美国联合卫理公会发布2025年统计：美国会友降至约381万人，坚信礼人数上升
美国联合卫理公会（The United Methodist Church）负责统计的财务与行政总议会（GCFA）近日发布2025年度美国教会统计报告，并上线新的「UMC Statistical Insights」数据网站。据该会官方新闻机构 UM News 与 GCFA 公布的数据，美国联合卫理公会在美会友人数从2024年的约398.8万人降至2025年的约381.4万人，减少约17.4万人，降幅4.36%。
报告基于20,158间提交2025年报告的美国本地教会（2024年为21,176间）。实体敬拜平均出席从2024年的约107.4万人降至2025年的约104.1万人，线上敬拜出席从约103.7万人降至约98.6万人。美国五个辖区（jurisdictions）的会友与出席人数均下降。GCFA 发言人向《基督邮报》说明，人数减少的原因包括经教会会议程序除名或更正、退会、转会至其他教会或宗派、会友去世，以及以往报告数据的更正。
报告同时列出若干增长项：2025年经坚信礼（confirmation）加入教会的人数为25,444人，比上年增加1,363人，增幅近5.7%，其中多数为青少年；持续运作的小组有63,589个，增加近1.7%；教会关闭数量从2024年的960间降至540间，降幅近44%，另有214间新设教会开始运作；教会通过食物银行、庇护、戒瘾康复、课后项目与赈灾等社区事工服务邻舍超过3,450万次，社区事工总数达106,512项。
从全球看，GCFA 依据各地年议会提交的最新日志统计，联合卫理公会在美国、非洲、欧洲与菲律宾的会友总数约为1,030万人，低于2017年估计的约1,250万人。GCFA 负责人 Caitlin Congdon 表示，希望这份分析能帮助各教会与年议会看见其事工的实际情况。（GSM据 UM News 与《基督邮报》报道）
U.S. United Methodist Membership Falls to About 3.81 Million in 2025: GCFA Report
The General Council on Finance and Administration (GCFA) of The United Methodist Church has released its statistical report on U.S. churches for 2025 and launched a new data website, UMC Statistical Insights. According to figures published by GCFA and reported by UM News, the denomination's official news service, reported U.S. membership fell from about 3.988 million in 2024 to about 3.814 million in 2025, a drop of more than 170,000, or 4.36 percent.
The report is based on 20,158 U.S. congregations that filed reports for 2025, compared with 21,176 for 2024. Average in-person worship attendance declined from about 1.074 million in 2024 to about 1.041 million in 2025, while online attendance fell from about 1.037 million to about 986,000. All five U.S. jurisdictions saw decreases in membership and attendance. A GCFA spokesperson told The Christian Post that the declines reflected several factors, including removals and corrections through charge conference action, withdrawals, transfers to other congregations or denominations, deaths, and corrections of earlier reporting errors.
The report also recorded areas of growth. In 2025, 25,444 people joined through professions of faith by confirmation, up 1,363 or nearly 5.7 percent, most of them youth. Congregations sustained 63,589 ongoing small groups, up nearly 1.7 percent. Church closures fell by nearly 44 percent, from 960 in 2024 to 540, while 214 active congregations began as new church starts. Through food pantries, shelters, recovery groups, after-school programs, disaster response and other community ministries, United Methodist churches served neighbors more than 34.5 million times, offering 106,512 community ministries in total.
Globally, based on the most recent annual conference journals, GCFA reports about 10.3 million United Methodist members across the United States, Africa, Europe and the Philippines, down from an estimated 12.5 million in 2017. Caitlin Congdon, GCFA's top executive, said the agency hopes the analysis will encourage congregations and conferences as they review their ministries. (GSM, based on reporting by UM News and The Christian Post)
来源：GSM·美国（原文链接）
图片来源：美国德克萨斯州 Baytown 的一间联合卫理公会教堂（CC BY-SA 4.0，Wikimedia Commons） / A United Methodist church in Baytown, Texas, United States (CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons)
GSM Global · 本篇英文版 English edition of this story
