Significant decline in membership in the Swiss Reformed Church

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The members of the Reformed Church in Switzerland are fleeing in droves. The increase in people leaving the church has increased by 30 percent within a year.

Membership numbers are shrinking

The massive decline in church membership also affects the Reformed Church in Switzerland. Last year, the number of people leaving the Evangelical Reformed Church increased by a full 30 percent, according to a study by the Swiss Pastoral Social Institute. In absolute numbers, the number of people leaving the church in Switzerland was around 39,000.

Influences of the Catholic Church

The study on abuse in the Swiss Catholic Church has also led to mass resignations among the Reformed Church. Figures from the Social Pastoral Institute now show how severe the decline in membership is (Source).

The majority of church members today are only superficially connected to the church and this is one reason for the rapidly increasing number of people leaving, according to the Council of the Evangelical Reformed Church of Switzerland. Another factor is the high number of abuses in the Roman Catholic Church. According to a study, more than 1,000 people have been abused in the Roman church’s catchment area since the 1950s. Probably just the tip of the iceberg.

This study on cases of abuse in the Roman Catholic Church triggered a wave of resignations from the Evangelical Reformed Church. For many former church members, this was probably the last straw that broke the camel’s back.

An “even” image

The numbers leaving the Roman Catholic and Protestant churches in Germany paint a similar picture. A continuing mass exodus from Rome’s church, which is distant from the gospel and overloaded with traditions, and the once Protestant institutions (Info). Leaving such apostate churches is not a disadvantage at all, but is actually recommended (Info).

Bible verses from King James Version (1611)