Wherever one moves in American religious circles, one hears the refrain that the lively cults are making tremendous progress at the expense of listless Protestant churches. Hence, the impression has arisen that the cults have greater vitality, are outstripping the regular denominations, and are winning more converts from among the unchurched. There is real need, therefore, to examine the growth of the cults to see whether these generally accepted conclusions are valid.
If one were to rate the cults on the basis of numerical growth over the past decade, one would be entirely incorrect to call them “lively” and the regular churches “listless.” A summary of statistics for the past 10 years will prove enlightening.
STATISTICS OF GROWTH
Numerically the largest of all the cults is Mormonism which embraces several groups of people under its general label. In 1950 the aggregate church membership figure for all of these segments was 1,184,000. In 1960 the aggregate was 1,550,000 (all figures have been taken from World Almanac). This meant a net increase of 366,000. Percentage-wise the growth during the decade was a little over 30 per cent.
Another cult is Seventh-day Adventism (some will dispute whether this group is truly a cult). In 1950 its membership was given as 225,000. In 1960 it was 305,000. The rate of growth was 36 per cent.
The Church of Christ, Scientist, is probably the second or third largest cult in the United States. It probably has a larger membership than Seventh-day Adventism, although this is not certain. Christian Science membership statistics are not generally made public. However, during World War II the church was required to reveal its membership figures to the Government in order to obtain the proper number of appointments to the chaplaincy of the armed forces. At that time the membership figure was given as 268,900. Assuming a growth rate of 50 per cent for the decade and a half since the figure was released, we may approximate 403,000 for the membership of the cult today.
The next largest cult is Jehovah’s Witnesses for which no 1950 membership figures are available in the United States. However, in 1951 the world-wide figure stood at about 440,000. In 1960 the Jehovah’s Witnesses main office supplied accurate figures for its membership in the United States: the total was 239,000. While it is impossible to estimate the percentage increase, one may reasonably suppose that the movement did not gain more than 50 per cent during the decade.
The Spiritualists claimed 126,000 members in 1950 and 175,000 in 1960. The rate of growth was 40 per cent. Unitarians claimed 75,000 for 1950 and 108,000 for 1960. The rate of growth was about 44 per cent. The Universalists numbered 44,600 in 1950 and 69,000 in 1960. The rate of growth was 54 per cent. The Swedenborgians lost ground with 7,000 members in 1950 but only 6,000 in 1960. Buddhists reported 70,000 in 1950 and only 10,000 in 1960. (These statistics must be regarded with suspicion, for the marked reversal suggests possible inaccuracy.) The Baha’is had fewer than 4,500 members in 1950. They provided no statistics for 1960. The Rosicrucians provided no figures for 1950 but listed 45,000 for 1960. The Christadelphians listed 2,755 for 1950 and 15,000 for 1960. The round figures for the latter year are open to question. No statistics are available for either the Unity School of Christianity or Theosophy for 1950 and 1960.
SOME OBSERVATIONS
On the basis of the membership figures for the cults, one may make two generalizations. First, in 1950 the cults included in their membership no more than 2,500,000. Secondly, in 1960 a generous estimate of the total membership of all the cults put together would be 3,200,000, which is about three per cent of the number acknowledging church or cult connections.
Up to this point the statistics, by themselves, neither prove nor disprove the concept of “lively” cults and “listless” churches. If, for example, Protestant church membership declined 50 per cent during the same decade in which the cults increased 30 or 35 per cent, such a description would be very apt. If Protestant church membership remained static, the implication would still be approximately correct. But if the membership of Protestant churches advanced during the same period the cults did, then the assumption would be incorrect. Thus our attention must be focused on the growth of the cults in relation to the growth or decline of the Protestant churches.
Let us consider the two largest Protestant church groups in America: the Methodists and the Southern Baptists. The Methodist Church had a membership of approximately 8,900,000 in the 1950 World Almanac report. The membership increased to 9,800,000 in 1960. The rate of growth was slightly better than 10 per cent. The Southern Baptist Convention reported a membership of approximately 6,500,000 in 1950. By 1960 it had increased to 9,200,000. The rate of growth was 39 per cent. In the membership of the American Baptist Convention, there was a slight decline which may be accounted for by the fact that the Convention was in the process of schism in view of the departure from the American Baptist Convention of the Conservative Baptist Association which reported a membership of 275,000 in 1960.
The various Presbyterian bodies claimed 3,500,000 members in 1950 and an increase to 4,140,000 in 1960. The rate of growth was slightly less than 20 per cent. The membership of the Reformed bodies increased from 319,000 to 459,000; their growth rate was more than 40 per cent. The Pentecostal Assemblies reported a membership of 169,000 in 1950, and added some 223,000 in the 10 year span to reach an aggregate of 392,000 members in the 1960 report. The rate of growth was 76 per cent.
