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May/June 2004 |
The million plus member question
From a newsletter of the Office of Research of the General Board of Global Ministries
Inevitably when United Methodist statistics in the United States come up, the annual decline in members stands out. Multiple theories and opinions abound to account for this ongoing trend.
So what is the cause of the decline of over three million members since 1968, with no reversal in sight? It would be presumptuous for the Office of Research of the General Board of Global Ministries to claim to have the definitive answer, but an attempt will be made to list some of the possible causes.
Some have said the 1960s were devastating to the mainline denominations. This was an era of anti-establishment attitudes by younger folks with mainline religion viewed as establishment. They were mostly Baby Boomers and some have come back after their hiatus from church. However, mainline churches are not reaching Generation X very well. Statistics also show United Methodist membership is aging.
Societal demographics play a role, as well. Society has moved over the generations, with the exodus from rural culture to city life being well documented. Rapidly growing immigrant populations have changed the complexion of many communities, particularly in some center cities and in some farming areas. The inability for churches to adapt and reach out to the new folks in their communities, who are different from them, has led to decline in many churches.
Lyle Schaller, a church researcher, has identified a cultural shift from the dominance of small mom and pop stores, and neighborhood schools to department stores, malls and huge middle and high schools. As culture looks to mega-institutions for so much of its context, small congregations are often left behind as folks migrate to mega-churches. Although there are some United Methodist mega-churches, they are few in number.
Leadership is likewise often key in declining churches. Many pastors serving churches today lack training or experience in congregational development. Their experience and knowledge is in pastoral care. Many have been taught to enable others to serve rather than to be a visionary leader themselves. If our denomination is to reverse its decline, however, pastoral leadership must have additional dimensions.
According to Christian Schwarz's "Natural Church Development," churches need to be hitting on eight cylinders to grow naturally. In assessments of many United Methodist Churches in several annual conferences, the area of "passionate spirituality" is low. So many of our churches have lost the fire in our symbol of the cross and the flame. If there is minimal passion for spiritual things, how can we expect members to want to reach out to others so they can find the source of the passion? Dying churches are not inviting churches.
In order for membership decline to turn around, effective evangelism needs to take place. This simply is not a strong emphasis in most United Methodist Churches due in part to the lack of passionate spirituality, but also to a change in the understanding of the term. Early Methodist circuit riders were concerned about the eternal destiny of the souls to whom they preached. They had an imperative to share the faith and incorporate others into the Body of Christ. Without evangelism, membership attrition will likely continue to outpace the addition of new members.
Closely related to evangelism is the core mission of the church - making disciples. If we are not reaching people to become disciples, we will not make many. Furthermore, many members go through religious motions without becoming deeply committed disciples of Jesus Christ themselves.
A more controversial factor present in accounting for declining membership is the impact of social issues. Again, hard data is lacking but ample anecdotal evidence suggests that many have left the denomination due to some aspect of the discussion of, and denominational politics around, controversial issues. The less obvious, but no less reality, is that many have never visited a United Methodist church because of their reaction to or perception of the lack of a unified stand on issues.
Steve Compton makes a strong case in his book, "Rekindling the Mainline," that denominational growth became decline at the same time that The United Methodist Church drastically reduced its commitment to starting new congregations. His own North Carolina conference has renewed its efforts in starting congregations and has seen corresponding increases in membership.
Membership decline is a complex issue. But the real crux of the matter is what the denomination does to reverse the trend. Thankfully, there are many dedicated to the mission of congregational vitality and new church starts across the connection.
Published by the Office of Research of the General Board of Global Ministries 475 Riverside Drive, Room 300, New York, NY 10115, phone 212-870-3840, Fax 212-870-3876, or by e-mail at: research@gbgm-umc.org
Last updated on May 17, 2004