Index| Group | Where | Number of Adherents |
% of total pop. |
Number of congreg./ churches/ units |
Number of countries |
Year | Source | Quote/ Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Scientology | USA | 3,000,000 | - | - | - | 1999 | *LINK* Spartos, Carlos. "Practical Piety: A Guide for the Perplexed " in Village Voice (New York), Jan. 27-Feb. 2, 1999; (viewed online, 29 Jan. 1999) | "Scientology... Membership: U.S.: 3 million, including those who maintain dual affiliations or have taken up studies in Scientology. World: 8 million to 9 million. " |
| Scientology | USA | 9,000,000 | - | - | - | 1999 | *LINK* Spartos, Carlos. "Practical Piety: A Guide for the Perplexed " in Village Voice (New York), Jan. 27-Feb. 2, 1999; (viewed online, 29 Jan. 1999) | "Scientology... Membership: U.S.: 3 million, including those who maintain dual affiliations or have taken up studies in Scientology. World: 8 million to 9 million. " |
| Scientology | USA | - | - | 108 units |
- | 1999 | *LINK* web page (OPPOSING VIEW): "Scientology Worldwide " (viewed 13 Feb. 1999); "Last Update on 10th Feb. 1999 " | Number here ( "# congregations ") represent total of all orgs: Dianetic Centers, Celebrity Centers, missions, etc.; "CoS web sites have lists of Missions (1998) & Orgs (1996) from which the Table below is derived. Original concept and research by 'Inducto'. " |
| Scientology | Utah | - | - | 1 unit |
- | 1980 | *LINK* linked to Brett Achorn's OPPOSING VIEW web site "Hard Data on Scientology " (1998) | Organization count based on very detailed analysis of incorporations, creations, closures, etc. |
| Scientology | Utah | - | - | 1 unit |
- | 1997 | *LINK* official web site (1998); section: "Global Locator for Scientology Organizations " [Last updated 1997] | Counted listings of churches and missions in directory. "Church of Scientology of Utah, 1931 S. 1100 East, Salt Lake City, Utah 84106 " |
| Scientology | Venezuela | - | - | 2 units |
- | 1999 | *LINK* web page (OPPOSING VIEW): "Scientology Worldwide " (viewed 13 Feb. 1999); "Last Update on 10th Feb. 1999 " | Number here ( "# congregations ") represent total of all orgs: Dianetic Centers, Celebrity Centers, missions, etc.; "CoS web sites have lists of Missions (1998) & Orgs (1996) from which the Table below is derived. Original concept and research by 'Inducto'. " |
| Scientology | Washington | - | - | 4 units |
- | 1993 | *LINK* linked to Brett Achorn's OPPOSING VIEW web site "Hard Data on Scientology " (1998) | Organization count based on very detailed analysis of incorporations, creations, closures, etc. |
| Scientology | Washington | - | - | 5 units |
- | 1998 | *LINK* official web site (1998); section: "Global Locator for Scientology Organizations " | Counted listings of churches and missions in directory. (1) Church of Scientology Mission of Seattle, 15216 2nd Ave. SW, Seattle, WA 98166; (2) Dianetics Center Mission of Spokane, 1432 W. Francis Suite B, Spokane, WA. 99205-5261; (3) Ch. of Sci. Mission of Bellevue, 15424 Bellevue-Redmond Rd, Redmond, WA 98052; (4) Church of Scientology Mission of Burien, 15216 2nd Avenue SW, Seattle, WA 98166; [directory link] (5) Church of Scientology of Washington State, 2226 3rd Avenue, Seattle, WA 98121 |
| Scientology | Washington, D.C. | - | - | 4 units |
- | 1985 | *LINK* linked to Brett Achorn's OPPOSING VIEW web site "Hard Data on Scientology " (1998) | Organization count based on very detailed analysis of incorporations, creations, closures, etc. |
| Scientology | Washington, D.C. | - | - | 1 unit |
- | 1998 | *LINK* official web site (1998); section: "Global Locator for Scientology Organizations " | Counted listings of churches and missions in directory. "Church of Scientology of Washington, D.C., 1701 20th Street NW, Washington, DC 20009 " |
| Scientology | Wisconsin | - | - | 1 unit |
- | 1987 | *LINK* linked to Brett Achorn's OPPOSING VIEW web site "Hard Data on Scientology " (1998) | Organization count based on very detailed analysis of incorporations, creations, closures, etc. |
