The State of the Church in Michigan

The State of the Church in Michigan 1990-2000
Dave Olson © 2004 by David T. Olson Sample - Not for Public Use

© 2004 by David T. Olson Sample - Not for Public Use
This is a Sample Presentation It’s purpose is to give you an idea of what is happening to the Christian church in Michigan, and what the complete “State of the Church in Michigan” Powerpoint looks like. The goal is to encourage pastors and church lay leaders to view and discuss together the missional challenges in Michigan that the Church faces. The complete Powerpoint is $14.95 and is available for immediate download at © 2004 by David T. Olson Sample - Not for Public Use

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 Use

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

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 Michigan has an average church attendance percentage (20.6%) higher than the national average (18.7%). © 2004 by David T. Olson Sample - Not for Public Use

Michigan Counties 2000 Percentage of Population at Christian Churches
Beige = Higher Rose = Medium Blue = Lower 9.4% Keweenaw 9.8% Luce 10.0% Crawford 10.3% Kalkaska 11.0% Alcona 11.6% Barry 11.7% Clare 13.2% Roscommon 13.3% Livingston Oceana 13.4% Gladwin Isabella Mecosta 13.5% Mackinac 13.6% Antrim 14.4% Chippewa 14.5% Leelanau 14.6% Ogemaw Clinton 14.8% Eaton 14.9% Benzie Cass 15.5% Lapeer 15.6% Hillsdale 15.8% Ionia 15.9% Saint Clair 16.0% Newaygo 16.3% Washtenaw 16.4% Van Buren Houghton 16.5% Cheboygan 16.6% Iosco 16.9% Otsego 17.1% Charlevoix Arenac Gogebic Emmet 17.2% Jackson 17.3% Grand Traverse 17.4% Calhoun Manistee Marquette 17.6% Baraga 18.0% Montmorency 18.9% Allegan 18.2% Genesee 18.4% Saint Joseph 18.5% Muskegon Branch 18.6% Montcalm Lenawee 19.1% Shiawassee 19.2% Gratiot 19.3% Kalamazoo 19.6% Sanilac 19.7% Missaukee 20.0% Lake Midland 20.1% Wexford Ingham Mason 20.2% Osceola 20.4% Menominee Oakland Macomb 22.8% Iron 23.1% Tuscola 23.2% Alger Schoolcraft Presque Isle 23.3% Ontonagon 23.5% Monroe 23.6% Wayne 23.9% Delta 24.1% Oscoda 25.0% Dickinson 26.2% Kent 25.7% Saginaw 26.5% Berrien 29.3% Huron 30.7% Ottawa 33.5% Bay 38.0% Alpena 0.0% to 16.4% 16.4% to 20.0% 20.0% to 39.0%

The Next 2 Maps show the population numbers for each county in Michigan. The first map shows the population of each county. The second map shows the growth or decline in population for each county from © 2004 by David T. Olson Sample - Not for Public Use

2,301 Keweenaw 7,024 Luce 7,818 Ontonagon 8,746 Baraga 8,903 Schoolcraft 9,418 Oscoda 9,862 Alger 10,315 Montmorency 11,333 Lake 11,719 Alcona 11,943 Mackinac 13,138 Iron 14,273 Crawford 14,411 Presque Isle 14,478 Missaukee 15,998 Benzie 16,571 Kalkaska 17,269 Arenac 17,370 Gogebic 21,119 Leelanau 21,645 Ogemaw 23,110 Antrim 23,197 Osceola 23,301 Otsego 24,527 Manistee 25,326 Menominee 25,469 Roscommon 26,023 Gladwin 26,090 Charlevoix 26,448 Cheboygan 26,873 Oceana 27,339 Iosco 27,472 Dickinson 28,274 Mason 30,484 Wexford 31,252 Clare 31,314 Alpena 31,437 Emmet 36,016 Houghton 36,079 Huron 38,520 Delta 38,543 Chippewa 40,553 Mecosta 42,285 Gratiot 44,547 Sanilac 45,787 Branch 46,527 Hillsdale 47,874 Newaygo 51,104 Cass 56,755 Barry 58,266 Tuscola 61,266 Montcalm 61,518 Ionia 62,422 Saint Joseph 63,351 Isabella 64,634 Marquette 64,753 Clinton 71,687 Shiawassee 76,263 Van Buren 77,654 Grand Traverse 82,874 Midland 87,904 Lapeer 98,890 Lenawee 103,655 Eaton 105,665 Allegan 110,157 Bay 137,985 Calhoun 145,945 Monroe 156,951 Livingston 158,422 Jackson 162,453 Berrien 164,235 Saint Clair 170,200 Muskegon 210,039 Saginaw 238,314 Ottawa 238,603 Kalamazoo 279,320 Ingham 322,895 Washtenaw 436,141 Genesee 574,335 Kent 788,149 Macomb 1,194,156 Oakland 2,061,162 Wayne 0 to 20,000 20,000 to 100,000 100,000 to 2,061,163 Michigan Counties 2000 Population © 2004 by David T. Olson Sample - Not for Public Use

