At the close of 1935, the work of this movement was being conducted in 353 countries, islands, and island groups, by 25,185 evangelistic and institutional laborers, who were using 578 languages and dialects in their work. This increase in languages has come mainly during the past fifteen years. Since 1929 the increase has been 184. During the past six years, one new language has been added on an average of every twelve days. The increase in countries and islands in which new work was begun during 1935 was 28, and in new languages in which work is conducted, 39.
The membership of the 8,026 churches of the denomination throughout the world, Dec. 31, 1935, was 422,968. This is a gain of 123,413 during the past six years, and is equivalent to a gain greater by 5,642 than the entire membership in the United States and Canada as it stood six years ago. This gain is also equivalent to the membership in all the world up to 1914, or seventy years after the beginning of this movement.
This work is carried on throughout the world by twelve divisions, comprising 69 union conferences, 146 local conferences, and 320 missions. This total of 547 evangelistic organizations, employing 12,185 evangelistic laborers, and 446 associated institutions, with which are connected 13,000 persons, makes a grand total of 25,185 laborers employed by the denomination in all lines of work carried on, or one denominational laborer actively employed for every seventeen church members. In addition, there are many hundreds of lay workers in all lands engaged in efforts that are very helpful in advancing the work.
The net gain in membership during 1935 was 18,459, and the total number who were baptized and joined on profession of faith was 38,086. The difference between these figures, 19,627, represents those who died and apostatized. In other words, for every ten persons who came in the front door of the church, approximately five went out the back door. The same trend that has been manifest in North America during recent years, is now being noted in overseas divisions also.
The total tithe receipts for 1935 were $5,7.43,281.80; for foreign missions, $3,150,404.29; for home missions, $1,599,448.13, making a total received for all evangelistic purposes, $10,493, 134.22, or an increase over the amount for the preceding year of $599,919.55, or 6.06 per cent. The per capita of total funds was $24.81, and of tithe, $13.58.
At the end of 1935, denominational literature was being printed in 171 languages, in 7,442 different publications, the sum total of one copy each having a total valuation of $2,146.76. The number of primary schools was 2,357. Colleges and advanced schools numbered 208, with 5,772 teachers and an enrollment of 108,200.
The total denominational investment then reached the sum of $57,745,120.18, an increase for the year of $1,699,151.80, or 3.03 percent.
Washington, D.C.