United Methodist US Membership Fell by About 174,000 in 2025, Report Shows
The denomination's finance agency counted about 3.8 million U.S. members, but professions of faith rose and fewer churches closed than the year before.
U.S. membership in the United Methodist Church fell by about 174,000 in 2025, according to new figures from the denomination's General Council on Finance and Administration reported by The Christian Post.
The agency's statistical report counted about 3.814 million U.S. members at the end of 2025. That is down from about 3.988 million a year earlier, a drop of 4.36%. The number of reporting U.S. congregations fell from 21,176 to 20,158.
Worship attendance also slipped. In-person attendance went from about 1.074 million to about 1.041 million, and online worship went from about 1.037 million to about 986,000.
Some numbers rose. Professions of faith apart from confirmation grew 5.66%, from 24,081 to 25,444, and small groups grew from 62,531 to 63,589. Church closures fell from 960 in 2024 to 540 in 2025. Baptisms fell 3.76%.
“There is no one single reason for the decline,” a council spokesperson told The Christian Post. General Secretary Caitlin Congdon said, “Every number in this report represents United Methodists worshiping, serving, and giving faithfully in their communities.”
The figures cover U.S. churches only and leave out the denomination's growing churches overseas, especially in Africa. More than 7,600 mostly theologically conservative U.S. congregations left the denomination between 2019 and 2023, according to UM News figures cited by the Post. Lawsuits over some of those exits are still going on in South Carolina and Maryland.
