Almost every week, another new study seems to document the decline of congregational life in America. I think the decline can all be traced to moral decay. What do you think?
Surveys show the generation on the cusp of adulthood, Millennials, has less interest in institutional expressions of church compared to their parents and grandparents. Who among this spiritually sensitive but religiously indifferent generation will populate our churches’ pews?
Some argue moral decay is eroding the American church’s vitality. Churches and their clergy are not immune to scandal, and numerous high-profile ethical flubs have weakened the credibility of churches in this country. When a few churches or clergy mess up, all churches and clergy get tarred. For more than a generation, Americans have fed spiritual appetites with material goods. Materialism, a form of moral decay, has left our lives a mile wide but an inch deep. Feeding heart hunger with spiritual fast food has eaten away at our spiritual health, with a resulting decline in our churches. But to suggest all church decline is the result of moral decay is too simple. Other factors contribute to waning interest in congregational participation.
Sociological factors play a role. Churches are one of many groups that make up the institutional structure of American life, and they are not immune to social forces and trends. When birth rates drop, as they have among whites, so do baptisms, because most baptisms are recorded among older children and youth. When communities undergo transition and decline, churches tend to follow the pattern of the community. Cultural practices and trends play a powerful role in the growth or decline of congregations. A growing pluralism in America has exposed our citizens to a bewildering variety of spiritual practices and groups. People who once were drawn to churches because they were the normative group now find it acceptable to dabble in new avenues of spirituality.
The full immersion of women in the workplace has left most congregations without the workforce that enabled them to achieve such influence 50 years ago. In no way does this represent moral decay. It is a form of empowerment and allows women to pursue opportunities withheld from them in an earlier era. It does, however, reduce the hours invested in church by its most devoted participants.
Finally, the failure of churches to adapt to cultural and societal change contributes to congregational decline. Too many churches react with hostility to any sign of modernity, rather than assessing each new thing on its merits. Churches are the last institutions in American society to integrate racially, welcome women into their pulpits and adopt practices of social networking. Who wants to be a part of such a tired, lifeless, negative institution? If we want to get to the heart of congregational decline, perhaps we should start there.
Michael Clingenpeel is pastor of River Road Church, Baptist, in Richmond, Va. Right or Wrong? is sponsored by the T.B. Maston Chair of Christian Ethics at Hardin-Simmons University’s Logsdon School of Theology. Contributors include Baptists in Virginia, Texas, Missouri and other states. Send your questions about how to apply your faith to btillman@hsutx.edu.