Mainline Denominations

“A pacifist wouldn’t make a good general. And an atheist shouldn’t be a pastor. At least, that’s what you would think…. The leadership of the United Church of Canada has settled a years-long controversy by voting to allow Reverend Gretta Vosper, a self-proclaimed atheist, to keep her post as lead minister at West Hill United Church in Toronto.” - CPost

“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.

“On Wednesday (Oct. 3), the National Council of Churches — which boasts 38 member denominations with 40 million members — unveiled a sternly worded statement demanding Kavanaugh withdraw from consideration.” - RNS

“The rising toll is evident in rural, urban and suburban churches across the state. St. Paul’s On the Hill Episcopal Church on prestigious Summit Avenue was recently sold to a developer after more than a century of religious service. Bethany Lutheran Church in the Longfellow neighborhood of Minneapolis held its “holy closure” ceremony last fall. St. Michael Catholic Church in West St. Paul celebrated its last mass 18 months ago. Mainline Protestant churches have been hit the hardest.

Mainline Protestant seminaries are facing an existential crisis after a decade of mounting red ink. Enrollment has fallen by nearly 25% over the past decade, according to the Association of Theological Schools, an accrediting agency.

“This year is an ignominious anniversary for Mainline Protestantism, commemorating a half century of continuous decline since their membership peaks in the early 1960s”

“The Presbyterian Lay Committee released a statement repudiating the action of the PCUSA General Assembly. ‘The Presbyterian Lay Committee mourns these actions and calls on all Presbyterians to resist and protest them’ ” CPost

Did Mainline Christianity Win in the End?

Story here.