Synodical Data preview
LCMS Congregation Data
LCMS congregation data workbook found in Downloads and included with the synodical statistics set.
These files are provided as source data for study and analysis. They are not convention resolutions or voting recommendations. Verify interpretation carefully and cite the original LCMS statistics files when using the data.
This is a preview. Open the Excel file for full data, formulas, formatting, and all rows.
Worksheets
Yearly_Totals27 rows, 13 columnsPreview
| Year | Total_A | Total_B | Member_congregations | New_church_starts | Source_title | Source_link | Page_section | Notes | Net_change | Growth_rate | Closures_mergers | Attrition_rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Total_A | Total_B | Member_congregations | New_church_starts | Source_title | Source_link | Page_section | Notes | Net_change | Growth_rate | Closures_mergers | Attrition_rate |
| 1999 | 6220 | 6220 | LCMS 1999 statistics (World Wide Faith News) | 【740945624228866†L102-L106】 | bullet list | congregations and preaching stations; total B includes preaching stations | ||||||
| 2000 | 6150 | 6150 | 6150 | LCMS 2000 and 2001 stats (WFN article) | 【484773109028231†L85-L87】 | article text | number of congregations remained 6,150 for 2000 and 2001 | -70 | -0.0113 | |||
| 2001 | 6150 | 6150 | 6150 | LCMS 2000 and 2001 stats (WFN article) | 【484773109028231†L85-L87】 | article text | same as 2000 | 0 | 0 | |||
| 2002 | 6142 | 6142 | 6142 | Derived from 2003 Reporter article and membership table | 【573200468536337†L115-L117】 / 【222519379685325†L1349-L1371】 | Reporter 2003 article said 2003 total increased by 18 from 2002; membership table lists 6,142 | -8 | -0.0013 | ||||
| 2003 | 6160 | 6160 | 6160 | LCMS 2003 statistics (Reporter 2004) | 【573200468536337†L115-L117】 | article text | member congregations | 18 | 0.0029 | |||
| 2004 | 6151 | 6151 | 6151 | LCMS 2004 statistics (Reporter 2005) | 【590157093841655†L64-L112】 | article text | member congregations | -9 | -0.0015 | |||
| 2005 | 6144 | 6144 | 6144 | LCMS membership table (secondary) | 【222519379685325†L1349-L1371】 | table lines | approximate from membership table | -7 | -0.0011 | |||
| 2006 | 6073 | 6073 | 73 | LCMS 2006 statistics (Reporter 2007) | 【726112283901177†L140-L156】 | article text | member congregations; 73 new church starts (11 became member). Total B not explicitly given | -71 | -0.0116 | |||
| 2007 | 6155 | 6155 | 6155 | LCMS membership table (secondary) | 【222519379685325†L1349-L1371】 | table lines | approximate from membership table | 82 | 0.0135 | |||
| 2008 | 6123 | 6123 | 6123 | LCMS membership table (secondary) | 【222519379685325†L1349-L1371】 | table lines | approximate from membership table | -32 | -0.0052 | |||
| 2009 | 6075 | 6078 | 6075 | 103 | LCMS 2009 statistics (Reporter 2010) | 【108706031564063†L79-L81】 | article text | member congregations; 103 new church starts; total including new starts 6,078 | -45 | -0.0073 | ||
| 2010 | 6158 | 6158 | 6158 | LCMS 2010 statistics (Reporter 2011) | 【588078249777884†L76-L82】 | article text | member congregations | 80 | 0.0132 | |||
| 2011 | 6145 | 6145 | 6145 | LCMS 2011 statistics (Reporter 2012) | 【47591829498522†L107-L117】 | article text | member congregations | -13 | -0.0021 | |||
| 2012 | 6151 | LCMS 2012 statistics (Reporter 2013) | 【552859288282396†L137-L142】 | article text | member congregations and new church starts combined; 6,151 | 6 | 0.001 | |||||
| 2013 | 6136 | LCMS 2013 statistics (Reporter 2014) | 【820670071957338†L122-L127】 | article text | member congregations and new church starts combined | -15 | -0.0024 | |||||
| 2014 | 6105 | LCMS 2014 statistics (Reporter 2015) | 【510275493991470†L204-L205】 | article text | member congregations and new church starts combined | -31 | -0.0051 | |||||
| 2015 | 6101 | LCMS 2015 statistics (Reporter 2016) | 【852263618052790†L124-L126】 | article text | member congregations and new church starts combined | -4 | -0.0007 | |||||
| 2016 | 6100 | 6100 | 6100 | LCMS 2016 statistics (Reporter 2017, approx) | 【426383024613038†L60-L73】 | article text | approximate; about 6,100 congregations (70% reporting) | -1 | -0.0002 | |||
