Methodist Group in Trouble

A recent story has the warned from Lyle Schaller warning his Northern Illinois Conference of the Methodist Church that they are headed to extinction.

Schaller's words ought to be listened to because he is a well-known expert on church growth. But more importantly Schaller is knowledgeable on church decline. Schaller sees all of the signs of decline in his own denomination. He is reported to have given the denomination less than 12 years until it goes out of business.

The key issue, per Schaller, is one of leadership. The leadership of the Synod is "ideologically liberal and institutionally ultra conservative." This is a double edged sword for any institution. Slow to adapt to change and yet ideologically liberal is a losing combination.

The second issue is one of increased competition. No longer can we rely on historical connections. As we have opened our doors to others so have others opened their doors.

Another issue that Schaller identifies is that the denomination has not kept up with technical innovation. The church has tended to curse the darkness rather than light a candle in the dark.

Schaller talks about how a newly graduated pastor who wanted to do a church plant and was told that he would have to take a circuit of small churches before he would be allowed to plant. He went to the Evangelical Covenant Church and was allowed to plant there. The church has over 8000 members in six years.

This newspaper article is about an Episcopalian church which has left the Episcopal church and is now seeking affiliation with the Evangelical Covenant Church.

The moral of the story isn't "look how good we are doing compared to the Methodists". Far from it. The moral of this story is: Take heed lest we too fall.