Denominations are dying… should you even care?

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I think it is safe to say that, though many of us experience this anecdotally, it’s a general trend to hear someone say that “less people are going to church than they used to.” This is true. It’s well-documented that most Christian denominations in the United States are shrinking as less people are going to church in general. Couple that with the fact that many people, like Ryan Burge, have documented the phenomenon of numerical decline in denominations.

One of the biggest untold stories of American society in the last 35 years is this:

The death of denominations.

Almost every major denomination is significantly smaller today than it was in 1987.

Among the ones who are growing, most are incredibly small. pic.twitter.com/Z7829Tt0xz

— Ryan Burge 📊 (@ryanburge) December 19, 2023

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The numbers don’t lie. The facts are generally there. The data can prove a decline. So, we should panic, run around in circles, and try to fix this, right? Well… I’m not so sure about that.

A brief reminder

Before we crunch some more numbers, let’s keep one thing in mind: God is sovereign over the events of man. We find ourselves lamenting the landscape we’re in, especially as churchgoers, which is a logical response. We also tend to spiral into immense negativity, decrying our country, our people, younger generations, social media, etc., rather than either taking responsibility or acknowledging that God is not the least bit surprised. Psalm 115 tells us that, “The LORD sits enthroned in heaven; he does whatever he pleases.” Denominations might be crashing and burning– so I’ll take a look at that in a moment– but the Gospel isn’t contingent on denominations, church attendance, or really anything of the sort. Praise God for that. Now, we continue.

Pew Research is really helpful… most of the time.

If you aren’t aware, Pew Research finds and compiles data that you probably would love to know, and they do this all of the time. They have concluded that the number of “religiously unaffiliated adults” in the US has increased while the number of “Protestants” has dropped dramatically. Now, click that link, read that article, and you will begin to see that the data is a little more nuanced than those raw conclusions. For example, Latter-day Saints get lumped into the same category as like Southern Baptists– those are two completely different religions. Nevertheless, Pew Research has concluded what we all knew to be true: less people go to church and less people are Christians, it seems. I knew it, you say. All the Gen Z kids hate church, you may think. Pew is helpful… but they don’t always tell the whole story.

The Fundamental Question

The question is this: should you, as a Christian, care at all about this trend? Should it be on the top of your list of priorities? Should denominational decline shake you to your core and worry you about your family’s future? Maybe. Maybe not. Remember how I said Pew doesn’t answer all of our questions, at least in one article? Let’s tackle that really fast– here are some reasons why attendance could be dropping that are really either not a big deal or a different big deal than your church shrinking:

• The birth rate is dropping generally in the United States, so the number of people in churches in general is dropping when people die. Birth rates are declining in the United States. Couple that with the fact that most Christian denominations are made up of older folks. Sure, average ages of 54 and 55 don’t seem “old.” But that’s the average. The average is closer to life expectancy than birth. Denominations could be shrinking because the demographics constituting their membership are shrinking. Is this a problem? Sure. But it’s a different type of problem… birth rates are a topic for another blog.
• Several denominations have abandoned confessional/orthodox Christianity. I don’t want to get in a shouting match here over who is right and wrong. Regardless of your denominational affiliation, it is very clear to see that most decline in denominations is happening in mainline denominations (think like United Methodist, PCUSA, etc.). And regardless of your thoughts on Kevin DeYoung, he explains this decline very well here. If you want the gist, several denominations in the United States don’t practice orthodox, confessional, historical Christianity anymore. They rebranded. And when they did, they lost customers. Problem? Sure. Problem that people are leaving? If people leave a church that doesn’t preach the true Gospel… that’s not always a bad thing.
• Denominations, by definition, do not include “Non-denominational.” It is also fairly well-documented that there is at least some rise and growth in non-denominational churches. We could get in a philosophical argument over where “non-denominational” is possible or right or whatever– not the point. Non-denominationalism– and even this new thing called the House Church Movement– could just replace the current numbers on church attendance. Does this change that less people go to church in general or that less people are religiously affiliated? I guess not. Does it help explain where some of these denomination people went? Yes, it probably does.

