© 2004 by David T. Olson Sample - Not for Public Use1 A Sample Presentation of The State of the Church in Maryland and the Baltimore and Washington DC Metro Areas Dave Olson

© 2004 by David T. Olson Sample - Not for Public Use2 The first 20 slides are from the “State of the Church in Maryland” Powerpoint. The Complete Powerpoint is 42 slides in length, and is available at It includes maps of church attendance in every county, as well as denominational charts, average size charts, church planting charts, ethnicity charts and population growth information.

© 2004 by David T. Olson Sample - Not for Public Use3 In 1996, polls taken immediately after the Presidential election revealed that 58% of people claimed they had voted, when in reality only 49% actually did. This is called the Halo Effect. People tend to over-inflate their participation in activities that create acceptability within their social group. For many decades, pollsters such as Gallup and Barna have reported that around 45% of Americans attend church every Sunday. But there is a religious Halo Effect. Actual attendance counts have shown that the percentage of people attending church on any given weekend is much lower than was previously thought.

© 2004 by David T. Olson Sample - Not for Public Use4 The Intent of this presentation is to answer and then expand on two key questions: “How Many People Really Attend Church in Maryland Every Week?” “Is the Christian Church Going Forwards or Backwards in Influence in Maryland?” As the data is analyzed county by county assessing a number of factors, a comprehensive picture of the State of the Church in Maryland will begin to take shape.

© 2004 by David T. Olson Sample - Not for Public Use5 This study uses weekend church attendance as a more reliable and more immediate snapshot of Christian influence than membership. The following map shows the percentage of the population attending a Christian church on any given weekend in all 50 states in Maryland has an average church attendance percentage (17.7%), close to the national average (18.7%).

© 2004 by David T. Olson Sample - Not for Public Use6

7 The Next Map shows the percentage of the population attending a Christian church on any given weekend in 2000 for each county in Maryland.

© 2004 by David T. Olson Sample - Not for Public Use8 Maryland Counties 2000 Percentage of Population at Worship in All Christian Churches on a Given Weekend Blue = Lowest Rose = Middle Beige = Highest 12.9% Baltimore 13.4% Saint Marys 13.4% Cecil 14.5% Anne Arundel 14.7% Queen Annes 16.8% Carroll 17.2% Howard 17.4% Calvert 17.7% Montgomery 17.9% Charles 18.2% Frederick 19.0% Garrett 19.4% Harford 20.3% Washington 20.5% Talbot 20.9% Caroline 21.4% Somerset 21.8% Allegany 22.4% Kent 23.7% Prince Georges 25.5% Wicomico 25.7% Baltimore City 26.3% Dorchester 27.7% Worcester 0.0% to 17.7% 17.7% to 21.4% 21.4% to 28.7%

© 2004 by David T. Olson Sample - Not for Public Use9 The Next 2 Maps show the population numbers for each county in Maryland. The first map shows the population size of each county. The second map shows the growth or decline in population for each county from Thirteen counties in Maryland have declined in population over the last decade.

© 2004 by David T. Olson Sample - Not for Public Use10

© 2004 by David T. Olson Sample - Not for Public Use11

© 2004 by David T. Olson Sample - Not for Public Use12 The Next 2 Slides show the ethnicity of Maryland in 1990 and The third slide shows the growth or decline in the percentage of the population for each ethnic group.

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© 2004 by David T. Olson Sample - Not for Public Use16 The Next Graph shows the attendance numbers for the churches in Maryland in 1990 and Evangelicals, Mainline churches and total numbers have grown in attendance, while Catholics have declined. Unfortunately, as overall worship attendance has declined, the population has grown. A more reliable standard for evaluating increasing or declining influence is the percentage of the population attending church on any given weekend, shown in the second graph.

© 2004 by David T. Olson Sample - Not for Public Use17

© 2004 by David T. Olson Sample - Not for Public Use18

© 2004 by David T. Olson Sample - Not for Public Use19 The Next Chart shows the relative strength of the 8 major denominational groups in Maryland. The first chart illustrates the relative sizes of the churches in Maryland by attendance.