| Scientology | Wisconsin | - | - | 1 unit |
- | 1998 | *LINK* official web site (1998); section: "Global Locator for Scientology Organizations " | Counted listings of churches and missions in directory. "Church of Scientology Mission of Milwaukee, 710 East Silver Spring Dr Ste. E., White Fish Bay, WI 53217 " |
| Scientology | world | 500,000 | - | - | - | 1975 | Crim, Keith (ed.). The Perennial Dictionary of World Religions. San Francisco: Harper Collins (1989). Reprint; originally pub. as Abingdon Dictionary of Living Religions, 1981; pg. 664. | "Scientology... In the 1970s it had several hundred thousand followers, at least, and impressive property holdings. " |
| Scientology | world | 5,000,000 | - | - | - | 1977 | Chalfant, H. Paul, et al. Religion in Contemporary Society (3rd Ed.); Itasca, Illinois: F.E. Peacock Publishers (1994); pg. 247. | "Melton (1991, Vol. 2:312) states... No precise [membership] figure... currently exists; however, church statistics of its membership were reported in 1977 to be more than 5 million with more than 3 million of those in U.S. Those figures represent a cumulative number of people who have participated in one or more of the church's programs or availed themselves of the church's services over a period of several years. " |
| Scientology | world | 5,437,000 | - | - | - | 1977 | *LINK* web site: "News From Bree "; web page: "Fastest Growing Religion? " (viewed 9 Jan. 1999); "Last Update on 29th November 1998 " | "1977 - 5,437,000 members. Source: 1977 edition of What Is Scientology? " |
| Scientology | world | 5,000,000 | - | 122 units |
33 countries |
1980 | Rudin, James A. & Marcia R. Rudin. Prison or Paradise: The New Religious Cults; Fortress Press: Philadelphia (1980); pg. 83. | "Today church officials boast 4 to 5 million members, with twenty-two churches and one hundred misions in thirty-three countries. " |
| Scientology | world | - | - | 328 units |
- | 1980 | *LINK* web site: "News From Bree "; web page: "Fastest Growing Religion? " (viewed 9 Jan. 1999); "Last Update on 29th November 1998 " | (Table) "Orgs, etc.: 328 (1980); 832 (1990); 1811 (1997); Contracted Staff: 5,150 (1980); 10,224 (1990); Notes:.. 'Orgs etc' includes Orgs, Missions and 'related organisations' "; the average CoS unit has at least 3,500 members " |
| Scientology | world | 5,000,000 | - | - | 30 countries |
1982 | Petersen, William J. Those Curious New Cults in the 80s. New Canaan, Connecticut: Keats Publishing (1982); pg. 216. | "Today Scientology has membership... around the world. It claims to have up to five million members in 30 countries. " |
| Scientology | world | 700,000 | - | - | - | 1986 | *LINK* linked to Brett Achorn's opposing view web site "Hard Data on Scientology " (viewed 1998) [Orig. source: The New York Times, January 29, 1986] | "The New York Times, January 29, 1986... Church publicists say the organization now has six million followers, but some dissident former members estimate the number at fewer than 700,000. " |
| Scientology | world | 6,000,000 | - | - | - | 1986 | *LINK* linked to Brett Achorn's OPPOSING VIEW web site "Hard Data on Scientology " (1998) | "The New York Times, January 29, 1986... Church publicists say the organization now has six million followers, but some dissident former members estimate the number at fewer than 700,000. " |
| Scientology | world | - | - | 673 units |
- | 1987 | Chalfant, H. Paul, et al. Religion in Contemporary Society (3rd Ed.); Itasca, Illinois: F.E. Peacock Publishers (1994); pg. 247. | "Melton (1991, Vol. 2:312) states... The church reported that in 1987... it had a total of 6,598 staff members delivering Scientology services to its parishioners in its 673 churches, missions, and groups worldwide... " |
| Scientology | world | - | - | 832 units |
