Largest Lutheran group reports decline

From Washington State-

The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America lost almost 91,000 members and 48 congregations last year, but saw a slight increase in per-congregant giving.

In 2009, the denomination dropped to 4.5 million members and about 10,300 congregations, according to a report released Tuesday by David Swartling, the ELCA secretary.
Total offerings in congregations dropped by nearly 3 percent, to about $2.6 billion, but average giving per baptized member increased by a similar percentage, to $492.

Less than one-third of baptized members attended weekly worship last year, a drop from 2008. The ELCA, the largest Lutheran body in the United States, is dealing not only with the recession, but also with fallout from the denomination's vote last year to lift the celibacy requirement for gay clergy.

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