© 2004 by David T. Olson Sample - Not for Public Use20

© 2004 by David T. Olson Sample - Not for Public Use21 The Next 3 Maps show the growth or decline of attendance percentages for the Evangelical, Catholic and Mainline churches in each county in Maryland between 1990 and For evangelicals, 15 counties grew in attendance percentage, while 9 counties declined. For Mainline churches, 4 counties grew in attendance percentage, while 20 counties declined. For Catholics, 11 counties grew in attendance percentage, while 13 counties declined.

© 2004 by David T. Olson Sample - Not for Public Use22 Maryland Counties Growth or Decline in Percentage of the Population at Worship in Evangelical Churches on any Given Sunday Blue = Decline Rose = Growth -55.3% Kent -18.1% Garrett -15.8% Cecil -15.6% Saint Marys -15.3% Worcester -4.1% Howard -4.1% Caroline -2.9% Talbot -2.1% Queen Annes 1.2% Harford 2.6% Allegany 3.8% Calvert 4.1% Washington 4.9% Dorchester 4.9% Frederick 8.6% Baltimore City 10.4% Anne Arundel 12.4% Somerset 18.8% Prince Georges 21.8% Montgomery 25.7% Charles 26.7% Baltimore 29.3% Wicomico 77.0% Carroll % to 0.0% 0.0% to 100.0%

© 2004 by David T. Olson Sample - Not for Public Use23 The Complete Maryland Powerpoint is 42 slides in length, and is available at It includes maps of church attendance in every county in the metro area, as well as denominational charts, average size charts, church planting charts, ethnicity charts and population growth information.

© 2004 by David T. Olson Sample - Not for Public Use24 The next 10 slides are from the “State of the Church in Baltimore” Powerpoint. The Complete Powerpoint is 38 slides in length, and is available at It includes maps of church attendance in every county in the metro area, as well as denominational charts, average size charts, church planting charts, ethnicity charts and population growth information.

© 2004 by David T. Olson Sample - Not for Public Use25 The Next Graph shows the attendance numbers for the churches in the Baltimore metro in 1990 and Evangelical church attendance has grown significantly over the last decade. The Mainline, Catholics and total numbers have declined. As population fluctuates, a more reliable standard for evaluating increasing or declining influence is the percentage of the population attending church on any given weekend, shown in the second graph.

© 2004 by David T. Olson

© 2004 by David T. Olson Sample - Not for Public Use28 The Next Graph is a Pie graph visualizing the percentage of the population at churches in each category in The “Absent” category indicates the percentage of the population that is not worshipping at a Christian church on any given weekend. The second graph shows the percentage gain or decline for each category in the Baltimore metro area in 1990 and 2000.

© 2004 by David T. Olson

© 2004 by David T. Olson Sample - Not for Public Use31 The Next Map shows the percentage of the population attending a Christian church on any given weekend in 2000 for each county in the Baltimore area. Baltimore City has a much higher percentage of church attendance than surrounding counties.

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© 2004 by David T. Olson Sample - Not for Public Use33 The Next 3 Maps show the growth or decline of attendance percentages for the Evangelical, Catholic and Mainline churches in each county in Baltimore between 1990 and For evangelicals, all counties grew in attendance percentage. For Mainline churches, 1 county grew in attendance percentage, while 5 counties declined. For Catholics, 3 counties grew in attendance percentage, while 3 counties declined.

© 2004 by David T. Olson Sample - Not for Public Use34 Baltimore Metro Counties Growth or Decline in Percentage of the Population at Worship in All Mainline Churches on a Given Weekend Blue = Decline Rose = Growth

© 2004 by David T. Olson Sample - Not for Public Use35 The Complete Baltimore Powerpoint is 38 slides in length, and is available at It includes maps of church attendance in every county in the metro area, as well as denominational charts, average size charts, church planting charts, ethnicity charts and population growth information.

© 2004 by David T. Olson Sample - Not for Public Use36 The next 11 slides are from the “State of the Church in Washington DC” Powerpoint. The Complete Powerpoint is 46 slides in length, and is available at It includes maps of church attendance in every county in the metro area, as well as denominational charts, average size charts, church planting charts, ethnicity charts and population growth information.