No matter the real reason, the numbers have shifted, are dropping, and look concerning. So, the question still lingers: should you care at all? And the answer to this question is both yes and no. Shall we make another couple of lists? We shall. Here’s why you should care that denominations are declining:

• Less people in church = less people hear about Jesus. Some of the decline has happened because churches don’t preach the true Gospel– I’ll get to that in a moment. But should we generally lament less people in earshot of worship? Yes, I think we should. I would say that’s a general thumbs down. Can’t we all agree on that?
• Denominations are the bedrock of communities, cultures, and religious heritage. To see denominations decline really means to see local churches themselves decline. I live in the Bible Belt, and it’s called that for good reason. Wrapped up in this raw data are people. These people that make up the declining churches and denominations are the same people who built hospitals and schools, carry significant weight in the benevolence in their community, even founded whole communities themselves in the United States. Lots of places in the United States exist in the first place due to local churches, couched in their denominational heritage. I don’t want to be too romantic about the history of it all… but it’s rich. And to see historic churches become museums is sad.
• Denominational decline, in many cases, is due to a more sinister decline: the decline of spiritual vitality. There’s no need to take shots here at specific denominations and link a bunch of articles. If you would like data to back these claims, you let me know– I’ll find it for you. Less people go to church– and especially certain types of churches– because those churches provided little in the way of value, discipleship, and honestly, fidelity to the LORD. It should grieve us that many churches are disappearing because the faith once for all delivered to the saints has been sacrificed at the altar of political agendas, sexual abuse, mishandling of the Bible, and just plain bad methodology rather than be contended for. In a lot of cases, less people go to a church because that “church” they were attending was hardly a church at all.
• Denominations offer many benefits, and their decline affects churches in more than just attendance. If you have gone to church almost any length of time, there are so many wonderful things that come from denominations. Affiliation can offer financial help, confessional heritage, staffing assistance, partnerships, access to programs, and a litany of other things that churches (especially small churches) thrive off of. Denominations declining means that these benefits are declining. Churches are having to find their away “alone.” And that’s a sad sight to see.

Sad is the day that churches close, and that day is today. Many are closing. The decline is evident, and it is sad. It should be something we seek to change, pray about, walk with people through. But does it mean that the sky is falling? Is the end of the “American Church” here? I don’t really think so. Here’s why you shouldn’t care too much about denominational decline:

• Churches have life cycles. People change. Cultures change. Times change. I mean, the iPhone has only been around for like less than two decades. Things are declining now for churches, and they may decline further. But the Church (comprised of local churches) has existed since Acts 2, all over the world. The decline is a sad thing to see, but it’s not the end of the world. The Gospel is not trapped in a corporate office somewhere or only available with certain logos. It’s in the Bible, and no denomination has a monopoly on the Bible– praise God for that!
• Denominations are a general good, can be great, but they are not God. I am a tried and true Southern Baptist Convention guy. Why? Confessional heritage, missions, Baptist Faith and Message 2000, and biblical fidelity. I am also totally aware that the SBC as an entity has had some issues recently and seems always to have some issues. I will rock with the SBC until I won’t. They are a general good, have some great qualities, but they are nothing but human beings. Denominations do not determine the truth of the Bible, the Gospel, or really anything else. If they start, as the kids would say, acting reckless, then faithful believers need to leave them in a ditch somewhere and do their own thing. I don’t need the SBC– or the UMC, PCA, PCUSA, etc.– to get me to Heaven. They can’t anyway. So, let’s not live and die by their edicts.
• Are we so sure the people that left were supposed to be here? Follow me for a second. I have this conversation often. I personally believe that a person cannot lose their salvation. I think the Bible very clearly teaches this. Often, I will have someone say to me, “Well, I knew a guy who was really saved– I mean, I saw it with my own eyes— and he went and left church and Jesus behind!” That happens all the time. And the Bible also categorizes those people, talks about them, and addresses them! John even says in 1 John 2 that there will be people who will walk away from the fellowship of Christians because they “[are] not of us.” Decline is a general bad. But some of the people that left… they may not have even been “Christians” in the first place. As a matter of fact, there are unknown countless unbelievers in our own local churches every Sunday who think they are saved right now— and they are not.

So, we should care a little…. what do we do next?

Absolutely none of us can individually cause a shift in a whole denomination. And what’s really comforting to know about that is God didn’t ask us to do that, anyway. The Great Commission is very simple: make disciples. Denominational decline is bad… I guess… but that has nothing to do with my faithfulness to God’s will for my life, God’s will for my family, and my pursuit of personal holiness. Remove the denomination tags and birth rate data– people are going to hell without the Gospel every day. Many of us Christians have fallen behind on our duty to the LORD to share the Gospel with these people and disciple our own hearts as well as the hearts of others. Denominations come. Denominations go. But the Word of the LORD remains forever.

Do yourself a favor and forget the charts, the graphs, the research data, and the empty buildings in your town for a second. And remember the Cross, the empty tomb, and the promise of eternal life. That’s why we gather together. That’s why we press on. That’s what churches are supposed to care about. Logos, acronyms, confessional documents, and robes get absolutely no one to Heaven.

Only Jesus does that.

Go tell people about him. And don’t stop till he comes to pick you up to go home.

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