For as long as I have been in ministry, people have been talking about whether or not the historic term mainline should continue to be used. While earlier conversations about reform tended to offer options of old-line or sidelined in addition to retaining the longstanding mainline moniker, recent conversations have pushed for more updated titles with relevance to the contemporary situation.
Last month I participated in Cathy Lynn Grossman’s poll, which invited people to vote for a new name for the mainline from a list of seven options. It turns out that my vote for “other” placed me in the winning category. When the votes were tallied, the top three responses were
- other – 46%,
- liberal church – 24%, and
- labels no longer work – 17%.
So What?
Since both this poll and my own experiences suggest there is a lack of agreement on a common new label, it is likely that the old one will persist (at least for now). Rather than a new term emerging from within the mainline, it is perhaps more likely that sociologists will create and begin using a new term that will eventually gain widespread enough usage to function as a replacement.
- When you hear the term “mainline” what images come to mind?
- Do you agree with my assumption that a new name will likely start outside the mainline rather than from within? Why or why not?