Complete Presentation has Map of 2000 Population Growth for Each County

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

Complete Presentation has Graph of 2000 Ethnicity

The Next Graph shows the attendance numbers for the churches in Michigan in 1990 and Evangelicals have grown in attendance, while the Mainline, Catholics and total numbers have significantly 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 Use

Complete Presentation has Graph of 1990 & 2000 Worship Percentage by Category

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 Michigan in 1990 and 2000. © 2004 by David T. Olson Sample - Not for Public Use

The 3 Next Charts show the relative strength of the 9 major denominational groups in Michigan. The second and third charts show the significant decline of all denominations in Michigan, with the exception of Pentecostal and Three Sisters churches. (The 3 Sisters are 3 similar evangelical denominations originally from Sweden, the Baptist General Conference, the Evangelical Free Church and the Evangelical Covenant Church.) © 2004 by David T. Olson Sample - Not for Public Use

Complete Presentation has Pie Chart of 2000 Attendance by Denominational Families

Complete Presentation has Bar Graph of 1990 & 2000 Attendance by Denominational Families

The Next Chart shows the 1990 & 2000 average church attendance by group for both this state and the nation. The second chart shows the 1990 & 2000 population per church for this state and the nation. Among states in 2000, Arkansas has the lowest population per church with 411 people per church, Utah is the highest at 4,586 people per church. © 2004 by David T. Olson Sample - Not for Public Use

Complete Presentation has Bar Graph of 1990 & 2000 Population per Church for State and Nation

Complete Presentation has State Map of 2000 Evangelical Attendance Percentage for each County

Complete Presentation has State Map of 2000 Mainline Attendance Percentage for each County

Michigan Counties 2000 Percentage of Population at Catholic Churches Beige = Higher Rose = Medium Blue = Lower 1.1% Missaukee 1.3% Benzie 1.7% Hillsdale Oscoda 1.8% Antrim 2.0% Kalkaska 2.1% Eaton 2.3% Luce 2.4% Osceola Mecosta 2.8% Alcona 2.9% Clare 3.1% Gladwin Montcalm 3.2% Crawford Newaygo 3.3% Barry 3.5% Oceana 3.6% Washtenaw 3.7% Ottawa Wexford 3.8% Muskegon Lenawee 4.0% Keweenaw 4.2% Genesee 4.3% Gratiot 4.4% Kalamazoo 4.5% Jackson Chippewa Calhoun 4.7% Tuscola Mason 4.9% Roscommon 5.0% Ingham 5.1% Mackinac 5.3% Ontonagon 5.5% Ogemaw 5.6% Lake Allegan 5.9% Saint Joseph 6.0% Midland 6.1% Iosco 6.2% Livingston Van Buren 6.3% Charlevoix 6.4% Houghton Isabella 6.5% Kent 6.6% Cheboygan Sanilac 6.7% Baraga 7.0% Clinton Branch Marquette 7.1% Montmorency 7.3% Emmet Ionia Grand Traverse 7.5% Alger 7.6% Leelanau Gogebic Arenac 7.7% Cass Berrien 7.9% Saint Clair Shiawassee 8.2% Manistee Lapeer 8.5% Saginaw Iron 9.7% Otsego 9.9% Wayne 10.3% Menominee 11.5% Schoolcraft 11.6% Oakland 11.9% Presque Isle 12.4% Dickinson 12.5% Monroe 12.6% Huron Delta 13.6% Alpena 14.2% Macomb 15.3% Bay 0.0% to 4.5% 4.5% to 7.3% 7.3% to 16.3% © 2004 by David T. Olson Sample - Not for Public Use

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. 13 counties grew in attendance percentage, while 70 counties declined. © 2004 by David T. Olson Sample - Not for Public Use

Complete Presentation has State Map of Christian Church Attendance Percentage Increase or Decline for each County

The Next 3 Maps show the growth or decline of attendance percentages for the Evangelical, Catholic and Mainline churches in each county in Michigan between 1990 and For evangelicals, 32 counties grew in attendance percentage, while 51 counties declined. For mainline churches, 12 counties grew in attendance percentage, while 71 counties declined. For Catholics, 19 counties grew in attendance percentage, while 64 counties declined. © 2004 by David T. Olson Sample - Not for Public Use

Complete Presentation has State Map of Evangelical Attendance Percentage Increase or Decline for each County

Complete Presentation has State Map of Mainline Attendance Percentage Increase or Decline for each County