| 2017 | Data gap | no public data found; will rely on membership table if available | ||||||||||
| 2018 | 6046 | 6046 | 6046 | LCMS membership table (secondary) | 【222519379685325†L1349-L1371】 | table lines | approximate from membership table | |||||
| 2019 | 5991 | 5991 | LCMS 2019 Annual Report (Our Synod at a Glance) | 【698274803283141†L270-L287】 | Our Synod at a Glance | 2019 data; does not differentiate new church starts | -55 | -0.0091 | ||||
| 2020 | 5877 | 5976 | 5877 | 99 | LCMS 2020 Annual Report (Our Synod at a Glance) | 【790229789215511†L1098-L1124】 | Our Synod at a Glance | continuing congregations; 99 new church starts; total = continuing + new starts | -15 | -0.0025 | 114 | 0.019 |
| 2021 | 5825 | 5914 | 5825 | 89 | LCMS 2021 Annual Report (Our Synod at a Glance) | 【6950947008098†L1973-L1999】 | Our Synod at a Glance | continuing congregations; 89 new church starts; total = continuing + new starts | -62 | -0.0104 | 151 | 0.0253 |
| 2022 | Data gap | No official report located; 2023 article indicates 5,876 congregations and new church starts, but year unclear | ||||||||||
| 2023 | 5757 | 5826 | 5757 | 69 | LCMS 2023 Annual Report (Our Synod at a Glance) | 【383045649701716†L1672-L1703】 | Our Synod at a Glance | continuing congregations; 69 new church starts | ||||
| 2024 | 5767 | 5841 | 5767 | 74 | LCMS 2024 Annual Report (Our Synod at a Glance) | 【869582224570759†L1758-L1788】 | Our Synod at a Glance | member congregations; 74 new church starts | 15 | 0.0026 | 59 | 0.0101 |
Adds_Subtracts7 rows, 7 columnsPreview
| Year | New_church_starts | Closures_mergers | Net_change | Source_title | Source_link | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | New_church_starts | Closures_mergers | Net_change | Source_title | Source_link | Notes |
| 2006 | 73 | -71 | LCMS 2006 statistics (Reporter 2007) | 【726112283901177†L140-L156】 | member congregations; 73 new church starts (11 became member). Total B not explicitly given | |
| 2009 | 103 | -45 | LCMS 2009 statistics (Reporter 2010) | 【108706031564063†L79-L81】 | member congregations; 103 new church starts; total including new starts 6,078 | |
| 2020 | 99 | 114 | -15 | LCMS 2020 Annual Report (Our Synod at a Glance) | 【790229789215511†L1098-L1124】 | continuing congregations; 99 new church starts; total = continuing + new starts |
| 2021 | 89 | 151 | -62 | LCMS 2021 Annual Report (Our Synod at a Glance) | 【6950947008098†L1973-L1999】 | continuing congregations; 89 new church starts; total = continuing + new starts |
| 2023 | 69 | LCMS 2023 Annual Report (Our Synod at a Glance) | 【383045649701716†L1672-L1703】 | continuing congregations; 69 new church starts | ||
| 2024 | 74 | 59 | 15 | LCMS 2024 Annual Report (Our Synod at a Glance) | 【869582224570759†L1758-L1788】 | member congregations; 74 new church starts |
Partnerships5 rows, 6 columnsPreview
| Year | Metric | Value | Source_title | Source_link | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Metric | Value | Source_title | Source_link | Notes |
| 2023 | MCPs | 519 | Lutheran Witness article: Multi-Congregation Parishes | 【571176286579262†L82-L85】 | Number of multi-congregation parishes (MCPs). Each MCP comprises 2-4 congregations. |
| 2023 | Congregations in MCPs | 1094 | Lutheran Witness article: Multi-Congregation Parishes | 【571176286579262†L82-L85】 | Number of congregations involved in MCPs (18.6% of 5,876 total congregations/new starts). |
| 2023 | Total congregations and new church starts | 5876 | Lutheran Witness article: Multi-Congregation Parishes | 【571176286579262†L82-L85】 | Total congregations and new church starts referred to in article; year context likely 2022 data |
| 2023 | Districts with ≥10 MCPs | 22 | Lutheran Witness article: Multi-Congregation Parishes | 【571176286579262†L82-L85】 | Number of districts with at least 10 MCPs |
Sources_Log31 rows, 4 columnsPreview
| Year | Source_title | Source_link | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Source_title | Source_link | Notes |
| 1999 | LCMS 1999 statistics (World Wide Faith News) | 【740945624228866†L102-L106】 | congregations and preaching stations; total B includes preaching stations |
| 2000 | LCMS 2000 and 2001 stats (WFN article) | 【484773109028231†L85-L87】 | number of congregations remained 6,150 for 2000 and 2001 |
