Regular collection of Methodist statistics began in 1766, when membership numbers were reported for the first time. The present system of annual data collection and statistical reporting is known as Statistics for Mission and dates back to 2002.
Statistics can never tell the whole story of the Church's mission and ministry, and its limitations have always been recognised. Nevertheless, as the 2011 Conference report put it, statistics enable us to 'find out something about what we are, who we are, where we are, how we have changed and are changing, and, to a certain extent, what we are doing'.
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