Member numbers: Evangelical Landeskirchen records fewer resignations

The number of Protestant Christians in Germany continued to decline last year. At the end of last year, around 18 million people belonged to one of the 20 national churches, as the Evangelical Church in Germany announced in Hanover – almost 500,000 fewer than a year earlier. Ten years ago, more than 22 million people were members of a regional church.

The number of church exits decreased by 8.2 percent compared to the year before. In 2024, 345,000 people left the church. Around 110,000 people were baptized, in 2023 it was a little more with 136,000. Around 15,000 people were admitted to the church, 335,000 members died in 2024. Compared to the previous year, the number of church members decreased by around 3.2 percent.

Pastoral care and spiritual accompaniment further important

It is no longer a matter of course today that people belong to a church, said Kirsten Fehr’s Council Chairman of the EKD. At the same time, it is becoming increasingly important to reliably offer accompaniment and pastoral care in times of confusing crises. Spiritual places and safe discourse rooms are needed. “Our society is more dependent than ever that people are committed to civil society – also in the church and diakonia,” said the chairman of the council.

According to Fehrs, the declining number of purchases in particular are a reason to worry. The church wants to do everything possible to bring people with the church and diaconal offers into contact and to clarify the importance of baptism as a “anchor point of Christian community,” said the bishop.