- | 1990 | *LINK* web site: "News From Bree "; web page: "Fastest Growing Religion? " (viewed 9 Jan. 1999); "Last Update on 29th November 1998 " | (Table) "Orgs, etc.: 328 (1980); 832 (1990); 1811 (1997); Contracted Staff: 5,150 (1980); 10,224 (1990); Notes:.. 'Orgs etc' includes Orgs, Missions and 'related organisations' "; "the average CoS unit has at least 3,500 members " |
| Scientology | world | 8,000,000 | - | 1,100 units |
69 countries |
1991 | Chalfant, H. Paul, et al. Religion in Contemporary Society (3rd Ed.); Itasca, Illinois: F.E. Peacock Publishers (1994); pg. 288-289. | "Melton (1986:132) says that the estimate of Scientology's active membership is in the tens of thousands, and that approx. 3 million persons worldwide have received some kind of service from Scientology. More recently Scientology has claimed 8 million members and over 1,100 churches, missions, and groups in 69 countries (USA Today, August 2-4, 1991:6A-7A). " |
| Scientology | world | 8,000,000 | - | - | - | 1991 | Disch, Thomas M. The Dreams Our Stuff Is Made Of: How Science Fiction Conquered the World. New York: Simon & Schuster (2000; c. 1998); pg. 150. | "In its May 6, 1991, issue, Time magazine devoted a cover story to... Scientology... given the size the organization has grown to (by Time's estimate, 50,000 active members; by the church's, 8 million). " |
| Scientology | world | - | - | 1,039 units |
74 countries |
1992 | *LINK* Official church web site | 1039 Churches, Missions and Organizations |
| Scientology | world | 7,000,000 | - | 1,039 units |
74 countries |
1992 | *LINK* web site: "News From Bree "; web page: "Fastest Growing Religion? " (viewed 9 Jan. 1999); "Last Update on 29th November 1998 " | "1992 - about 7,000,000 members. Source: 1992 edition of What Is Scientology?... In 1992 there were 1,039 Churches, Missions and Organisations in 74 countries. "; "the average CoS unit has at least 3,500 members " |
| Scientology | world | 8,000,000 | - | - | - | 1992 | *LINK* web site: "News From Bree "; web page: "Millions of Members? " (viewed 9 Jan. 1999); "Last Update on 29th November 1998 " | The following oft-quoted exchange comes from the ABC 'Nightline' radio show, 14 February 1992. Forrest Sawyer is interviewing CoS President Heber; Jentzsch.Sawyer: "How do you get to call them members? "; Jentzsch: "Because they joined and they came in and they studied Scientology. "; Sawyer: "They took one course, maybe. "; Jentzsch: "Well, that's how valuable the course is. Eight million people, yes, over a period of the last - since 1954. "; This is not actually a unique viewpoint. The Roman Catholic Church claims as 'Catholic' anyone baptised into the Church. |
| Scientology | world | 1,000,000 | - | 600 units |
- | 1993 | *LINK* Opposing or non-objective viewpoint web site: "Online Guide to the Major Cults "; web page (1998): "Scientology: Science or New Age Cult " [by Biblical Discernment Ministries, 5/93]. | "Scientology currently claims to have about one million followers and six million sympathizers in more than 600 'churches, missions, and groups around the world.' " |
| Scientology | world | - | - | - | - | 1994 | *LINK* Hexham, Irving. Concise Dictionary of Religion. Carol Stream, USA: InterVarsity Press (1994). (v. online 6 Oct. 1999) | "SCIENTOLOGY... Scientology uses the language of SCIENCE to promote a Westernized version of YOGIC RELIGION supported by the rich MYTHOLOGY found in Hubbard's science fiction novels. Although many attempts have been made to deny the religious NATURE of Scientology, it has too many features of actual RELIGIONS to be dismissed as a pious fraud or SECULAR PHILOSOPHY. " |
| Scientology | world | 8,000,000 | - | 2,318 units |
107 countries |
