Journalist Mary Lou Creamer thinks so: " After two decades of struggling with declining membership, not only have the numbers been stable for more than a decade, but surveys indicate the trend is starting to reverse itself with increasing numbers at Sunday services." Continue reading for the remainder of this interesting article (which includes info from Nancy Ammerman, church sociologist extraordinaire and whose books you'll find in the condev cyber bookstore.)
Mainline churches again filling pews
Families are returning to tradition after years of decline
By MARY LOU CREAMER
Times Herald/PORT HURON, MICHIGAN
When Becky and Peter Hopersberger went looking for a church to be married
in, she did what most in her generation do: She got on the Internet.
Then, the couple did something else more of their generation is doing: They
stayed with that church.
"I love our church," said Becky Hopersberger, 27, who lives in Harrison
Township and makes the 25-minute drive each Sunday to St. Paul's Episcopal
in St. Clair.
"I love the traditional service, and I love the fact that they use all of
those wonderful old hymns," she said. "From the very first time we walked in
the door, everyone was so welcoming."
The Hopersbergers are among a growing number of people returning to mainline
denominational churches. After two decades of struggling with declining
membership, not only have the numbers been stable for more than a decade,
but surveys indicate the trend is starting to reverse itself with increasing
numbers at Sunday services.
Mainline churches, such as Presbyterian, Lutheran, Episcopal and Methodist,
have, in the past 10 years, settled into a new place in society, said Dr.
Nancy Ammerman, one of the nation's leading experts in the sociology of
religion.
"They're not in the tailspin they were in for a couple of decades,"
Ammerman, a professor at Hartford Seminary said. "They recognize they're not
going to be the dominant influence they were for a couple of centuries
before.
"Some, like the Episcopal and Lutheran churches, have made some gains and
realize that they can come back, it's just not going to be rapid growth."
Dr. Diana Butler Bass agrees. Although the numbers are small, there is hope,
said the author of the book Strength for the Journey and director of the
Lilly Endowment project at the Episcopal Virginia Theological Seminary in
Alexandria, Va.
"The hemorrhaging has stopped," she said. "People are rediscovering the
quiet beauty, theological resources and rich traditions of the older
mainline churches. They're taking their oldest stuff -- musical heritage and
ancient practices -- and presenting them in new ways. People are finding
that attractive."
Brand loyalty
Mainline Protestant churches once were considered the bedrock in any
community. Membership in those churches today is one-third lower than it was
30 years ago, according to the Princeton Religion Research Center.
Experts point to several demographic factors, such as a drop in childbirth,
aging, education and mobility for the decline in the 1970s and '80s. But the
biggest reason is the exodus of the Baby Boomers, said Dr. Robert Wuthnow, a
sociologist at Princeton University.
"They were tired of the establishment and left. When they did that, they
took their children with them," he said.
The Rev. Mark Thomas, 50, pastor of First Presbyterian Church in Port Huron,
agrees. He's been coping with the declining membership for all 23 years of
his ministry.
"At times I think we're still learning and trying to get a handle on why
this happened," he said. "But in truth, I think the mainline churches were
more the victim of cultural and social change than it actually being
anything we did or did not do.
"There was a time when if you bought a Chevrolet, then you were a Chevrolet
man for life. It was the same with churches. That's gone today; you don't
have that loyalty."
The Rev. Bill Bendert, pastor of Pilgrim Lutheran Church in Marysville,
calls it the "death of denominationalism."
"People don't come to our church looking for a Lutheran church," he said.
"They come because someone invited them, they hear about our reputation, or
they keep driving by our building and think it looks interesting.
"Most people in mainline churches today grew up in some other denomination
than the one they are in. Most are no longer those lifelong, cradle-to-grave
members."
Numbers game
Membership has been slow to bounce back, but attendance is on the upswing.
An example, Butler Bass said, is the Episcopal Church, which in 1970, had
roughly 3.2 million members and an average weekly Sunday attendance of
750,000 people. In 1997, it had 2.5 million members but average weekly
Sunday attendance was 1.2 million.
"That's one out of two Episcopalians coming to church on Sunday," she said.
"So, now instead of counting members, many denominations track attendance.
These statistics tentatively indicate that while people hesitate to join
mainline churches officially, more are attending than in a generation."
The struggles also have been good for churches.
"It's forced us to recognize the goodness of grace and wisdom in the ways we
practice our faith," Butler Bass said. "Instead of weeping over numbers,
it's time to appreciate where God has taken us. For some, it has brought out
the very best."
Thomas agrees.
"We've stopped trying to be all things to all people," he said. "Instead,
we're celebrating and respecting our differences and have gone back to doing
the things we do really well."
Back to the basics
Research shows there is a growing thirst for spirituality in this country.
While many Generation X members may rely on cyberspace for religious
experiences, those coming behind them will hunger for a more traditional
experience with a deeper spirituality.
"All the reports say the younger ones want substance, not entertainment,"
Thomas said. "They want meat and potatoes.
"Well, the mainline churches have been serving meat and potatoes for 1,000
years. So, that's great news for us."
Originally published Sunday, May 25, 2003
ABOUT THIS REPORT
* This story is the second installment in a series by Mary Lou Creamer
looking at the diverse attributes, interests and perspectives of the faith
of people in the Blue Water Area.
* If you have comments about this story, or suggestions about future
stories, call her at (810) 989-6279 or e-mail mlcreamer@gannett.com.