When American soldiers returned from World War II, the so-called mainline churches were pillars of Protestantism in the United States. (The six denominations typically considered to be "mainline" are the Episcopal Church, the Evangelical Lutheran Church, the Presbyterian Church (USA), the United Methodist Church, the United Church of Christ and the American Baptist Church.) In the 1950's, there were around 80,000 mainline churches in United States. Today, there are only around 72,000 American mainline churches. Subsequently, a quarter of mainline church members called it quits. This, despite massive population growth and substantial growth among evangelical denominations over the same period.
Theologians, historians, sociologists, and cultural commentators have speculated about what may have caused this decline. Some say that mainline churches have abandoned their historical commitments to orthodox Christian tenets such as scriptural authority, gospel-centered preaching, and evangelism. Others claim that these denominations have failed to attract minorities and young people to replace their greying ranks. More than a third of all mainline members are 60+ years old. Research indicates there is some truth in both claims. Any church that abandons the gospel and scriptural authority will have a hard time differentiating itself from other socially-sensitive community groups; any organization that fails to capture the hearts of the next generation simply won't survive. (For a fair and interesting look at these trends, check out David Shiflett's "Exodus: Why Americans are Fleeing Liberal Churches for Conservative Christianity.")
Over the last decade, the number of adults who attend a mainline church on a given weekend has been relatively stable. Leaders in mainline circles have harbored hope that the numerical hemorrhaging might be coagulating. Evangelical skeptics say that the credit belongs to America's population growth, and we shouldn't read into this. Much to the chagrin of mainliners, it appears the once-powerful Christian bodies may once again be fading.
According to a recent Barna study examining the state of mainline denominations, "demographics suggest that the mainline churches may be on the precipice of a period of decline unless remedial steps are taken." According to the report, population growth in America has provided just enough new members to maintain attendance levels similar to when the U.S. population was considerably smaller. Among the studies other findings are the rise in women pastors, an aging clergy in the mainline denominations, and swelling church budgets. Perhaps most telling, the study also found that only 49% of mainline adults say they are "absolutely committed to Christianity" and 72% say they are "more likely to develop their own religious beliefs than to adopt those taught by their church."
I have a unique perspective here even though I am a committed evangelical Christian and a Southern Baptist minister because I currently attend a mainline (UMC) seminary and I have many close friends who attend mainline churches. I've learned a lot from interacting with people in these circles, which now informs my perspective. On the on hand, I've found many of the portrayals of mainliners as crusading Bible-haters are mere caricatures. My experience is that many people in these traditions love Jesus and hold the Bible in high regard. Evangelical Christians must be careful not to over-generalize when speaking about our mainline brothers and sisters. On the other hand, I've found that many of the common stereotypes about mainliners are not baseless. Many of the mainline clergy I speak to unashamedly swim in a pool of heterodoxy. I have entered into friendships with people who accept universal salvation, deny the resurrection, and most commonly, fail to recognize the cross of Christ as central to Christian theology. I love these friends of mine, but I often encourage them to reconsider orthodox Christian teachings.
In my opinion and experience, mainline churches have become a mixed bag. Many hold fast to helpful traditions, ancient Christian practices, and meaningful liturgies. Yet more often than not these congregations lack strong leadership, strong convictions, a strong sense of identity, and vibrant populations of young people. All four of these things are essential to surviving the challenges of post-modern, post-Christian America.
Mike Dyson said:
I do not have a knowledge base to comment specifically on mainline churches, but since becoming a seminary student I have encountered many of the ideas and beliefs that you mentioned toward the end of your penultimate paragraph. At the very least I see this as hope for the mainline churches if for no other reason than the fact that they are engaging in Christianity and emerging with distinct and unique ideas.
If you were mentioning these churches and saying that they were continuing in the same beliefs that were held at the end of WWII I would not entertain for a second the notion that the churches had a chance to survive at all. The existence of delving into the scriptures and emerging with something new, however problematic it may be, by these friends of yours, points to a willingness to discuss and evaluate Christianity from a place that is real and organic. Hopefully soon there will be a balance between the newness and the traditions that are imperative to remain cloistered to.