1994 | *LINK* web site: "News From Bree "; web page: "Fastest Growing Religion? " (viewed 9 Jan. 1999); "Last Update on 29th November 1998 " | "Church of Scientology... spans the globe. Today, nearly 13,000 church staff members minister the religion to some 8 million members, through 2,318 churches, missions & related organizations in 107 countries... Each year, approx. 500,000 people participate in Scientology services for the first time in one of our churches or missions. " -- Speech by Rev. Heber Jentzsch, CoS Int'l Pres., 1994; "The CoS definition of 'member' used above seems to derive from a doctrinal belief that any contact with Scientology such as taking a CoS course causes people to 'become' Scientologists for life in the sense that they have thereby benefited from Scientology. "; "Is Heber Jentzsch's '2,318' figure for Orgs etc an error? " |
| Scientology | world | 100,000 | - | - | - | 1995 | *LINK* linked to Brett Achorn's OPPOSING VIEW web site "Hard Data on Scientology " (1998) | "cultxpt@primenet.com (Jeff Jacobsen)Newsgroups: alt.religion.scientology... the church in 1983 was claiming 9 million worldwide... I believe there are probably 70-100,000 Scientologists worldwide. " |
| Scientology | world | 8,000,000 | - | - | - | 1997 | *LINK* "Germany's Clash with Scientology: High-tech faith claims organized persecution " in Hinduism Today International (Apr. 1997) | The Church, centered in Los Angeles, estimates eight million members worldwide (including India), and 30,000 in Germany. |
| Scientology | world | - | - | 1,811 units |
- | 1997 | *LINK* web site: "News From Bree "; web page: "Fastest Growing Religion? " (viewed 9 Jan. 1999); "Last Update on 29th November 1998 " | (Table) "Orgs, etc.: 328 (1980); 832 (1990); 1811 (1997); Contracted Staff: 5,150 (1980); 10,224 (1990); Notes:.. 'Orgs etc' includes Orgs, Missions and 'related organisations' "; "the average CoS unit has at least 3,500 members " |
| Scientology | world | 8,000,000 | - | - | - | 1997 | *LINK* web site: "News From Bree "; web page: "Millions of Members? " (viewed 9 Jan. 1999); "Last Update on 29th November 1998 " | "If any of the things these people say are true, there would not be 8 million Scientologists in the world today " -- CoS Office of Special Affairs (OSA) senior official Mike Rinder commenting on accusations made by former Scientologists at a press conference, Dec 1997 |
| Scientology | world | 8,000,000 | - | - | - | 1998 | *LINK* By WashingtonPost.com staff, April 26, 1997 | Germany has been roiled over the Church of Scientology, which claims to have 30,000 members in Germany and 8 million worldwide |
| Scientology | world | 5,600,000 | - | - | - | 1998 | Chryssides, George. Exploring New Religions. London, U.K.: Cassells (1999). [Orig. source: data directly from the organization.] | "I have selected the best available [statistics], providing a range where adjudication is impossible... Scientology:... World: estimates vary widely, from 1 million to 8 million. Leaders in Los Angeles claim around 5.6 million (1998); World full time: 11,310 (1997); World new participants: 642,596 (1997) " |
| Scientology | world | - | - | 385 units |
- | 1998 | *LINK* Ireland, Rowan. Web site: La Trobe University, Bundoora, Australia; web page: "New Religious Associations in Australia ", written January 1998. (Viewed 4 July 1999). | "So far, 65 religious groups and associations have completed a questionnaire and are listed below... The Church of Scientology is a religious association founded in Los Angeles in 1954... It has 385 centres worldwide. " |
| Scientology | world | 8,000,000 | - | - | - | 1998 | *LINK* web site: New Religious Movements (University of Virginia) (1998) | The Church of Scientology's official current public size estimate hovers around 8 million active members. This number is undoubtedly rather inflated |
| Scientology | world | 8,000,000 | - | 3,000 units |
120 countries |
1998 | *LINK* web site: Ontario Consultants on Religious Tolerance | "Church states... " |
| Scientology | world | - | - | - | 48 countries |