Michigan Counties Percentage Growth in Catholic Church Attendance Blue- Decline Maroon- Growth -62.6% Missaukee -61.3% Mecosta -57.4% Antrim -56.2% Oscoda -55.5% Luce -50.3% Alcona -49.7% Mason -49.2% Otsego -49.1% Arenac -46.7% Cheboygan -45.0% Benzie -43.1% Jackson -42.3% Oceana -41.8% Newaygo -38.7% Osceola -38.0% Roscommon -37.8% Ottawa -37.0% Emmet -36.8% Saint Clair -35.3% Manistee -32.9% Genesee -32.6% Huron -32.5% Isabella -32.4% Wayne -31.5% Keweenaw -31.3% Macomb -30.9% Crawford -30.0% Grand Traverse -28.4% Charlevoix -27.8% Iosco -27.6% Ionia -27.5% Presque Isle -27.2% Saginaw -26.9% Ogemaw -26.7% Kalkaska -26.0% Kalamazoo -25.7% Muskegon -25.6% Washtenaw -25.1% Kent -23.7% Midland -23.1% Leelanau -22.0% Calhoun -21.9% Gladwin -21.7% Clare -21.3% Lenawee -19.9% Ingham -18.8% Baraga -18.7% Bay Ontonagon -17.0% Alpena Tuscola -15.8% Wexford -15.6% Clinton -15.5% Gogebic -15.3% Mackinac -15.0% Montmorency -14.5% Menominee -13.0% Gratiot -12.1% Chippewa -11.8% Monroe -5.6% Delta -3.9% Alger -3.0% Livingston -0.2% Houghton 2.9% Marquette 4.0% Lapeer 7.5% Dickinson 11.8% Berrien 12.7% Shiawassee 12.9% Saint Joseph 13.5% Hillsdale 13.8% Allegan 17.2% Iron 17.4% Oakland 17.6% Van Buren 19.0% Sanilac 19.7% Montcalm 20.9% Schoolcraft 30.2% Lake 32.8% Branch 39.4% Barry 66.6% Eaton 88.4% Cass Decline Growth © 2004 by David T. Olson Sample - Not for Public Use

The Final Chart shows the net gain in the number of churches in Michigan in the past decade. There was a net loss of 26 churches. However, 649 churches were needed to keep up with population growth from © 2004 by David T. Olson Sample - Not for Public Use

The State of the Church in Michigan . . .
Because of the traditionally strong Catholic influence in Michigan, overall church attendance is suffering as a result of the decline in Catholic attendance. Church attendance has grown for Evangelicals numerically, but has declined in the percentage of the population attending church for all three groups. The percentage of the population attending church has decreased, resulting in a 12% loss in the state-wide percentage of the population that attended church between 1990 and 2000. A major factor in the overall decline is the insufficient net gain in the number of churches in Michigan. Six hundred and seventy-five additional churches needed to have been started in the previous decade to compensate for the decline in percentage attendance. © 2004 by David T. Olson Sample - Not for Public Use

For More Information . . . Please go to for additional information on the American Church. 12 Surprising Facts about the American Church is available at The complete Michigan Powerpoint presentation is available at The Complete Detroit Powerpoint presentation is available at The Complete Grand Rapids Powerpoint presentation is available at The Complete Ann Arbor Powerpoint presentation is available at A Combo Pack (12 Surprising Facts, Michigan, Detroit and Grand Rapids Powerpoints) is available at © 2004 by David T. Olson Sample - Not for Public Use

Information on the Information
The spiritual health of churches is multifaceted, and is obviously much more complex than an attendance trend can portray. However, following the example of St. Luke in the Book of Acts, who used the number of people who showed up at various events as a sign documenting the health and growth of the early church, I would suggest that attendance is the single most helpful indicator of health, growth and decline. Information has been compiled only for orthodox Christian groups – Protestant, Catholic and Orthodox. The Mormons, Jehovah Witnesses, Unitarian-Universalists and the International Churches of Christ have not been included. In addition, information about non-Christian groups has not been compiled. African American denominations publish very little that is statistical – often not even a list of current churches. This study used data from the 1990 Glenmary study on Black Baptist estimates and AME Zion churches, the average African American worship attendance (from the Barna Research Group), and a statistical model based on the population of African Americans in each county in 1990 and These were combined to come up with as accurate an estimate as possible. Independent church data is almost impossible to obtain. (There are actually fewer totally independent churches than is assumed. Most are part of some voluntary association, which typically keeps some records.) Data from the 1990 & 2000 Glenmary study on larger Independent churches (limited to over 300 in attendance) was used along with a statistical model to estimate the attendance at smaller independent churches. In Catholic churches, the definition of what constitutes membership varies with diocese and church, making numbers sometimes inconsistent from state to state and county to county. In addition to actual mass counts from 1/3rd of Catholic parishes, membership information has been merged with attendance patterns from similar dioceses based on the size of the diocese and the region in which it is located. Orthodox Churches are included in Totals, but not included as a separate group because of smallness of size nationwide. Division into Evangelical and Mainline categories is based on the division by the Glenmary Study. This study only looks at how many people attend a Christian church on any given Sunday. The term ‘regular attender’ can be designated to mean someone who attends a Christian church on a consistent basis. Using a simple definition for ‘regular attender’ (attends at least 3 out of every 8 Sundays), between 23% and 25% of Americans would fit this category. Adding ‘regular attenders’ of non-orthodox christian churches and other religions to the totals would increase the percentage to 26% – 28%. © 2004 by David T. Olson Sample - Not for Public Use

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 170,000 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 all 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 Use

For More Information . . . Presentations such as this are available for the largest 100 metropolitan areas, for each state and for the nation as a whole, as well as other presentations to show what is happening in the American church. Presentations are available either by direct download, CD or print. Please go to for ordering information. To Contact Dave Olson, please him at © 2004 by David T. Olson Sample - Not for Public Use

The State of the Church in Michigan

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