This volume of the report on religious bodies presents for each denomination a descriptive statement of its history, doctrine, polity, and work, and a presentation of its statistics by states, and by ecclesiastical divisions when such exist or the statistics could be obtained.

Part I presents statistical tables for all the denominations shown separately in this volume, with textual discussion and comparison with preceding censuses, so far as available, and also separate presentations for Negro church organizations. The statistics in Part I are presented for the United States as a whole, and by states, principal cities, and to a certain extent by counties.

As stated in Part I, the investigation relates to continental United States only, and not to any outlying possessions; and, in general, the statistics represent conditions at the close of the year 1916.

The denominations presented in this report number 202, of which 158 are grouped in 24 families and 44 are listed as separate denominations. For a complete list of these denominations, which is the order of their presentation in this report, see page 3. Changes in names since 1906 and other changes, such as the formation of new denominations or consolidation of old ones, are given for all denominations on pages 14 to 17 of Part I. In Part II such changes are explained in the historical statement of the indi

vidual denomination, and, in the case of family

groups, there is shown, in addition, a statistical summary of the denominations constituting the respective groups for the two years. In this statistical summary accompanying the historical statement of the family group, it will be noted that the group total is omitted, as the classification by families is for convenience only, and, as stated on page 19 of Part I, the constituent bodies are not regarded as having the organic or corporate affity that would give the totals statistical significance.

The order of presentation of material under each denomination is as follows:

(1) Statement of the history of the body, a brief review of its origin, and the main facts in its development up to 1916; its doctrine as set forth or illustrated by its creeds or confessions, and its recognized practices; its polity or form of ecclesiastical organization and government; its work, especially its missionary, educational, and philanthropic activities.

(2) A statistical summary of the principal items for 1916, and, when available, for 1906. In addition, statistical statements are presented, for each denomination, covering its members under 13 years of age, ministers, the languages used in conducting its services, and the amount of its contributions to domestic and foreign work. Statistical tables for these subjects, with descriptive text, are presented for all denominations in Part I, as follows: Members under 13 (pp. 34 to 38), ministers (pp. 65 to 73), languages (pp. 73 to 87), and work (pp. 87 to 102).

(3) A table setting forth, by states (and ecclesiastical divisions, if available), the following items derived from the returns on the schedules:

Number of local organizations, and the number of such organizations reporting each of the other items included in the table. Members (Total; Male; Female).

Places of worship (Church edifices; Halls, etc.).
Value of church property.

Debt on church property.
Value of parsonages.
Expenditures for year.

Sunday schools conducted by church organizations (Number of schools; Officers and teachers; Scholars).

As set forth more fully in the Introduction to Part I (p. 13), the statements of history, doctrine, and by denominational authorities in 1906. They were polity are based upon similar statements furnished revised for this report or, in case of new bodies, supplied by competent persons. The statistics of activi

ties were obtained partly by correspondence and partly from published reports. The statistics of

churches were obtained from schedules sent to the individual church organizations, and the statistics of ministers from schedules sent to the ministers direct.

EXPLANATION OF TERMS.

Following is an explanation of the terms used in the statistical tables, which, as stated above, are presented under each denomination:

Organizations.-These include any gatherings of persons for religious worship, whether under the name of church, meeting, mission, station, etc., which have each a separate membership, that is, no members who are included in the membership of any other similar organization. It includes thus each congregation of a Methodist circuit, each preparative meeting of a Friends Monthly Meeting, each mission of a Roman

Catholic or other church, whose membership is not included with the membership of the central church.

Members. As presented in the tables, the figures include all persons recognized as constituent parts of the organizations and so reported. The figures for the different bodies are not statistically comparable, as in the Roman Catholic Church and the Eastern bodies all baptized persons, including infants, are regarded as members; in the Baptist churches and other similar bodies those only are regarded as members who have been formally admitted to the church, and in the other bodies there is a variety of practice. In order to obtain some comparable basis of membership, an inquiry was inserted on the schedule of 1916 as to the number of members under 13 years of age, and in connection with the statistical summary presented for each denomination such number of persons is given. These figures are partly estimated. It was the intention to deduct from the total membership of each organization the number reported as under 13 years of age and thus obtain a membership of uniform age for comparative purposes. The answers to this inquiry were not complete, however, some returns showing a misapprehension of its meaning, while for some churches there was no report at all. A careful scrutiny of the returns was made in the bureau, and a computation was made for each denomination by applying to its total membership the proportion of members under 13 years of age shown by those churches of the same denomination making some report as to members under 13. The results of this computation were referred in many cases to persons well

acquainted with the situation and received their cordial support. Table 8 of Part I presents the results of this computation for each demonstration.

Church edifices.-The term "church edifice," under "Places of worship," covers any building used for religious services and owned in whole or in part by the organization so using it. It does not include rented halls, schoolhouses, etc., used by some organizations. Church property. The term "church property" is used in a very restricted sense. It does not include all the property owned by the churches, but only the edifices or buildings owned and used for worship by the organizations reporting, together with their sites, and their furniture, organs, bells, etc. Therefore, the value and debt herein reported relate to the above only, and not to rented buildings or halls, or of parsonages, parochial school buildings, theological seminaries, monasteries, convents, or the like.

