In 1992-1993 the author conducted a study of Hispanic Protestant Church
Growth in the USA for the Hispanic Association of Bilingual-Bicultural Ministries (HABBM).
At that time, we compiled a national mailing list of Hispanic Protestant
congregations from a variety of sources, which HABBM agreed to maintain and update on a
regular basis. We also produced a report entitled, "An Update on the National
Study of Hispanic Protestant Church Growth in the USA" (October 13, 1993).
This report was presented to the HABBM Board of Directors for their information and study.
A copy of this report can probably be obtained from the President of the Board of
Directors, the Rev. Danny de Leon , senior pastor of Templo Calvario in Santa Ana, CA
(affiliated with the Assemblies of God).
This report includes information on 6,837 Hispanic
Protestant congregations in the USA (Puerto Rico excluded), with the majority related to
about 30 denominations. However, about 130 denominations are known to have some Hispanic
work, as evidenced by having one or more related local Hispanic congregations. Also, about
170 congregations were considered to be independent congregations, with no known
denominational affiliation.
My organization has had a major role in keeping the
national Hispanic church mailing list up-to-date with a least one national mailing each
year since 1993. For these mailings, we have used the "Address Correction
Requested" and "Return Postage Guaranteed" options so that we can delete
non-deliverables and make the necessary address corrections to the master list. Currently,
this database has about 6,500 listings for the whole USA (excluding Puerto Rico).
The Protestant denominations with the largest
number of Hispanic congregations were the following (1992 statistics): click here
We have also produced a series of computer-generated
maps showing the distibution (data points) of 6,500 Hispanic congregations in the USA by
states and counties (using the centroid of each county). We created a series of
similar maps showing the distribution of Hispanic congregations in the Los Angeles
5-county region, using data points based on 9-digit zip codes: Click here to view maps
Last year (1997) the author produced a table on the
size and growth rates of the Protestant population in 25 countries of Latin America,
including Hispanics in the USA. This chart is available on our website; also it was
included in the October-December 1997 issue of the Latin American Evangelist
magazine, published by the Latin America Mission in Miami, FL. This table was based on
population projections for July 1995 by the United Nations; the estimates on the size of
the Protestant population in each country, the number of Protestant congregations, and the
average annual growth rate of the Protestant population were made by PROLADES: Click here to view population table
Regarding the Hispanic population in the USA, the
following estimates are given for mid-1995:
| Total Hispanic population
in the USA: |
27.7
million |
| Total Hispanic Protestant
population: |
7.1
million |
| Percent Hispanic
Protestant population: |
25.8% |
| Estimated Number of
Hispanic Protestant congregations: |
23,667 |
| Average Annual Growth Rate
of Hispanic Protestant population: |
12.1%
(1972-1995) |
The estimated number of Hispanic
Protestant congregations in the USA (see above) is probably high, but this estimate
includes Hispanic congregations that are autonomous (with their own pastor and facilities)
as well as Hispanic Departments in other churches (Anglo, Black, Korean, etc.). For
example, the American Baptists have at least as many Hispanic Departments in Anglo
churches as there are autonomous Hispanic congregations within their denomination. Also,
although the Assemblies of God reported 1,268 autonomous Hispanic congregations within
their various Hispanic Districts (Pacific Latin American District, etc.), no one knows how
many Anglo Assembly of God churches have Hispanic Departments across the USA. Dr. Jesse
Miranda and other Hispanic A/G leaders believe that there are at least as many Hispanic
Departments in Anglo A/G churches as there are autonomous Hispanic A/G congregations. In
addition, there are probably many more independent Hispanic congregations throughout the
USA than we discovered in our research in the early 1990s. A more conservative estimate of
the total number of Hispanic Protestant congregations in the USA would be between
15,000-18,000 for 1995.
In conversations and discussions with
national Hispanic leaders and their Anglo counterparts in major denominations, the author
has come to the conclusion that:
(1) More than half of all Hispanics in the USA are
bilingual or prefer English as their first language. These are predominantly the
second-generation of native-born U.S. citizens who have been educated in the public or
private school systems in the U.S.; this would also apply to the third, fourth, etc.,
generations of Hispanics in the U.S.
(2) More than half of all Hispanics who are active
in Protestant churches in the U.S. attend predominantly English-speaking Anglo
congregations.
(3) The other 50% of active Hispanic Protestants
attend predominantly Spanish-speaking or bilingual churches, either autonomous Hispanic
congregations or Hispanic Departments in Anglo, Black or Korean churches.
(4) Another reality is that growing numbers
Hispanics (as defined by the U.S. Bureau of the Census) are becoming nominal in their
religious affiliation, whether Catholic or Protestant. In other words, they don't attend
religious services as often as they used to, although those who claim to be Protestant
report more frequent church attendance than Catholics according to public opinion polls.
(5) My estimates on the size of the Hispanic
Protestant population in the U.S. are based on a series of studies done by Gallup and
other national polling organizations during the 1970s, 1980s and 1990s. My projection for
1995 is consistant with the annual growth rate reported by Gallup and others for the
Hispanic Protestant population in the U.S.
For further information about this
study, please contact the author at: prolades@racsa.co.cr