1999 | *LINK* web page (OPPOSING VIEW): "Scientology Worldwide " (viewed 13 Feb. 1999); "Last Update on 10th Feb. 1999 " | "The CoS Web site has a list of 74 Countries in which Dianetics & Scientology Services Are Delivered, probably dating from 1992. The current claim is over 100. CoS web sites have lists of Missions (1998) & Orgs (1996) from which the Table below is derived. Original concept and research by 'Inducto'. "; "Summary: 24 countries have a CoS or a DN Org 15 countries have missions only; 4 countries appear to have only a nominal presence; 5 countries have apparently lost their CoS/DN presence in recent years. That gives a total of 48 countries which have or recently had a CoS presence... this is the Church's own data we are using. " |
| Scientology | world | - | - | 350 units |
- | 1999 | *LINK* web page (OPPOSING VIEW): "Scientology Worldwide " (viewed 13 Feb. 1999); "Last Update on 10th Feb. 1999 " | Number here ( "# congregations ") represent total of all orgs: Dianetic Centers, Celebrity Centers, missions, etc.; "CoS web sites have lists of Missions (1998) & Orgs (1996) from which the Table below is derived. Original concept and research by 'Inducto'. " |
| Scientology | Zimbabwe | - | - | 2 units |
- | 1999 | *LINK* web page (OPPOSING VIEW): "Scientology Worldwide " (viewed 13 Feb. 1999); "Last Update on 10th Feb. 1999 " | Number here ( "# congregations ") represent total of all orgs: Dianetic Centers, Celebrity Centers, missions, etc.; "CoS web sites have lists of Missions (1998) & Orgs (1996) from which the Table below is derived. Original concept and research by 'Inducto'. " |
| Scientology - active | Germany, West | 14,000 | - | - | - | 1987 | Clarke, Peter B. The New Evangelists: Recruitment, Method and Aims of New Religious Movements, London: Ethnographics (1987); pg. 10 to 14. | "Another more detailed assessment for West Germany covering many more movements concludes that well over one million people are involved or 'influenced' by new religions, with a 'full-time' membership of 64,200. The estimated full time membership for 12 of these movements is: " [table] |
| Scientology - active | USA | 100,000 | - | - | - | 1963 | Ahlstrom, Sydney E. A Religious History of the American People; Yale University Press: New Haven & London (1973); pg. 955. | "In 1963 it was reported that there were fifty to a hundred thousand practicing scientologists in the United States. " |
| Scientology - active | USA | 10,000 | - | 100 units |
- | 1982 | Melton, J. Gordon & Robert L. Moore. The Cult Experience: Responding to the New Religious Pluralism. New York: The Pilgrim Press (1984 [3rd printing; 1st printing 1982]); pg. 26-27. | "Of the largest 'new' religions--Scientology and the Unification Church--neither seems to have much more than 5,000 and certainly no more than 8,000 to 10,000 active members (i.e., persons who would consider themselves Scientologists or Unificationists). Both have less than 100 centers of operation in the United States. The Church of Scientology's claim of memers in the millions seems to come from counting the multitudes that have at some point sought out or inquired about it or taken the basic personality test offered at all centers. " |
| Scientology - active | USA | 6,582 | - | - | - | 1983 | *LINK* linked to Brett Achorn's OPPOSING VIEW web site "Hard Data on Scientology " (1998) | "Center for Personal Achievement [a split-off group]... did a survey in US to try to determine how many Scientologists there actually were... concluded that there were 6582 active Scientologists, at the same time the church was claiming 4.5 million members in the US. " |
| Scientology - active | world | 50,000 | - | - | - | 1991 | Chalfant, H. Paul, et al. Religion in Contemporary Society (3rd Ed.); Itasca, Illinois: F.E. Peacock Publishers (1994); pg. 247. | "According to Behar (1991:50-51), the group 'boasts 700 centers in 65 countries...[but] has about 50,000 active members, far fewer than the 8 million the group claims. " |
| Scientology - active | world | 50,000 | - | - | - | 1991 | Disch, Thomas M. The Dreams Our Stuff Is Made Of: How Science Fiction Conquered the World. New York: Simon & Schuster (2000; c. 1998); pg. 150. | "In its May 6, 1991, issue, Time magazine devoted a cover story to... Scientology... given the size the organization has grown to (by Time's estimate, 50,000 active members; by the church's, 8 million). " |
