Mainline denominations not in decline, Frank says
Preoccupation with declining numbers, perceived loss of influence and
rapid social change are distracting mainline religious denominations "from
the gospel they have been entrusted with proclaiming," said Thomas
Frank in a recent book on the structure and mission of the United Methodist
Church.
While membership statistics do indicate declining numbers, that doesn't
mean people are rejecting mainline denominations, said Frank, director of
Methodist studies at the theology school. In presentations to lay people
and church leaders on his book Polity, Practice and the Mission of the United
Methodist Church, Frank takes a broader view of denominational change by
outlining demographic and sociological factors that more clearly account
for the numbers. These include:
- Population shifts and mobility. Mainline denominations such as Methodism
spread rapidly across the country during the 19th century, with more than
36,000 United Methodist churches serving the American populace today. "Yet
many of these churches are located in areas of severe population loss or
shift," Frank said. "These shifts, combined with the estimate
that more than one-fourth of the American population changes residence
in any given year, mark a severely dislocated society." Since church
membership is more typical among community natives and permanent residents,
he added, "church affiliation has become notoriously difficult even
to count, much less to count on, as congregations plan their programs."
- Generational change. Baby boomers, who came of age during some of the
sharpest cultural changes in the country's history, share a deep suspicion
of the institutions and associations embraced by earlier generations, Frank
said. No sooner was the church learning how to deal with those attitudes
when the next generation, with still different social experiences and outlooks,
came to adulthood. Instead of simply adapting to one generation, he said,
mainstream denominations are being challenged to discover ways to help
all ages and generations experience the church's greatest gifts.
- Education and birth rate. In their zeal to build colleges in the belief
that educated Christians would be more effective leaders, Frank said, many
denominations did not anticipate that "the more education people pursue,
the fewer children they tend to have." He points to reliable studies
of mainstream religious groups showing that low birth rates accompanying
higher education levels account for most of the membership decline.
Frank said mainline denominations should look for signs that point to
the kind of church that is emerging today. For example, the United Methodist
Church has particular strengths that are well suited to a rapidly changing
world, Frank said, for the following reasons:
- Methodism has become more international. Frank points out that Methodism
in countries outside the United States has increased threefold in the past
decade, with rapid growth in the Philippines, sub-Saharan Africa and Korea.
- Methodism has become more multiethnic. While data on the church's increasing
ethnic diversity is still unreliable, Frank said, the denomination is expanding
work among new immigrant groups.
- Methodism ministers to the poor. Grounded in the theology of its founder
John Wesley, "Methodism has a long history of passionate concern for
the poor," Frank said. With persistent and growing poverty and unemployment
around the world, "churches have responded with new efforts in feeding
the homeless, building affordable homes and sending mission teams of skilled
laity into crisis areas."
- Methodism has historic resilience. While the total number of American
United Methodists has declined, Frank said, hundreds of mainstream congregations
are still going strong after 150 or more years; older city churches continue
to find new forms of ministry; many small-town congregations have survived
enormous economic transitions with steady membership; and fewer than 1,000
of the 37,000 American United Methodist churches-mainly in rural areas-have
closed in the last decade.
When Frank presents these ideas to church groups, "there's a huge
sense of relief to get away from a discussion of what's wrong, what used
to be and 'woe unto us,'" he said. He encourages United Methodists
and other mainline churches "to start with the assumption that we are
blessed" with strengths often overlooked by those preoccupied with
loss and decline. In this way, he said, mainline denominations can lead
the way "to helping form a new church that is truly catholic, truly
evangelical, truly reformed."
-Elaine Justice
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