Facts on Growth... that Renewal Activists don't really want you to know
It claims to be the "largest national survey of congregations ever conducted in the United States." Its primary purpose is "the development of research-based resources for congregational development," with an on-going secondary purpose of "advancing the public's understanding of one of the most pervasive voluntary organizations in the United States - our religious congregations." Readers can download the entire report at http://fact.hartsem.edu/CongGrowth.pdf - and I highly recommend that you do that. It is an enlightening and thorough look at what makes for, and what compromises, growth - and decline - in our churches. Now, this is not a site dedicated to church growth. I don't cite references in the survey in order to give churches information about how to grow their congregations. This is a site dedicated to enlightening the general public about sustained attacks from right-wing ideologues who misappropriate truth for the purpose of disabling moderate and progressive voices. My own role is to share my experiences of how that phenomenon manifests itself in the religious community - and in particular in the United Church of Christ. (Before the reader goes any further: please note there is a marked difference between a conservative - or right winger - and a conservative or right-wing ideologue; and a marked difference between a right-ring ideologue and a right-wing ideologue who misappropriates truth for the purpose of disabling moderate and progressive voices. It is certainly the latter that captures the attention of those who write on this site.) Among the right-wing ideologues who misappropriate truth are those within the religious community who belong to any of the various Renewal movements associated with the Institute on Religion and Democracy's Association for Church Renewal. For a long time, they have been trying to convince their minions that to be liberal is to destroy the church and distort the teachings of scripture. An example would include this portion of an article by Chuck Colson - whose Prison Fellowship ministry was run, until recently, by the current IRD president Jim Tonkowich (who is quoted in this segment):
"The truth is that the United Church of Christ--along with many liberal denominations--has suffered an alarming loss of members in recent years. Ironically, as they've become more "inclusive," more and more members have left. As Jim Tonkowich comments, "It is not surprising that the head of a denomination that has lost over 40 percent of its members should blame outside forces for its plight rather than examine its own mistakes. Liberal theology has failed for the UCC and for all mainline churches. IRD reports about that. But we did not cause it." We have long been arguing that the decline in recent decades in the Mainline church membership cannot be reduced to the argument made here, which is essentially that because it is more liberal than other church movements, it is destined to decline and failure as people figure out that to be liberal is to stand against the teachings of scripture. And now, pieces of this new Hartford Seminary study confirm that. The report deserves long and thorough analysis - and certainly more than I will be able to give it in this column. But two pieces in particular are relevant here. The first is that which is found in "Figure 8" of their survey, entitled "Growth by Denomination and Theological Orientation." Respondents were asked to characterize the theological tendencies of their congregation, and the choices they were given were: predominantly conservative, somewhat conservative, right in the middle, somewhat liberal, and predominantly liberal. The survey showed something quite amazing, really. I quote again the report:
"The disparity in growth between mainline and evangelical Protestant churches may seem to reinforce the widely held view that theological differences are the key to understanding why so many mainline churches are declining and why so many evangelical churches are growing. However, the situation is not so simple." That is exactly what we have been saying for years, by the way, to the more than mild protestations of renewal activists who believe otherwise against what is now verifiable and substantial evidence to the contrary. The report continues:
"...there is very little relationship between growth and theological orientation. In fact, the proportion growing is highest on the two end points: predominantly conservative congregations and liberal congregations (growth rates of 38% and 39%, respectively). Growth is least likely among congregations that say they are "right in the middle." Only 27% of centrist congregations are growing at the highest level." The second piece I want to cite from the report is from "Figure 13," entitled "Conflict and Declining Attendance." This should come as no surprise to anyone: the report shows that "Congregations that have experienced major conflict are quite likely to have declined in attendance." Not exactly rocket science there - but it is a significant piece of information to verify. The very next statement reads "congregations with no conflict during the previous two years are least likely to decline and most likely to grow." It has been my consistent experience that over the past twenty years the congregations within the United Church of Christ that have most consistently endured virulent and unrelenting conflict have been those wherein renewalist activism has been identified - more often than not from the Biblical Witness Fellowship: a renewal group schooled well in the art of fomenting dissent and conflict over a variety of wedge issues, and in full compliance with and under the tutelage of the IRD. It is also consistent with my experience that over that same period of time, those churches which have been embroiled in controversies introduced by Biblical Witness Activists - from which they could not extricate themselves - have suffered significant membership losses because of it. Conflict destroys churches. Groups like the BWF should not be allowed to both stir up the kind of controversy that induces declining memberships, and then be afforded the luxury of arguing that the decline is a result of their target's theological perspective.
Facts on Growth... that Renewal Activists don't really want you to know | 17 comments (17 topical, 0 hidden)
Facts on Growth... that Renewal Activists don't really want you to know | 17 comments (17 topical, 0 hidden)
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