THE ADVANCE OF ROMANISM
During the same 1950–1960 decade, the Roman Catholic church grew appreciably. It claimed a baptized membership of 26,700,000 in 1950, and in 1960 the church placed it at around 39,500,000. The growth factor was close to 50 per cent.
The combined statistics for all religious bodies indicate that membership increased from about 82,500,000 in 1950 to 109,000,000 in 1960. This means that the growth rate was 33 1/3 per cent. With such a background it is possible to draw certain tentative conclusions. First, the Roman Catholic church enjoyed a better than average rate of growth in the past decade. Secondly, if its rate of growth continues without equal Protestant growth, the Roman church will eventually become the dominant religious force in American life. Our third conclusion is that the cults have not, in fact, been “lively” so far as actual numerical growth is concerned. They have averaged about the same percentage as the national figure for the Protestant churches. Our fourth conclusion is that the “listless” churches have not been as “listless” as supposed but have enjoyed a substantial growth in the last 10 years. The Southern Baptist membership alone increased by some 2,700,000. The membership of the Methodist bodies increased by about 1,900,000. Furthermore, the smaller Protestant denominations enjoyed good growth. The Baptist General Conference, the Christian and Missionary Alliance, the Evangelical Mission Covenant Church, the Evangelical Free Churches, The General Association of Regular Baptist Churches, and the Mennonite bodies increased from approximately 400,000 to approximately 500,000.
The growth of the cults has not been disproportionate to the growth of Protestant groups in general. One must acknowledge, of course, that the larger the group the less apt it is to have a large percentage growth, even though its numerical increase may be much larger than smaller groups with higher percentage increases. For example, additions to the churches of the Southern Baptist Convention alone were about four times the aggregate number of new adherents to the cults. Since it cannot be demonstrated that the cults are “lively” and the churches “listless” according to numerical gains, in what sense are we able to say that the adjectives are true?
VITALITY OF THE CULTS
One cannot help being impressed by the publishing activities of many of the cults. Jehovah’s Witnesses publish the magazines Watchtower and Awake and industriously disseminate them. Millions of copies of books written by men like Charles Taze Russell have come from their presses. There is probably no other religious group of its size in America that uses the printing press more extensively than the Jehovah’s Witnesses. The Unity School of Christianity and Seventh-day Adventism also take advantage of the printed page to press their claims before the American public. One of the easiest ways to get an idea of the vast amount of literature being made available by the cultists is to check the card index of an average public library. One will see how much has been done via the medium of expression.
A second way in which the “lively” cults surpass the “listless” churches is in personal missionary work. Numerous instances may be mentioned. Every Mormon gives two years of his life for direct missionary work during which time he forsakes his normal occupation in order to spread the tenets of his cult. Jehovah’s Witnesses claim that every member of the cult is a “minister.” In my own experience, I have observed that the representatives of the Jehovah’s Witnesses showed more zeal in my area than any or all of the Protestant denominations in the past 13 years. No Baptist, Methodist, Presbyterian, Lutheran, Episcopalian, or other Protestant ever rang my doorbell; but advocates from Jehovah’s Witnesses came at least a dozen times to sell printed material, press their claims, or in other ways represent the cult. Christian Scientists in almost every community maintain book rooms where one may sit down in quiet to read the interpretation of the Word of God according to Mary Baker Eddy. How many Protestant churches maintain book rooms in their sanctuaries or in the stores along the main streets to reach men with the gospel of Christ?
Thirdly, the “lively” cults are outdoing the Protestants in the field of communications, such as radio and television. Adventists, Mormons, Jehovah’s Witnesses, and others maintain expensive broadcasts which reach into the homes of millions of people. Free literature is advertised for the asking. Adventists offer a free Bible correspondence course which enrolls thousands of people unperceptive of the differences between Adventism and evangelical Protestantism. The Christadelphians maintain a radio broadcast as does the Rutherford, New Jersey, splinter group from the Jehovah’s Witnesses “Frank and Ernest” program.
When such activities are compared with the communication activities of the Protestant denominations, it soon becomes apparent that the cults, for their size, are manifesting an aggressive zeal and enjoying an outreach far beyond anything being done by the denominations.
It is at these points that the cults are “lively” and the churches “listless.” For sheer enthusiasm, dynamic outreach, and zealous abandonment, the cultist puts the average Protestant to shame. Yet the cults do not seem to have gathered a return in proportion to their multiplied activities. Evidence would suggest that if the denominations would embark on programs as extensive for their sizes as those of the cults in relation to their sizes, they would produce a far larger harvest than has been the case in the last decade. Therefore, if the denominations do not step up their efforts in reaching people for the gospel of Christ, we may find in another generation a staggering new growth of the cults which are now sowing seeds for harvest.
Samuel M. Shoemaker is the author of a number of popular books and the gifted Rector of Calvary Episcopal Church in Pittsburgh. He is known for his effective leadership of laymen and his deeply spiritual approach to all vital issues.
