Much has been written about the decline of mainline Protestantism in the United States. Between 1960 and 2000 the denominations grouped together as conservative Protestant grew dramatically (+158%) while those grouped together as liberal Protestant (also known as mainline) declined significantly (-49%). As a result, conservative Protestants are now the majority Protestant tradition.
So What?
In contrast to the significant changes within conservative and liberal Protestantism, Roman Catholicism remained relatively stable showing an overall decline of just 5% over this forty year period while Protestants (conservative plus liberal) declined nearly 15%.
- What factors do you believe helped facilitate a role reversal between conservative and liberal Protestantism during this 40 year period? Based on this answer, do you believe that these trends are likely to continue or will change significantly over the next 20 years?
- What advice would you give to leaders of mainline or liberal Protestant denominations who are seeking to make changes that will facilitate future growth?
Data calculated by Rodney Stark based on reports in the Yearbook of American Churches (1962) and the Yearbook of American and Canadian Churches (2001), published in What Americans Really Believe (2008, p.22).