Part I of a special report on religious bodies, in which are pre­sented a summary of the results and general tables, representing conditions, as near as may be, at the close of the year 1916. Part II presents the statistics and a descriptive statement of the history, doctrine, polity, and work or general activities of each separate denomination.

The statistics presented in this report rest upon the returns for the local church organizations as collected by the Bureau of the Census under the authority of section 7 of the permanent census act as amended by an act approved June 7, 1906. This is the second collection and publication of the statistics of religious bodies, under the permanent census organization, and it also constitutes the sixth collection of these statistics by the Federal Government.