Growth Stats
 

Does anyone know of or have access to any growth statistics for the UPCI over the last 10 years?

I think Pastor Poster gave some stats on churches that have left the fellowship a few days ago.

Just wondering. :13loads

We've added around 800 ministers and 200 churches. This includes some daughter works and preaching points.

thankyou PP. This is over the last ten years right?

And is this the number minus the ones you mentioned the other day that have left?

That is an estimate. The churches added may be a teeny bit high.

This is net growth.

PeePee,

Is that a net gain or a gross gain without those leaving taken into consideration?

You'd think Rhoni was providing statistics to prove her points...LOL...I don't believe there has been that much growth in UPCI and those exiting out the back door...could not be figured into that number. JMHO

I think that would be net, but I doubt it projects proportionately to the general membership growth.

I think you are wrong when it comes to the addition of ministers and churches. Thats less than 1% per year for churches and nearly 1% for ministers. Not huge groweth at all.

Net gain.

Lets do the math. Thats 80 ministers and 20 churches per year.

That is very sluggish growth.

That means that 30 states per year have not even added one church.
That's not quite two new ministers per state per year.

Last year the WV District began a campaign to put churches in each county of the state. They had 18 counties with no upci churches. I beleive at last count there are 11 counties that still do not have a upci presence. (They may be better for it.) Instead of adding upci affiliated churches within 10-15 minutes of each other, they should have focused on these areas. The churches are too busy competing with each other for recycled sheep to reach the lost.

CEO's have been fired with better results.

Well, we need to consider the amount of church plants that fail (no knowledge)and the amount of churches that leave per year (around 25-30).

Lots of inward and outward movement.

I guess we're doing okay then here in BC. The lower mainland district of ACOP is presently planting three new churches.

I personally know of 2 daughter works that ultimately failed in the last 10 yrs.

These stats are sad. Certainly we couldn't be coming to the change of an era?

Are the circus tents coming down?

I think the hardest thing for Oneness Pentecost to do is move outside of the comfort zone and go to the "hard places".

Part of it is that there are still plenty of places in the "Bible Belt" that need churches, pastors, etc.

For example while a farily small Southern town might not need three or four OP churches the fact of the matter is that for one reason or another they are there and each one needs a pastor. Many times there are dynamics at play that keep these churches from consolidating. Thus a small town may use the services or three or four OP preachers while entire counties go without a single OP church.

I think more young preachers starting out ought to be urged to pioneer works in the tough areas. I don't know many that do that although I recently got an email from a young UPC evangelist from the Deep South who has been visiting Michigan the last few years and preaching a lot there. He developed a burden for the urban Detroit area and is doing missions work there. Knowing his roots I would say that is as far from his comfort zone as one can get!

You can't force a burden. It just has to be present.

Also, take it from someone who has been there and done that, church planting has a lot of risks and very little earthly reward. That is hard for some folks to deal with.

I am just now recovering from a year-long depression stemming from the violence of the seven year fight to plant our church. Church planting is not for the faint of heart.

Finding that out, bro.

That's amazing. Yet ... the propaganda machine says differently