© 2004 by David T. Olson Sample - Not for Public Use37 The Next Graph shows the attendance numbers for the churches in the Washington DC area in 1990 and Evangelicals and Mainline churches have grown, while Catholic churches have slightly declined in attendance numbers. As population has grown however, a more reliable standard for evaluating increasing or declining influence is the percentage of the population attending church on any given weekend, shown in the second graph.

© 2004 by David T. Olson

© 2004 by David T. Olson Sample - Not for Public Use40 The Next Map shows the percentage of the population attending a Christian church on any given weekend in 2000 for each county in the Washington DC area. The Washington DC area was 27th out of the largest 55 metropolitan areas in the percentage of the population attending a Christian church on any given weekend. The Washington DC metro area consists of the District of Columbia, Arlington, Clarke, Culpeper, Fairfax, Fauquier, King George, Loudoun, Prince William, Spotsylvania, Stafford, Warren (all in Maryland), Calvert, Charles, Montgomery, Frederick, Prince Georges (all in Maryland), Berkeley and Jefferson (WV) counties. (Maryland cities are incorporated in the statistics for the county they are in.)

© 2004 by David T. Olson Sample - Not for Public Use41 Washington DC Metro Area 2000 Percentage of the Population Attending a Christian Church on Any Given Weekend 12.7% Arlington 15.2% Fairfax 13.9% Berkeley 13.2% Jefferson 17.0% Loudoun 17.7% Montgomery 23.7% Prince Georges 18.2% Frederick 17.9% Charles 17.4% Calvert Fauquier 12.4% Prince William 13.6% 13.5% Warren 11.0% Clarke 13.8% King George 16.6% Culpeper 19.2% Spotsylvania 12.0% Stafford District of Columbia 28.6%

© 2004 by David T. Olson Sample - Not for Public Use42 The 3 Next Charts show the relative strength of the 8 major denominational groups in Washington DC area.

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© 2004 by David T. Olson Sample - Not for Public Use46 The Next Map shows the growth or decline in the percentage of the population attending a Christian church on any given weekend from 1990 to 2000 for each county. Five counties in the Washington DC area grew in attendance percentage and 14 declined. The Washington DC area was 38th out of the largest 55 metropolitan areas in the growth rate of the percentage of the population attending a Christian church on any given weekend from 1990 – 2000.

© 2004 by David T. Olson Sample - Not for Public Use47 Washington DC Metro Area 1990 – 2000 Percentage Change in Total Church Attendance -15.0% Arlington -9.6% Fairfax -17.2% Berkeley -15.6% Jefferson 18.2% Loudoun -6.2% Montgomery -2.2% Prince Georges -2.6% Frederick -7.6% Charles 22.1% Calvert Fauquier -13.8% Prince William -6.5% 3.8% Warren -8.7% Clarke 6.2% King George -5.6% Culpeper -15.9% Spotsylvania 19.3% Stafford District of Columbia -9.9%

© 2004 by David T. Olson Sample - Not for Public Use48 The Complete Washington DC Powerpoint is 46 slides in length, and is available at It includes maps of church attendance in every county in the metro area, as well as denominational charts, average size charts, church planting charts, ethnicity charts and population growth information.

© 2004 by David T. Olson Sample - Not for Public Use49 This Presentation is based on a nationwide study of American church attendance, as reported by churches and denominations. The database currently has average worship attendances for each of the last 10 years for over 200,000 individual churches. It also uses supplementary information (actual membership numbers correlated with accurate membership to attendance ratios) to project the attendances of all other denominational and independent churches. All told, accurate information is provided for over 300,000 orthodox Christian churches. 1 1 This presentation looks only at people attending orthodox Christian churches. Approximately 3 million people attend non-orthodox Christian churches, and perhaps 3 million attend a religious service of another religion. Those ‘houses of worship’ would add another 35,000 churches in the United States and increase the 2000 percentage to 20.5%.

© 2004 by David T. Olson Sample - Not for Public Use50 For More Information... Please go to for additional information on the American Church. 12 Surprising Facts about the American Church is available at 12supm. htm 12supm. htm The complete Maryland Powerpoint presentation is available at The Complete Baltimore Powerpoint presentation is available at The Complete Washington DC Powerpoint presentation is available at A Combo Pack (12 Surprising Facts, Maryland, Baltimore and Washington DC Powerpoints) is available at