566	6,891	3,062,734
1973	11,507	6,768	2,917,165
1974	11,573	7,087	2,907,293
1975	12,186	7,192	2,857,513
1976	12,240	7,116	2,882,064
1977	12,302	7,054	2,818,830
1978	12,310	7,009	2,815,359
1979	12,600	7,022	2,841,350
1980	12,672	7,215	2,786,004
1981	12,908	7,234	2,767,440
1982	12,974	7,095	2,794,139
1983	13,342	7,387	2,794,690
1984	13,648	7,379	2,775,424
1985	13,940	7,274	2,739,422
1986	14,111	7,054	2,504,507
1987	14,355	7,387	2,462,300
1988	14,694	7,360	2,455,422
1989	14,831	7,372	2,433,413
1990	14,878	7,354	2,446,050
1991	14,878	7,367	2,471,880
1993	15,000	7,388	2,504,682
1995	15,073	7,415	2,536,550
1996	14,925	7,390	2,364,559
1999	14,428	7,359	2,300,461
2000	16,712	7,364	2,333,327
2001	16,388	7,344	2,333,628
2002	16,493	7,305	2,320,221
2003	15,872	7,220	2,284,233
2004	15,870	7,200	2,247,819
2006	15,051	7,095	2,154,572
2007	15,170	7,055	2,116,749
2008	-	6,964	2,057,292
2009	15,404	6,895	2,006,343

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]