Posted: December 8, 2009
Michael said:
I am an ordained minister in one of the declining mainlines, the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ). I would suggest that when mainlines rekindle the spirit of studying the scriptures and teachings of Jesus rather than following the Apostle Paul or other "church fathers" conceptions of Christ (based on a desire to be part of the power structures of society), our congregations will find a vibrant, relevant Gospel to live as well as preach.
Posted: December 9, 2009
Rusty Pritchard said:
Interesting piece, Jonathan. Leaves me with lots of questions. One is whether you are very subtly conflating growth with orthodoxy. Churches that preach the prosperity gospel are growing rapidly, and they would count toward the evangelical numbers.
And it's not either/or, of course. I wonder how many United Methodists are evangelical? PCUSA members? I looked briefly for some numbers and couldn't find them. The Institute on Religion and Democracy suggests that there are sizable numbers of theologically (and politically) conservative Christians remaining in the mainline, who refuse to give up on their denominations, and I tend to believe them. One senses that the IRD is more concerned with winning political fights than with spiritual revival, but at least they help to draw attention to the presence of an evangelical minority.
Finally, you talk mainly about assent to propositional truths. What about Barna's findings about the spiritual disciplines? From the study you cite: "A minority of mainline attenders are presently involved in some type of personal discipleship activity. Less than half contend that the Bible is accurate in the life principles it teaches. Only half of all mainline adults say that they are on a personal quest for spiritual truth. And when asked to identify their highest priority in life, less than one out of every ten mainline adults (9%) says some aspect of faith constitutes their top priority."
Posted: December 9, 2009
Bill Beahan said:
Great post. When I returned to church attendance in 1991 I tried a mainline church (UMC) and found it to be a nice show of religion but little mention of and not centered on Jesus. However, thinking I had found a great SBC church based upon listening to several online sermons of the pastor, whom I respect greatly, of a mega church near my home, I again find myself searching for a church. The song selection is aimed at 20somethings and lacks something, like a meal with just yummy appetizers and desert. I also found creeping liberalism in an attempt to have a wider appeal. As a mature Christian I sought more. The final straw was the guest sermon by a gentleman who described himself on his website as an admirer of Van Jones, the Green Czar so radical then even Obama had to fire him. I think many prople my age (50s) have remained in the so-called mainline churches because it is comfortable and they are not challenged.
Posted: December 9, 2009
Dave said:
Jonathan,
I always enjoy your posts, and you know that I attend one of those welcoming "liberal" churches.
What I find troubling with some, not all...maybe not even many...mainstream churches is a lack of real focus on Jesus' life and how he would treat people in certain situations. Instead the focus has turned into a political battle to legislate morality, however that is interpreted. And a lot of power can be gained through this political focus. In search of this power, I think, has resulted in some churches getting so caught up in trying to attract certain types of people that can help the church meet its budget (so they its goals can be attained), they forget that the whole point is to lead people to Christ so that their soul may be saved.
Example: There is a young woman in our church who has two small children...she wasn't allowed to park in the church parking lot of a nearby mega church, although there were plenty of parking spaces. The parking attendants (I would call them filters) wouldn't let her park there because she wasn't dressed in fine clothes, and she is divorced because her husband is a drunkard and a cheat. So they wanted her to go park across a busy street and carry her two kids across that highway. She simply didn't meet the profile of what they wanted in that church. All she wanted to do was go to church. Do you think Jesus was pleased with that? What is the motivation for putting her in a situation where she has to drag two small children across a busy highway? Why didn't they offer to hold her children while she went over there and parked?
So what's my point? The point is that I believe people get turned off by such actions. That particular church would seemingly be more interested in a particular demograhpic profile vs. really being interested in making sure her soul is right with God. That church is undergoing a major expansion in the building...that takes a lot of money. She doens't have it...so my observation is that money was driving that action that Sunday. When people see that time after time they can eventually decide that organized religion has no place in their lives.
Although I go to a liberal church, I am sad to see the decline in some of these mainstream chuches. I hope that somehow we can collectively turn that around for the sake of people's souls.
