United Methodist U.S. Membership Declines in 2025
The denomination reports a loss of 174,000 members as both in-person and online worship attendance trend downward.
Updated on Oct. 21, 2026 in Christianity
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The United Methodist Church recorded a membership drop of 174,000 in the United States during 2025, bringing its national total to 3.814 million. This 4.36% decline follows a period of significant structural shifts within the denomination.
Why it matters
Membership attrition stems from multiple factors including congregational removals, denominational transfers, and deaths. These figures reflect an ongoing transition for the church following the disaffiliation of over 7,600 congregations between 2019 and 2023.
U.S. membership fell to 3.814 million in 2025, a 4.36% decline from the previous year. While total congregation closures decreased to 540 from 960 in 2024, online worship attendance fell to 986,000.
The players
United Methodist Church
This is a major mainline Protestant denomination that has recently navigated significant internal restructuring and institutional changes.
General Council
This is the administrative and legislative body of the United Methodist Church that oversees official reporting and denominational governance.
The details
While overall membership and baptisms fell, the number of small groups rose from 62,531 in 2024 to 63,589 in 2025, and professions of faith apart from confirmation saw a 5.66% increase. The findings are based on reports filed by 20,158 congregations, compared to 21,176 in 2024.
Timeline
From 2019 to 2023, over 7,600 churches disaffiliated from the UMC.
The baseline membership and attendance were recorded in 2024.
Reported U.S. membership fell by 174,000 throughout 2025.
The General Council released the statistical insights report in October 2026.
Culture Shift
The 2025 report continues the trend established by the mass disaffiliation of 7,600 UMC churches between 2019 and 2023. These findings signal a prolonged institutional contraction that follows years of intense denominational restructuring.
The decline in national membership often results in smaller local budgets and changes to congregational activities. Members may notice shifts in local church programming or consolidation of services as the denomination adjusts to smaller attendance figures.
The takeaway
The decline highlights the ongoing challenges large denominations face in retaining members amidst cultural shifts and organizational restructuring. Congregations may find success by prioritizing new outreach methods like small groups, which saw growth despite overall losses.
Further reading
For more context on the current state of the faith, explore these Christianity trends.
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