Is There Any Hope for Revitalizing Mainline Churches?

The long, slow death of mainline churches is well documented and goes back to the 1970s. In the mid-twentieth century, approximately half of all Americans were identified as members of one of the seven mainline denominations. Today, it’s between 10% and 15%. Not much is said about revitalizing these churches, but there is hope. Josh and Sam interview one mainline Methodist elder, Chad Brooks, who has a plan to solve this problem.

• • What is your view of the “mainline decline,” and how does it inform your strategies today?
  • How aware are church members of the pervasiveness of the problem?
  • What makes revitalization different in the UMC than in other denominations?
  • What gives you hope for the churches you serve?

Resources:

• The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary

• Churchteams

• Rev. Chad Brooks

• FREE Research Report! New Surprising Insights

• Church Answers Central

• The Hope Initiative

Episode Sponsors:

• • You’ve been in ministry long enough to spot both the obstacles and the opportunities facing your congregation. 
  • There must be solutions, but how do you find them? 
  • If you are the ministry leader called to champion these issues, Southern Seminary has a problem-solving degree that will guide you to the answers. 
  • From the moment you begin your doctor of ministry program at Southern, you will research the issues and start writing about the biblical solutions that will immediately benefit your church. 
  • The academic sharpening that comes through your faculty supervisor and doctoral cohorts will strengthen both you and your church.
  • Learn how Southern’s DMin can be an extension of your current ministry, not a distraction from it.
  • The DMin at Southern Seminary will equip you to solve a problem or harness a ministry opportunity that will strengthen you and your church. Learn how at SBTS.edu/solutions.

 

 

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