https://catholicvote.org/mainline-protestants-reach-low-milestone-less-than-10-of-us-population/
The numbers are in and the Mainline Protestant Churches in the US have declined to less than 10% of the US population. Estimated to be 50% of the population in the '50s. Down to 31% in 1976. 9% in 2024. Impressive, y'all.
One can only wonder why the denominations that have embraced left wing politics, progressive christianity, and the like have suffered this fate.
5 comments:
It's hard to separate the issue into the reality. On the one hand, there are denominations, like the UCC, for example, who have embraced worldliness to a degree totally in opposition to Scriptural teaching. They wore as a feather in their caps their being the first to ordain an openly homosexual dude. To say this is off putting to true Christians, and those trying to be among them, is a gross understatement. So their numbers began to diminish from that time.
On the other hand, there is also the fact that many simply do not want to live their lives according to Christian teaching and reject the faith outright, or seek out the UCCs of the world, where they can, like Dan, exploit the label "Christian" while living in rebellion toward God and His clearly revealed Will.
Added to that are those who seek out a strongly Bible based congregation and having thought they found one, learn later that wasn't the case. So they go on the hunt again and experience the same disappointment in time. Finally, they stop looking. Before I moved from Hellinois, I sought out a good place and finally found one. At no time had I felt I was going to find out differently, but we never became full members in the few years we attended prior to our move. Since the move, we've not really spent much time looking. We've had our eyes on one or two congregations, but haven't pulled the trigger and attended. Unlike "back home", there are more churches, but fewer hours of service. While I worked on Sundays, we were able to attend on Saturday night, though being Saturday, we did run into scheduling issues from time to time. Now, it's only Sunday when services seem to be available, and it wasn't until last September that Sundays opened up for me, having been retired. Now, out of the habit, we have to consciously think of it and haven't. We'll get there, though.
The problem is that the Mainline denominations include the UMC, Episcopal, PCUSA, ELCA, and Southern Baptists. The first three have fully committed to apostasy over the past 15 years, and the SBC has had significant theological, and ethical issues over the past couple of years as well as theological drift to the left.
You're correct that the reason why the progressive chirsitains have fought so hard to maintain the denominational identity is that they see value in being one of the old school "mainline" denominations. Even if that means gutting the theological distinctive that made them different.
This obviously facilitates a bait and switch for those who assume that a Presbyterian church will actually hold to reformed theology. Again, the brand name recognition is important to those who control those shells of denominations.
This isn't to say that there aren't protestant churches of all flavors that are Bible believing, it's just that they're now PCA, EPC, ECO, MSLC, or one of the other sub denominations. Or they simply become nons. The point isn't a lack of theologically sound churches, but a steady decline of the Mainline Protestant denoms since the '50s as progressives have gutted them of anything resembling their theological distinctions.
I thought the last place I went back home was Biblically sound. The head pastor (there were branches which each had their own pastors leading those particular locations) could have his sermon broadcast to all of the branch locations. But even the local pastors would provide what I found to be solid sermons based on Scripture. The main location and another were equal in distance from our home. We had friends who served in the other location, though would sometimes choose the main. It was an actual church building and had more service options on Sunday morning. Anyway, both places always had great turnout at each service I ever attended...even the Saturday night option. I think it's because they're Biblically sound. I think churches which don't dilute the Word to accommodate the world draw better.
I'm not saying that there aren't individual churches within these denominations that aren't biblically sound. Just that the denominations as a whole have been hijacked and are swirling the drain of irrelevance.
Personally not a fan of the multi site/video sermon model, but that's not to say that there aren't churches that make it work.
Yes, research supports your conclusion. Biblically sound churches are (generally) where growth is occurring. Having said that, the size of a church is not an indication of it's theological soundness.
The multi-site/video model worked just fine where we were, except that I simply preferred the head pastor being present. He did most of his stuff out of the main location, which wasn't always easy to attend for us as the other. (What I liked most about the main location was that it provided a service in which the the traditional hymns were sung. It was the first service, so early rising was necessary. The later options had more contemporary stuff I still struggle to get behind. However...and I don't know how often that location offered this option...but one service had almost a blue-grass band doing traditional hymns. I like blue grass. I like the traditional hymns. But anyway...)
I liked the sermons of the head pastor best. He really taught and I never felt he was contorting Scripture to make any point, but really peeling things back to get to the heart of the matter. In a way, Stan does this often at his blog, which makes it especially appealing. As with my former pastor, I feel Stan is really good at revealing truths and I only rarely have any problems with his renderings. And that would be "extremely" rarely.
You finished your post with:
"One can only wonder why the denominations that have embraced left wing politics, progressive christianity, and the like have suffered this fate."
This feels like a rhetorical question to which you know the answer. To water down the truth to avoid "offending" the leftists in the pews who, like Dan, embrace worldiness over the Lord. If, for example, a homosexual ever hears the truth about the abominable behavior in which he indulges, he might be inclined to go where his personal proclivities are never discussed...which can mean never going to church at all.
I liked the pastor at the UCC church I abandoned as a friend. But his sermons were crap. He would often refer to secular books to make some kind of point which was not easily ascertained. I mentioned specific issues I would like to hear him address, most of which are those to which the denomination is not particularly opposed. The only time he came close to doing such a thing was a proud announcement that he would deny communion to anyone when Dems were threatened with such a denial by bishops of the RCC. Given I was president of the church council and Chairman of the Board of Elders, we had a good go 'round about that.
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