In the concluding chapter of American Mainline Christianity: Its Changing Shape and Future, Wade Clark Roof and William McKinney predicted this: The churches of the Protestant establishment, long in a state of relative decline, will continue to lose ground both…
Burge says this is why nondenoms have advantage over SBC
Nondenominational churches will continue to have an advantage over Southern Baptist churches because their members are younger and more ethnically diverse, predicts religion data analyst Ryan Burge. In a new Substack post titled, “Those Nondenoms are Just Southern Baptists, Right? ”…
Nondenominationalizing American Christianity II: The responses
You could have fooled me! When BNG published my essay, “The Non-denominationalizing of American Christianity,” Nov. 29, I posted it on my Facebook page, never imagining it would elicit much response. Was I ever surprised! Comments abounded, some with considerable…
The nondenominationalizing of American Christianity
Joel Osteen is an ecclesiastical phenomenon, an American, evangelical, charismatic, postmodern, megachurch, media savvy, health/wealth/motivational speaker, gospel-preacher phenomenon. A 59-year-old who doesn’t look it, Osteen seems made for the media — razor thin, self-effacing, pragmatic and guileless to a fault,…
Foundry Network offers third alternative to disaffected UMC churches
A collaboration of former United Methodist large-membership churches has announced creation of an association to provide accountability and resources without the constraints of a denomination. The Foundry Network will launch in September, according to an announcement posted on Facebook by…
Researchers discover another reason Americans leave church
The forces driving Americans from churches apparently aren’t limited to the generational and cultural factors that grab headlines these days. LifeWay Research has found that departures also are likely to occur if a congregation’s core values are altered in some…
All denominations should care baptisms are down among Southern Baptists
The first response of many people may be “I don’t care”. That’s fine. You have that right. But you ought to care. More about that later. Keep reading. Why Are Baptisms Down Among Southern Baptist Churches? First, take note of…