| 2001 | LCMS 2000 and 2001 stats (WFN article) | 【484773109028231†L85-L87】 | same as 2000 |
| 2002 | Derived from 2003 Reporter article and membership table | 【573200468536337†L115-L117】 / 【222519379685325†L1349-L1371】 | Reporter 2003 article said 2003 total increased by 18 from 2002; membership table lists 6,142 |
| 2003 | LCMS 2003 statistics (Reporter 2004) | 【573200468536337†L115-L117】 | member congregations |
| 2004 | LCMS 2004 statistics (Reporter 2005) | 【590157093841655†L64-L112】 | member congregations |
| 2005 | LCMS membership table (secondary) | 【222519379685325†L1349-L1371】 | approximate from membership table |
| 2006 | LCMS 2006 statistics (Reporter 2007) | 【726112283901177†L140-L156】 | member congregations; 73 new church starts (11 became member). Total B not explicitly given |
| 2007 | LCMS membership table (secondary) | 【222519379685325†L1349-L1371】 | approximate from membership table |
| 2008 | LCMS membership table (secondary) | 【222519379685325†L1349-L1371】 | approximate from membership table |
| 2009 | LCMS 2009 statistics (Reporter 2010) | 【108706031564063†L79-L81】 | member congregations; 103 new church starts; total including new starts 6,078 |
| 2010 | LCMS 2010 statistics (Reporter 2011) | 【588078249777884†L76-L82】 | member congregations |
| 2011 | LCMS 2011 statistics (Reporter 2012) | 【47591829498522†L107-L117】 | member congregations |
| 2012 | LCMS 2012 statistics (Reporter 2013) | 【552859288282396†L137-L142】 | member congregations and new church starts combined; 6,151 |
| 2013 | LCMS 2013 statistics (Reporter 2014) | 【820670071957338†L122-L127】 | member congregations and new church starts combined |
| 2014 | LCMS 2014 statistics (Reporter 2015) | 【510275493991470†L204-L205】 | member congregations and new church starts combined |
| 2015 | LCMS 2015 statistics (Reporter 2016) | 【852263618052790†L124-L126】 | member congregations and new church starts combined |
| 2016 | LCMS 2016 statistics (Reporter 2017, approx) | 【426383024613038†L60-L73】 | approximate; about 6,100 congregations (70% reporting) |
| 2017 | Data gap | no public data found; will rely on membership table if available | |
| 2018 | LCMS membership table (secondary) | 【222519379685325†L1349-L1371】 | approximate from membership table |
| 2019 | LCMS 2019 Annual Report (Our Synod at a Glance) | 【698274803283141†L270-L287】 | 2019 data; does not differentiate new church starts |
| 2020 | LCMS 2020 Annual Report (Our Synod at a Glance) | 【790229789215511†L1098-L1124】 | continuing congregations; 99 new church starts; total = continuing + new starts |
| 2021 | LCMS 2021 Annual Report (Our Synod at a Glance) | 【6950947008098†L1973-L1999】 | continuing congregations; 89 new church starts; total = continuing + new starts |
| 2022 | Data gap | No official report located; 2023 article indicates 5,876 congregations and new church starts, but year unclear | |
| 2023 | LCMS 2023 Annual Report (Our Synod at a Glance) | 【383045649701716†L1672-L1703】 | continuing congregations; 69 new church starts |
| 2024 | LCMS 2024 Annual Report (Our Synod at a Glance) | 【869582224570759†L1758-L1788】 | member congregations; 74 new church starts |
| 2023 (Partnership) | Lutheran Witness article: Multi-Congregation Parishes | 【571176286579262†L82-L85】 | Provides MCP counts and definitions |
| 2019-2024 | LCMS Annual Reports 2019-2024 (Our Synod at a Glance) | 【698274803283141†L270-L287】【790229789215511†L1098-L1124】【6950947008098†L1973-L1999】【383045649701716†L1672-L1703】【869582224570759†L1758-L1788】 | Provides continuing congregations, new church starts, and total for each year |
| 1999-2015 | Reporter and WFN articles (multiple years) | 【573200468536337†L115-L117】【590157093841655†L64-L112】【726112283901177†L140-L156】【108706031564063†L79-L81】【588078249777884†L76-L82】【47591829498522†L107-L117】【552859288282396†L137-L142】【820670071957338†L122-L127】【510275493991470†L204-L205】【852263618052790†L124-L126】 | Provides membership and congregation counts for years 1999-2015. |
| Definition | Autonomous LCMS Congregations: The Burial Ground of Ecclesiology and Merger | 【371918853009764†L246-L294】 | Defines multi-congregation parish as two or more congregations served by same pastor. |
