First published as the ''Federal Council Year Book'' in 1916, The ''Yearbook of American & Canadian Churches'' is a comprehensive descriptive and statistical listing of major religious bodies and other important religion-related organizations in the

U.S. The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...

and

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

. The ''Yearbook'' contains descriptive information about the major religious bodies in the U.S.A. and Canada, including features of their

ecclesiology In Christian theology, ecclesiology is the study of the Church (congregation), Church, the origins of Christianity, its relationship to Jesus, its role in salvation, its ecclesiastical polity, polity, its Church discipline, discipline, its escha ...

, history and

theological Theology is the systematic study of the nature of the divine and, more broadly, of religious belief. It is taught as an academic discipline, typically in universities and seminaries. It occupies itself with the unique content of analyzing the s ...

principles, membership and financial statistics, official periodicals published by each religious group, as well as listings of each group's current officers. The ''Yearbook's'' data serves as an authoritative source for the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau (USCB), officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the U.S. Federal Statistical System, responsible for producing data about the American people and economy. The Census Bureau is part of t ...

's ranking of largest religious groups, and for the ''

Encyclopædia Britannica The (Latin for "British Encyclopædia") is a general knowledge English-language encyclopaedia. It is published by Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.; the company has existed since the 18th century, although it has changed ownership various t ...

's'' listing of largest churches in the U.S.A. A historic archive compact disc was produced in 2000 which compiles previous editions' statistics for comparative and longitudinal analysis. Other sections of the ''Yearbook'' list the most important church-related and para-church agencies and organizations with descriptions and contact information. Chapters also list Cooperative Organizations (e.g.

American Bible Society American Bible Society is a U.S.-based Christian nonprofit headquartered in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. As the American member organization of United Bible Societies, it supports global Bible translation, production, distribution, literacy, engage ...

National Association of Evangelicals The National Association of Evangelicals (NAE) is an association of evangelical denominations, organizations, schools, churches and individuals, member of the World Evangelical Alliance. The association represents more than 45,000 local churches ...

National Council of Churches The National Council of the Churches of Christ in the USA, usually identified as the National Council of Churches (NCC), is the largest ecumenical body in the United States. NCC is an ecumenical partnership of 38 Christian faith groups in the Un ...

USA, etc.), Sources of Religion Related Research
The Association of Religion Data Archives
Center for the Study of Religion and American Culture, the Pluralism Project, etc.), State, Regional and Local Ecumenical Bodies (New York State Council of Churches, etc.), Religious-related Periodicals, and Church Archives and Depositories. The Yearbook does not list individual congregations, nor smaller or local church organizations. An inter-religious calendar provides significant religious observations for several years. The ''Yearbook,'' published by the

USA, is currently compiled by its 16th editor, the Rev. Dr. Eileen W. Lindner, a historian of American religious traditions, Presbyterian minister and former staff member of the

USA. Dr. Lindner writes a yearly analysis of church statistical data charting much-watched trends in growth and decline, and the theme chapter which describes a significant feature of the contemporary religious landscape. Recent theme chapters include, "Megachurches: How do they Count?" (2003), "Equipping Leaders: Theological Education" (2004), "Whither Global Mission?" (2005), "the Emergent Church and Blogging" (2006). The Yearbook's 75th edition, released in March 2007, highlighted the growth of Pentecostal churches on the 100th anniversary of the Azusa Street revival in Los Angeles. The 2008 edition highlighted results from a nationwide survey of congregations' engagement in health-related ministry, titled, "When Did We See Thee Sick? Congregations Respond".

External links

Official website

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Yearbook Of American And Canadian Churches Christian denominations in North America Christianity in Canada Christianity in the United States Publications established in 1916