According to the annual Disciples of Christ yearbook, this church has experienced such a profound and rapid decline that it threatens the viability of the whole denomination. By their own numbers, church membership shrank to 411,140 in 2017 (down from 497,423, or 17 percent, from 2014) and, perhaps a more accurate barometer of health, the average worship attendance dropped to 139,936 (down from 177,141, or 21 percent, from 2014). Get behind those numbers and you find that additions by baptisms are at 4,344 (down from 5,808, or 25 percent, from 2014) and transfers of membership into the church are 7,441 (down from 15,111, or 51 percent in 2014). In other words, these increases cannot keep pace with the transfers out and the death of current members.
From the Restoration Movement begun in the early 19th century by Barton Stone and Thomas and Alexander Campbell, several churches were born. The Disciples are the smallest of seven historic oldline Protestant denominations. Once over 2 million in membership, the denomination has lost two-thirds of its memebers since the 1960s. Remember that at one time it boast a number of prominent members, including Presidents Ronald Reagan, Lyndon Johnson and James Garfield.
The Churches of Christ – also heirs of the Stone-Campbell movement -- also are in decline though not nearly so steep or so quick. The Disciples joined other oldline Protestant denominations to embrace sexual orientation and gender identity at their 2013 General Assembly. The Disciples have lost about 77 percent of their membership since their highest membership in 1964 and now fall into the category of small denominations, somewhat like the Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod (WELS) or the Presbyterian Church in America (PCA). It is quite a slide from their heyday but judging by what is happening down the street from me, it appears to be a real problem for this denomination born out of a revival movement.
7 comments:
The force of Bylaw 1.8 is strong on this blog.
The LCMS is also a liturgical, once 2 million member denomination that is shrinking. Do we need another Walter Maier to winsomely preach the Gospel as the face of the LCMS, rather than bloated beaureaucrats? Pray that The Lord will raise such men up. People forget when arguing about worship style that everyone goes through phases in life. When you have a big house, car, spouse, family, paycheck, and are young and invincible, a giant megachurch with programs, excitement, friends, and a coffee shop sounds great. When you are older and God has chastened you with trials, the soberness of the liturgy can't be matched. All else seems trivial. Embrace both and get on with the business of spreading the Gospel.
"Soberness of the Liturgy”
That is excellent, Anon7:31 AM
bloated beaureaucrats?
Have you actually been to the LCMS International Center lately? It is hardly filled with anyone, much less bloated bureaucrats.
Walter A Maier was not primarily responsible for any of the LCMS growth -- that happened locally parish by parish.
But you are correct. In the winter of your life, the familiar routine of the liturgy is a pleasant home.
Anonymous wrote: "The LCMS is also a liturgical, once 2 million member denomination that is shrinking."
All church bodies and all denominations all over the USA are fighting for a piece of the slowly shrinking demographic pie: The (somewhat) traditional white families residing in the more affluent suburbs. Those families now consist of one or two kids instead of the traditional four or five. Of those families, one of the two adult offspring is choosing not to have kids of their own. The other grown child has kids and then ends up getting divorced. How many children of single mothers or fathers attend any church at all? The traditional family is broken. Has the Church been active in encouraging young people to form and preserve traditional families, or is it too busy apologizing to single adults that might feel offended for not being commended for their singleness?
The LCMS should have chased after the growing Hispanic demographic instead of the shrinking white one........
Anonymous wrote: "Do we need another Walter Maier to winsomely preach the Gospel as the face of the LCMS, rather than bloated beaureaucrats?"
Yes we do! However, what we don't need is LCMS pastors trying to imitate the non-denominational churches. Once a pastor and his elders have success with contemporary worship, they then introduce Rick Warren and Willow Creek approved books, DVDs, and study materials to the newly formed small groups, to the Sunday morning adult bible studies, the children's Sunday school, the church library, and even into the Sunday sermons. Theologically "Lutheran" materials are displaced and eventually discarded. After all of these changes are made to LCMS congregation, what aspects of Lutheranism remain?
Nothing bothers me more than watching LCMS (district and RSO) bureaucrats persist in church growth programs while simultaneously ignoring the testimonies of thousands of former Evangelicals who have fled shallow Evangelicalism with its snake oil salesmen preachers for the LCMS. The liturgy and classic law/gospel sermons brought them there. If they wanted the Evangelical snake oil stuff, they might as well have remained where they were instead of converting to confessional Lutheranism.
Certain segments of the LCMS admire church growth gurus, but they hold pastors such as Todd Wilken, Chris Rosebrough, Johnathan Fisk, Bryan Wolfmueller, Matt Richard, and Jordan Cooper, et al. in contempt. For example, how can the leadership of both the Texas and Michigan districts ignore Fisk? He is young. He embraces the liturgy, the hymns, and the publications of "grandpa's church." He has a winsome radio voice. How can you ignore a confessional Lutheran pastor who talks about the bible with the charisma of a video game enthusiast on YouTube?
Anonymous wrote: "When you have a big house, car, spouse, family, paycheck, and are young and invincible, a giant megachurch with programs, excitement, friends, and a coffee shop sounds great. When you are older and God has chastened you with trials, the soberness of the liturgy can't be matched."
I see what you did there. I hope Pastor Peters can expand on these sage reflections in a future article. I can see young couple new to town eager to make friends. Just a speculation, but maybe older people don't need as much excitement, as they already have an established circle of friends and no longer need the Church to help them make new friends? For me, the "perfect" LCMS congregation would have a sanctuary resembling Pastor Peters' congregation, but it would have a giant, swanky fellowship hall resembling a non-denominational mega-church.
Lutheran Lurker wrote: "Walter A Maier was not primarily responsible for any of the LCMS growth -- that happened locally parish by parish."
Yes, but if not for Walter A Maier's weekly radio sermons, Lutheran parishes would not have grown nor multiplied as much as they did. If Maier's ministry were not effective, he would have stopped broadcasting within the first year or two.
Podcasting is the AM radio of the 21st century. When not in church on Sunday morning, I enjoy a smorgasbord of Lutheran sermons in my car almost every day of the week. What would I do without the Issues, Etc. and Pirate Christian podcasts? Call me antisocial or "odd," but I have no desire to watch Rick Warren videos in an LCMS small group.....
Walter Maier was pro-Hitler and anti-Semitic...nice model for today, huh?
Anonymous at 9:46 PM,
Yes, because true Christians never sin. What are you, like eight years old?
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