While I was well aware the United Church of Christ includes many historic congregations that were founded long before the denomination itself was created in 1957, I was surprised to learn that nearly 7 out of every 10 current congregations were organized before 1900 (69.1%). Even more alarming is the fact that only around 1 in 10 were organized during the last 32 years (9.6%).
So What?
Congregational age matters. While a denomination can benefit from congregations with diverse histories of varying ages, it is essential that new congregations are a significant part of the overall story.
- Do you think 1 in 10 congregations being 32 years young or newer is a high enough percentage for a mainline denomination today? Why or why not?
- When was your congregation founded? If you don’t know, I encourage you to find out. (The congregations I currently serve were founded in 1968 and 1974).