Key to renewed life for Protestantism is change
Protestant mainline churches are being pushed to the fringes of society where they are increasingly without voice or influence.
We no longer can deny that mainline churches are broadcasting a death knell to a disinterested population. The next time you go to church, sit in the back row and look around at all the gray hair. Then walk to the front and turn around and what will you see? A sea of Anglo faces.
Did you know that the average age of Presbyterians is now 62 years. I once told audiences that the Presbyterians would be dead in 100 years if present trends continue. Now I say 50 years. Other experts say it will be dead before the next century begins.
What I mean by death is that the average Presbyterian church won't have a mission 50 years from now. Most of those struggling churches will be too busy simply finding enough money to pay the parson. They won't have the time or the money or the energy to reach out to their community and help those less fortunate.
I don't mean to pick on the Presbyterians. The other mainline Protestant denominations are having as much trouble if not more. The United Methodist church is losing 1,000 to 1,500 members a week. The Episcopal church has lost one-third of its membership since 1965. And the Lutheran church's membership reached a peak in 1968 and has been declining ever since.
Granted, all of those denominations will still be around when I pass on to my reward. But the question that needs to be asked over and over is, how can the church develop a sense of mission even as it's being slowly lowered into its grave.
I had lunch with a friend here at work the other day and she talked about her congregation and how the older people, the pioneers who have supported the congregation for decades, try to block so many of the programs that might bring new life to the congregation.
That is nearly a universal problem in Protestant denominations. The fight is between the pioneers and the younger families. Very often the pioneers want no change in the theology, practice, programs, pace or look of the congregation. That means people of color are not welcome. That means that evangelism efforts are curtailed because, heaven forbid, a person of color might get invited to worship.
But that is the only hope for some of these dying congregations who have found themselves suddenly living in a diverse neighborhood. The young families want the church to be there 40 years from now with vital programs for their children. The pioneers can't see beyond their own death. They want to be buried from that church and they don't much care what happens after that.
And when the pioneers get mad they usually go after the pastor. More clergy are getting beat up these days than ever before. That means pastors are going to play it safe. No bold moves. No risky projects. No programs to breathe new life into the congregation.
That means innovation and experimentation will be left for the laity. And if they don't do it, the mission of the congregation dies. When that happens the doors of the church building might just as well be padlocked forever.
Because churches do not exist in a vacuum but in community. Once Protestant mainline denominations were like a pulsating organism in the center of the community. Now they are hanging onto the edge and many are just waiting for someone to come along, step on their fingers and send them hurtling into the abyss.
The key word is change. Protestants are doing something wrong. Maybe it's the long-winded sermons or the music that reflects Christianity as it existed centuries ago. Perhaps the problem is our dark sanctuaries where joy is sucked up like water in a sponge. The truth is, fewer and fewer people are buying traditional faith. We have already lost a generation to secularism and another generation is coming around the corner walking on the primrose path.
Clark D. Morphew
9-21-96
