Registration data for the Memphis General Assembly shows 2,121 registrations that indicated a congregation affiliation. The available registration data does not distinguish voting status. It includes ministers who hold standing as well as congregational and regional delegates. The registration data also does not distinguish clergy and laity.
Attendees at the Memphis General Assembly came from 715 distinct congregations. These represented congregations comprise 25% of the 2,812 currently listed congregations.
Yearbook Reporting
Congregations represented at General Assembly demonstrate connection to the wider church through Yearbook reporting as well as Assembly attendance. Of the represented congregations in Memphis, 572 (80%) submitted an ALEX Yearbook Report for 2024. Another 86 represented congregations (12%) reported for 2023 but not 2024. Only 18 congregations present at the General Assembly have not reported in the past five years.
The 572 represented congregations that reported for 2024 comprise 39% of the 1,452 congregations that reported for the year.
Congregation Size
Attendance at the General Assembly skewed toward larger congregations. Congregations that report worship attendance less than 50 make up 64% of all listed congregations, but only 46% of the represented congregations in attendance fall within that size category.
While 23% of congregations reporting less than 50 in worship were represented at the General Assembly, 61% of the congregations reporting more than 150 in worship were represented.
| Worship Attendance | Attending Congregations | Listed Congregations | % |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 – 50 | 317 | 1,367 | 23% |
| 51 – 150 | 295 | 632 | 47% |
| 151 – 350 | 56 | 98 | 57% |
| 351 + | 21 | 28 | 75% |
Larger congregations, not surprisingly, have more attendees per congregation. Congregations with more than 350 in worship averaged 11.7 registrations per congregation. Congregations in this size category account for 1% of the listed congregations and 12% of the General Assembly registrations. We can attribute some of this to the host region’s support of the Assembly. Three congregations with worship attendance of more than 350 are in Memphis, and a fourth is in Nashville.
Congregations with worship attendance less than 50 had an average of 1.7 registrations per congregation, and congregations with worship attendance between 50 and 150 had an average of 3.1 registrations per congregation.
Regional Representation
All 31 regions had at least two congregations with attendees at the General Assembly. The average registrations per congregation overall was 3.0. Two regions had noticeably higher registrations per congregation: Tennessee (9.3), the host region; and Indiana (4.5), home to several general ministry staff and three congregations with reported attendance more than 350. Bypassing these two regions reduces the overall registrations per congregation to 2.6.
Looking Ahead
The General Assembly is planning its first online gathering of the triennium in 2026. This analysis may provide insight into participation in that gathering. Knowing that approximately one in four listed congregations attended the in-person gathering in Memphis, can we project participation in an online gathering during 2026?
The greatest opportunity for gain is from congregations with an average of 50 or fewer in worship. Only 23% of these congregations were represented in Memphis; yet, they comprise two-thirds of the body. If a targeted outreach to these congregations were to double participation from that size range, that would add another 300 congregations. We might then reasonably assume participation from 1,000 congregations in this summer’s gathering.
Under the revised Design, each listed congregation can elect three voting delegates. We cannot predict how many congregations will utilize all three delegates. This data will come into focus as congregations begin to report their voting delegates. If the projected participating congregations each used all three, the 2026 General Assembly would have 3,000 voting delegates in addition to ministers with standing and those who might attend without voting privileges.
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