Mainline Protestant decline is no longer debated. It is measured, tracked, and widely acknowledged. As a lifelong member of this tradition and an ordained minister within it, I have spent years paying close attention to what is happening and asking why. Nearly two years ago, I gathered much of that work into a single place: My Religion is Dying: A Deep Dive into Mainline Decline. That post serves as a hub, linking to more than 50 additional posts that explore both broad Mainline trends and Read More …
mainline
Pastoring in the Mainline: Conflicts and Challenges (#2307)
Several months ago, Lifeway Research released a report titled Pastors in Different Protestant Traditions Face Unique Challenges, highlighting notable differences in the pastoral experience across three Protestant streams: Black, evangelical, and mainline. Reading as a mainline pastor, I found myself engaging the findings from within that particular context. Three statistics, in particular, stayed with me: Taken together, these findings offer a glimpse into both the resilience and the Read More …
Slow Fade: A New Look at Mainline Protestant Decline (#2252)
The 2024 PRRI Census of American Religion provides an overview of the American religious landscape based on the data PRRI collected from 40,000 survey respondents. Context Since launching this blog in 2009, I've been calling attention to the decline in traditional metrics surrounding American religious belief, behavior, and belonging. This survey included many questions, including about religious identity or lack thereof. Generational Realities For those familiar with how Read More …
Aging Presbyterians: 3 in 5 PCUSA Members Now Over Age 55 (#2118)
Nearly 3 in 5 members of the Presbyterian Church (USA) are now over age 55 (58.2%). By comparison, only 3 out of every 10 people living in the United States were 55 years of age or older in 2022 (30.3%). Put differently, the percentage of persons in this age cohort in the Presbyterian Church is nearly double (+92%) what is found in the American population. Growing Older According to data provided by the Presbyterian Church (USA) Office of the General Assembly, the percent of the Read More …
End of Presbyterianism: Farewell PC(USA)? (#2048)
Ryan Burge's tweets on May 9, 2023, about the decline in membership in the Presbyterian Church (USA), including his suggestion the denomination is less than 20 years away from dissolving, has generated numerous conversations across social media and beyond. The Story of Presbyterian Decline As someone who has spent more years in the Presbyterian Church (USA) than any other denomination, I've been aware of the denomination's decline for many years. And, I've written extensively about it here Read More …
UCC Membership Decline: 2,193,593 to 773,539 (#1974)
Membership in all Mainline Protestant denominations has been in decline since before I was born. The United Church of Christ's membership decline is not extraordinary or unusual when compared to other Mainline Protestant denominations. Like many authors, I write about what I know and about what matters to me. As a result you'll find the greatest amount of information about membership decline in the two denominations I've invested more of my life in than the rest: United Church of Christ Read More …
My Ministry Journey: Another BIG Step (#1933)
I'm excited to share the news that I've accepted a new ministry position. On June 21, 2021, I'll become the next Executive Director of the White Rock Center of Hope. This big next step is possible because of so many other steps of varying sizes I've already taken. The following account is an attempt to provide a high level overview of my preparation for this step. My approach is primarily chronological utilizing a series of phases or acts. While give thanks for the hundreds of Read More …
The Critical Issue of COVID-19 (#1898)
The COVID-19 pandemic has changed the way most people live, including the way many worship. COVID-19: USA The number of COVID-19 cases in the United States since the onset of the pandemic now exceeds 10.8 million. And, sadly, nearly a quarter of a million of these individuals (245,000 as of November 15, 2020) have died. The spread of COVID-19 is accelerating nationwide. The dramatic growth in new cases is shown below using a screenshot of data provided by the New York Read More …
Most Congregations Now Offer In Person Worship (#1881)
How many Protestant congregations in America are offering one or more in person worship experiences on a given weekend? A survey of American Protestant pastors conducted July 20-22, 2020 by LifeWay Research indicates that 71% of congregations provided one or more in person worship experiences on the weekend of July 19. When COVID-19 began to impact decision making about offering an in person option the percentage of congregations doing so declined steadily from 99% in early March to just 4% by Read More …
UCC Decline Enters 7th Decade (#1853)
Sixteen months ago I wrote a post titled "6 Decades of Decline in the United Church of Christ," which presented a detailed analysis of the decline in number of congregations and number of members from the time the denomination was formed in 1957 through 2017. (I was surprised to learn this was my second most popular post of the 2010s since I published over 1,800 posts during the decade). In recent days, I learned that the first year of the denomination's 7th decade resulted in continued Read More …