LDS Church now 5th largest in U.S.

LDS Church now 5th largest in U.S.

The National Council of Churches' 2002 "Yearbook of American and Canadian Churches," believed by many to be among the most authoritative chronicle of shifting denominational growth patterns, shows the LDS Church moved from sixth place last year to fifth place in total membership.

Catholics (63.6 million), Southern Baptists (15.9 million), United Methodists (8.3 million) and the Church of God in Christ (5.5 million) outnumber the LDS Church (5.2 million), which was ranked sixth in last year's membership totals behind the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. The two faiths traded places in this year's total, as the LDS Church gained roughly 95,000 members while the ELCA lost about 25,000. This is the first time the LDS Church has been ranked among the top five.

The news comes amid the heaviest international media coverage ever for the LDS Church, headquartered in Salt Lake City, which is hosting the Olympic Winter Games.