Parsonages.-The value herein reported relates to the residence of the pastor in case it is owned by the church.

Church expenditures.-These cover running expenses (including salary of minister), repairs or improvements, benevolences, and general expenses, particularly those connected with the conduct of denominational affairs.

Sunday schools. These statistics in this volume. relate entirely to Sunday schools conducted by local church organizations and do not cover parochial or other institutions which supplement, or sometimes take the place of, the Sunday school. Data concerning undenominational or union Sunday schools, furnished by the International Sunday School Association, will be found in Part I (p. 62).

GENERAL STATEMENT.

What is known as the "Advent movement" originated with William Miller, who was born at Pittsfield, Mass., February 15, 1782, and died in Low Hampton, ⚫N. Y., December 20, 1849. He bore a good reputation as a farmer and citizen, served as a captain in the War of 1812, and was a diligent student and a great reader, although he had only a common school education. For some years he was an avowed Deist, but, as he said, "found no spiritual rest," until in 1816 he was converted and united with the Baptists. After his conversion, as objections to the authenticity and inspiration of the Scriptures were pressed upon him in the same way that he had formerly pressed them upon others, he determined to devote himself to a careful study of the Bible, laying aside commentaries and using the marginal references and Cruden's Concordance as his only helps. As a result of this study

he became satisfied that the Bible is its own interpreter, and that it is "a system of revealed truths, so clearly and simply given that the 'wayfaring man, though a fool, need not err therein.'"

At that time very little was heard from pulpit or press respecting the second coming of Christ, the general impression being that it must be preceded by the conversion of the world and the millennium, a long period of universal holiness and peace. As Mr. Miller studied the prophetic portions of the Bible, he became convinced that the doctrine of the world's conversion was unscriptural; that not only the parable of the wheat and the tares, as explained by Christ in Matthew xiii, 24-30, 36-43, but many other passages, teach the coexistence of Christianity and anti-Christianity while the gospel age lasts. As the period of a thousand years, during which Satan is bound, mentioned in Revelation xx, and from which the conception of the millennium is derived, lies between the first resurrection (Rev. xx, 4-6), which he understood to include all of the redeemed, and that of "the rest of the dead" (Rev. xx, 5), his conclusion was that the coming of Christ in person, power, and glory must be premillennial. He believed that at this coming there would be a resurrection of all the dead in Christ, who, together with all the redeemed then alive, would be "caught up to meet the Lord in the air;" that the wicked would then be judged, and the present heavens and earth dissolved by fire, to be followed by their regeneration as the inheritance of the redeemed, involving the glorious, immortal, and personal reign of Christ and all His saints.

As to the time when the Advent might be expected, Mr. Miller's conclusion was as follows:

* I found that only four In examining the prophecies * universal monarchies are predicted in the Bible to precede the setting up of God's everlasting kingdom; that three of those had passed away-Babylon, Medo-Persia, and Grecia-and that the fourth, Rome, had already passed into its last state. * * And finding all the signs of the times, and the present condition of the world, to compare harmoniously with the prophetic description of the last days, I was compelled to believe that the world had about reached the limits of the period allotted for its continuance.

Moreover, as a result of his study of prophetic chronology, he believed not only that the Advent was at hand, but that its date might be fixed with some definiteness. Taking the more or less generally accepted view that the "days" of prophecy symbolize years, he was led to the conclusion that the 2,300 days referred to in Daniel viii, 13, 14, the beginning of which he dated from the commandment to restore

Jerusalem, given in 457 B. C. (Daniel ix, 25), and the 1,335 days of the same prophet (xii, 12), which he took to constitute the latter part of the 2,300 days, would end coincidently in or about the year 1843. The cleansing of the sanctuary, which was to take place at the close of the 2,300 days (Daniel viii, 14), he understood to mean the cleansing of the earth at the second coming of Christ, which, as a result of his computations, he confidently expected would occur some time between March 21, 1843, and March 21, 1844, the period corresponding to the Jewish year.

The public labors of Mr. Miller, according to the best evidence to be obtained, date from the autumn of 1831, when he accepted an invitation to go to Dresden, N. Y., to speak on the subject of the Lord's return. He gave several addresses, with the result that many persons were "hopefully converted." Other invitations quickly followed, and thus began a work which in a few years, though not without opposition, spread far and wide, ministers and members of various evangelical denominations uniting in the expectation of the speedy, personal, and premillennial coming of Christ. The first general gathering of those interested in this subject was held in Boston in October, 1840. The call for this gathering simply invited Christians of all denominations to come together to compare views and to confer as to the best means of promulgating this important truth. The Advent movement was further assisted by the appearance of a number of papers, such as the "Midnight Cry," the "Signs of the Times," and the "Trumpet of Alarm," emphasizing these views.