Posted: December 9, 2009
Chadwick Ray said:
The past few years I think I have seen much of what it is mentioned in your latest post. Although I have been raised in a Southern Baptist environment most of my life, upon moving to an new location I attemtped to find a church that did what I found many older churches did not. And that was minister to the generations in ways that everyone got growth and understanding from the Holy Word. I grew up in a church that preached from the Bible and was exteremly Gospel-centered, yet every week I found that the only message we ever received was the story of Salvation. Never any growth, so upon looking for a new church in this new location, I was faced with the delema of finding a church that offered Gospel-centered growth and had a way for a mid-20something get connected. That's alot harder than you would think. Many churches I've encountered over the years either only cater to the needs of the established generation, or they show all the bells-and-whistles to attract the younger crowd, but there seems to be no intermingling of the generations in these type churches where the ages seem segregated and isolated from the other.
The status of the current Church is a concern of mine because our lifestyles are so fickle and unattached, I feel that the idea of Community and Family are lost in the current way that churches work. Larger churches become more of a business with the Senior Pastor acting more like a CEO than anything else, and many of the "Emerging" or libral churches make you feel great at the end of the services but I never feel I have grown in my faith. It becomes more of a "Feel Good Christianity" that really getting in and saying life is hard, but God is with you.
Posted: December 9, 2009
Dave said:
Chadwick,
Well put. I am blessed to have found a "liberal" church (actually a progressive Baptist church) that goes a long way in helping people grow in Christ. The focus is not making you feel good, but making one feel welcome to be there regardless of your background. Yet we have challenging scripture study during Sunday school and the sermons are quite poignient (spelling?) in helping one focus on weaknesses in your life. I tried another liberal church a long time ago and couldn't deal with it; I didn't feel like I was in church at all, and a I didn't like it.
Posted: December 9, 2009
Josiah said:
Something I'd like to see more study and talk on is the outsourcing of Christian responsibilities to non-church organizations.
We've removed the church from anything but spiritual instruction in many places and even that is held lightly sometimes. When someone wants to share the gospel in another country, we send them to another organization. When someone needs a meal or some help we send them to the welfare department. When someone needs a friend we send them to a counselor. When someone wants to be a pastor, we send them off to spend the next 7-10 years with others.
In this environment, is it any wonder that we've lost strong leaders? We've failed to disciple them locally and encouraged them to forget the local church by sending them away. Then having sent away those who desire leadership and disassociating with them, we've lost the opportunity to disciple the following generation of leaders. The typical local church has aging leaders, leaders in a generation who left and expend their leadership energies outside the church and potential leaders without someone to disciple them and show them the heart of God. This leaves a multi-media sensitive generation to struggle through it all themselves with nothing but old dusty books to guide them. Do they have the motivation to pick up those books? unlikely
Oh, wait... We have Veggie Tales!
Posted: December 9, 2009
Marc Andreas said:
Another excellent commentary Jonathan. You've provided some solid research and personal experience to explain accurately what is going on with the mainline church. At this rate, in 50 years they will be a small shadow of what they once were and will have their Kingdom impact on this country start to look like Harvard University (or worse).
I also want to agree with Josiah's comment. Rick & Kay Warren at Saddleback have been vocal of late about this exact issue of abdicating our core Christian compassionate responsibilities to other organizations. We have allowed good sponsorship organizations like World Vision to lull us into believing we just need to write a check to help an orphan in Africa rather than doing the hard work to partner with the local church in Africa to bring kids out of orphanages and get them cared for by local Christian families. As Rick Warren says, "there are more churches than Wal-Marts, Starbucks and McDonald's combined." Local churches are the solution to many issues including for example the orphan crisis of 143 million kids needing Moms & Dads. Local churches (with help from churches/the body of Christ with resources) can play a major role in being the solution to extreme poverty that is crippling more than 1 billion people on this planet. That is what Matthew 25 looks like.
Posted: December 9, 2009
Josiah said:
Marc, thanks for your support of my comments.
Yesterday friend shared Romans 12 with me again. He pointed out that if we followed this model of being the church (both locally and globally) we'd be able to clean up this mess. He also pointed out that Coca-Cola is well on their way to using their limited resources to get the "gospel according to Coca-Cola" into the hands of every person in the world. That's their stated goal and it's working.
We, the church, have so many more resources at our disposal. We should be able to do this so much more effectively. We need to organize and get the grass roots power that the Internet provides us into gear!
Imagine the orphans taken care of, the poverty problems depleted, the AIDS patients of the world treated and all while sharing the Good News that God made this all, we messed it up and He is working through His son's sacrifice to empower us to restore it all that we might know His completeness again. That's a motivational picture to me!
Posted: December 11, 2009