Data source: Gina A. Zurlo and Todd M. Johnson, eds., World Christian Database (Leiden/Boston: Brill, 2024).
| Glossary item | Definition |
|---|---|
| comparative demographic evangelization | An index of the extent of evangelization among a population or population segment, as measured by a scale of 270 variables or indicators, and summed up as E%, the percentage of persons who have become evangelized. |
| comparative symbolics | See symbolics. |
| complete Bibles | Copies of the whole Bible with 66 Books (sometimes plus Apocrypha). |
| Comprehensive Anglicans | Central or Broad Church Anglicans (qv). |
| computer | An automatic electronic machine for storing, rearranging and retrieving information and for doing mathematical calculations, according to predesigned programs; widely used by churches and missions. |
| concelebration | A celebration of the eucharist, Lord’s Supper, or mass, in which 2 or more clergy unite in saying the words of the liturgy. |
| concerts, religious | See religious drama. |
| conciliar | Relating to conciliarism. |
| conciliar Christianity | That portion of the Christian world which co-operates through Christian councils |
| Conciliar Evangelicals | Evangelicals in Protestant and Anglican churches that are affiliated to the Ecumenical Movement, and who generally work within and co-operate with that movement |
| Conciliar Evangelicals | Evangelicals who are members of non-Evangelical denominations or churches that have extensive conciliar relationships. |
| conciliar fellowship | A model of unity embraced by part of the global ecumenical movement envisioning united local churches along primarily territorial lines, themselves united to other local churches so as to form a universal fellowship in such a way as to exclude the persistence of confessional differentiations and identities at least on the global level; in contrast to the model of ‘reconciled diversity’ (qv). |
| conciliar movement | The contemporary ecumenical movement, including Evangelical conciliarism. |
| conciliar region | In the Catholic Church of Italy, and other large national Catholic churches, one of a system of regions, each governed through an episcopal council, replacing the traditional but increasingly irrelevant system of dioceses attached to ecclesiastical provinces. |
| conciliarism | (1) The structuring of co-operation among differing Christian traditions into Christian councils and councils of churches at local, national, regional, continental and global levels (2) In Catholicism, the theory of church government that places final ecclesiastical authority in representative church councils instead of in the papacy. |
| conciliarity | The principle of government found in Eastern Orthodox and other churches that places final authority in representative councils (Russian, sobornost, qu) |
| conclave | The assembly of cardinals in the Sistine Chapel, Vatican City, to elect a new pope for the Catholic Church. |
| concord | Agreement by stipulation, compact, or covenant. |
| concordat | A compact between a national government and the Holy See establishing terms of agreement on matters of mutual interest. |
| conditional baptism | A Catholic and Anglican baptismal rite given when it is doubtful whether the candidate has already previously been validly baptized. |
| conference | In Methodist, Mennonite and other churches, a stated meeting of preachers and others invested with authority to act on ecclesiastical matters. In Methodism, conferences can be annual, central or provisional. Conference of Secretaries of Christian World Communions. Constituency: (2000) 1.5 billion, i.e. 80% of global church membership. |
| confessing Christians | Professing Christians (qv). Sometimes used in a narrower sense for Christians who confess the faith and suffer for it in times of severe testing or persecution. |
| confessing church | A church or denomination attacked by an anti-Christian state or regime but which nevertheless retains and publicizes a clear Christian confession in highly unfavorable circumstances. |
| confession | A world confessional family or body; a large family of distinct or different autonomous churches or denominations around the world which are linked by similar ecclesiastical tradition, history, polity and name and often by some informal or formal organization; officially known since 1979 as Christian world communions (qv). |
| confession | In ecclesiastical demography, any large communion or ecclesiastical tradition tracing its origins to a formal event, historic creed or confession. |
Data on 18 categories of religion, including non-religious, by country, province, and people.
Data on all religions, Christian activities, and trends.
Membership data, year begun, and rates of change.
Population and religion data on all major cities & provinces.
Detailed information covering religion, culture, and geography.
A repository of historical data, including a chronology of Christianity from the 1st to 21st centuries.