| Scientology - celebrity centers | Austria | - | - | 1 unit |
- | 1999 | *LINK* web page (OPPOSING VIEW): "Scientology Worldwide " (viewed 13 Feb. 1999); "Last Update on 10th Feb. 1999 " | "CoS web sites have lists of Missions (1998) & Orgs (1996) from which the Table below is derived. Original concept and research by 'Inducto'. " |
| Scientology - celebrity centers | United Kingdom | - | - | 1 unit |
- | 1999 | *LINK* web page (OPPOSING VIEW): "Scientology Worldwide " (viewed 13 Feb. 1999); "Last Update on 10th Feb. 1999 " | "CoS web sites have lists of Missions (1998) & Orgs (1996) from which the Table below is derived. Original concept and research by 'Inducto'. " |
| Scientology - celebrity centers | USA | - | - | 6 units |
- | 1999 | *LINK* web page (OPPOSING VIEW): "Scientology Worldwide " (viewed 13 Feb. 1999); "Last Update on 10th Feb. 1999 " | "CoS web sites have lists of Missions (1998) & Orgs (1996) from which the Table below is derived. Original concept and research by 'Inducto'. " |
| Scientology - celebrity centers | world | - | - | 100 units |
15 countries |
1993 | *LINK* Opposing/non-objective viewpoint web site: "Online Guide to the Major Cults "; web page (1998): "Scientology: Science or New Age Cult " [by Biblical Discernment Ministries, 5/93]. | "The [group] claims "celebrity centers " in more than 100 cities in more than 15 countries. " |
| Scientology - celebrity centers | world | - | - | 8 units |
3 countries |
1999 | *LINK* web page (OPPOSING VIEW): "Scientology Worldwide " (viewed 13 Feb. 1999); "Last Update on 10th Feb. 1999 " | "CoS web sites have lists of Missions (1998) & Orgs (1996) from which the Table below is derived. Original concept and research by 'Inducto'. "; [Table lists 6 celebrity centers in U.S., 1 in Austria, and 1 in U.K.] |
| Scientology - church staff members | world | 5,150 | - | - | - | 1980 | *LINK* web site: "News From Bree "; web page: "Fastest Growing Religion? " (viewed 9 Jan. 1999); "Last Update on 29th November 1998 " | (Table) "Orgs, etc.: 328 (1980); 832 (1990); 1811 (1997); Contracted Staff: 5,150 (1980); 10,224 (1990); Notes:.. 'Orgs etc' includes Orgs, Missions and 'related organisations' " |
| Scientology - church staff members | world | 10,224 | - | - | - | 1990 | *LINK* web site: "News From Bree "; web page: "Fastest Growing Religion? " (viewed 9 Jan. 1999); "Last Update on 29th November 1998 " | (Table) "Orgs, etc.: 328 (1980); 832 (1990); 1811 (1997); Contracted Staff: 5,150 (1980); 10,224 (1990); Notes:.. 'Orgs etc' includes Orgs, Missions and 'related organisations' " |
| Scientology - church staff members | world | 13,000 | - | - | - | 1994 | *LINK* web site: "News From Bree "; web page: "Fastest Growing Religion? " (viewed 9 Jan. 1999); "Last Update on 29th November 1998 " | "Church of Scientology... spans the globe. Today, nearly 13,000 church staff members minister the religion to some 8 million members, through 2,318 churches, missions and related organizations in 107 countries and in 31 languages... " -- Speech by Rev. Heber Jentzsch, CoS Int'l Pres., 1994. |
| Scientology - full-time | Australia | 500 | - | 12 units |
- | 1998 | *LINK* Ireland, Rowan. Web site: La Trobe University, Bundoora, Australia; web page: "New Religious Associations in Australia ", written January 1998. (Viewed 4 July 1999). | "The Church arrived in Australia in 1957, and now has 12 churches and missions, including one in each capital city and a Continental Liaison Office. The Church of Scientology has an estimated 4000 members in Australia with 500 participating in full time service within the movement. " |
| Scientology - full-time | Denmark | 500 | - | - | - | 1996 | *LINK* Rothstein, Mikael. "Patterns of Diffusion and Religious Globalization: An Empirical Survey of New Religious Movements " in Temenos 32 (1996), 195-220. (Viewed online, Temenos web site, 30 Jan. 1999) | "The largest of the current new religions in Denmark is The Church of Scientology. According to findings by sociologists, Scientology's inner [core] group numbers around 500 persons, although presumably as many as 17,000 Danes have had some contact with the group over the years. " |
