PCUSA membership drop in 2012 exceeds 2011 slide

The Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), which voted to ordain openly gay and lesbian ministers in May 2011, continued its multidecade membership losses, reporting the loss of more than 100,000 members last year.

The PCUSA—like other mainline denominations—has been the victim of demographic factors, such as an aging membership, and prolonged disputes over volatile social issues. Many doctrinally conservative congregations have debated over the past two years whether to join like-minded denominations or fellowships.

The total membership now stands at 1,849,496, compared to 1,952,287 at the end of 2011. The number of congregations at the end of 2012 stood at 10,262,  204 fewer than a year earlier.