Southern Baptists vs United Methodists
Mark Tooley challenges the conventional wisdom that evangelicalism should become more progressive to prevent its decline.
The popular conventional narrative asserts that young people in droves are quitting evangelical Christianity because it’s too socially and politically conservative. Of course, the implication is that if only Evangelicalism would liberalize, especially on sexuality, then it might become more appealing.
But all the available evidence as to what happens to liberalizing churches strongly indicates the opposite. Mainline Protestantism is in many ways what critics of Evangelicalism wish it would become. And yet the Mainline, comprised primarily of the “Seven Sister” historic denominations, has been in continuous free-fall since the early to mid-1960s. Its implosion accelerated after most of these denominations specifically liberalized their sexuality teachings over the last 20 years.
Episcopal Church peaked in 1966 at 3.4 million, now 1.7 million (50% loss).
Presbyterian Church (USA) peaked 1965 at 4.4 million, now 1.4 million (68% loss).
United Church of Christ peaked 1965 at 2.1 million, now 850,000 (60% loss)
ELCA (Lutheran) peaked 1968 at 5.9 million, now 3.5 million (41% loss)
Christian Church (Disciples) peaked 1964 at 1.9 million, now 400,000 (80% loss).
United Methodists peaked 1965 at 11 million, now 6.9 million (40% loss).
American Baptist peaked 1.5 million, now 1.2 million (25% loss).
What unites these denominations in decline? The undermining of Biblical authority. Tooley points out that the two Mainline denominations that have not officially liberalized on sexuality, United Methodism and American Baptists, have declined the least.
In contrast, All growing denominations in America are conservative, including the Assemblies of God, which in 1965 had 572,123 and now has 3.2 million (460% increase), the Church of God in Cleveland, which in 1964 had 220,405 and now has 1.2 million (445% increase), the Christian Missionary Alliance, which in 1965 had 64,586 and now has 440,000 (576% increase), and the Church of the Nazarene 1965, which in 343,380 and now has 626,811 (82% increase).
What about the Southern Baptists, America’s largest evangelical denomination? They have been in decline for the last 18 years from 16.4 million to 15 million. That’s a loss of 8% compared to the average Mainline loss of 50%. While SBC membership figures are down, its worship attendance was up by 120,000 in 2017.
Meanwhile the Southern Baptists have been planting churches with a 20% increase in the number of churches over the last twenty years. There’s been a strong focus on planting black and hispanic churches. Something the liberal/progressive Mainline denominations find impossible to do.
I’ll have more to say on this topic soon. Over January I’m working on my next book which is on the Lifecycle of Movements — how they rise and fall.