| Scientology - full-time | Germany, West | 20,000 | - | - | - | 1987 | Clarke, Peter B. The New Evangelists: Recruitment, Method and Aims of New Religious Movements, London: Ethnographics (1987); pg. 10 to 14. | Table with following columns: Movement; Total Membership; Full-Time Members; P/T Members; Sympathizers.; For this study Clarke "approached researchers & observers in the field of new religions [& org./church reps.] to obtain their opinions & any hard... data "; Total: 75-8000; Full-time: 10-20,000 |
| Scientology - full-time | Netherlands | 350 | - | - | - | 1987 | Clarke, Peter B. The New Evangelists: Recruitment, Method and Aims of New Religious Movements, London: Ethnographics (1987); pg. 10 to 14. | Table with following columns: Movement; Total Membership; Full-Time Members; P/T Members; Sympathizers.; For this study Clarke "approached researchers & observers in the field of new religions [& org./church reps.] to obtain their opinions & any hard... data "; Total: 8,000; Full-time: 350. |
| Scientology - full-time | world | 11,310 | - | - | - | 1997 | Chryssides, George. Exploring New Religions. London, U.K.: Cassells (1999). [Orig. source: data directly from the organization.] | "I have selected the best available [statistics], providing a range where adjudication is impossible... Scientology:... World: estimates vary widely, from 1 million to 8 million. Leaders in Los Angeles claim around 5.6 million (1998); World full time: 11,310 (1997); World new participants: 642,596 (1997) " |
| Sea Shepherds | world | - | - | - | - | 1996 | Knoke, William. Bold New World: The Essential Road Map to the Twenty-First Century. New York: Kodansha International (1996), Chapter 10: "The Global Tribes "; pg. 202. | "Eco-Tribes... The Sea Shepherds, a detachment of the growing worldwide eco-navy, operate with volunteer pirate crews. Their take-no-prisoners approach has led to three commandos sinking eight whaling shihps, submerging a tuna drift-net ship, ramming half a dozen others, and blockading the Canadian sealing fleet. With each successful attack, their membership, bank accounts, and following only grow. " |
| Seacoast Community Church | New Hampshire | - | - | 1 unit |
- | 1999 | *LINK* Religion News Service. "World View " in Salt Lake Tribune, 3 July 1999 (viewed online 4 July 1999). | "Screven Memorial Baptist Church in Portsmouth, N.H., -- New England's oldest Southern Baptist Convention congregation -- has become Seacoast Community Church, joining a trend of churches seeking new attendees by dropping a denominational label. Although there are more Baptist churches than any other Protestant denomination, these days Seacoast has joined an even larger group: churches with the word 'community' in their name. That is now America's most popular ecclesiastical 'denominator.' " |
| Search for God | New York: New York City | - | - | 60 units |
- | 1982 | Petersen, William J. Those Curious New Cults in the 80s. New Canaan, Connecticut: Keats Publishing (1982); pg. 45. | "Today A.R.E. has more than 13,000 members (at $35 a year) but thousands more meet in weekly 'Search for God' group sessions across the country. In New York City alone there are sixty such groups, plus others that also study Cayce's readings though unaffiliated with the national group. " |
| Search for God | world | - | - | 800 units |
4 countries |
1972 | Godwin, John. Occult America; Garden City, NY: Doubleday & Company, Inc. (1972); pg. 101. | "Around [the Association for Research and Englightenment] have developed some 800 very loosely affiliated study units known as "Search for God " groups. They number between 3 & 30 people each and are scattered throughout U.S., UK, Canada & Australia. " |
