New research suggests that not only is there no end in sight, but there are few signs of hope for revival in rapidly aging, shrinking groups such as the Episcopal Church, the United Methodist Church and the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.).<\/p>\n
Consider these findings from two of the largest surveys of U.S. congregations:<\/p>\n
\u201d\u00a2 In just the last five years, the percentage of mainline Protestant congregations where more than one-fifth are ages 18 to 35 has decreased dramatically. In 2010, some 4.8 percent of mainline congregations reported having that large a proportion of young adults in the pews; by 2015, just 1.3 percent reported that high a percentage, according to initial findings from the 2015 Faith Communities Today (FACT) survey.
\n\u201d\u00a2 Children made up just 16 percent of regular attenders in mainline Protestant congregations, compared to an average of 29 percent in other Christian traditions, according to a new analysis of the 2012 wave of the National Congregations Study (NCS).
\n\u201d\u00a2 Mainline Protestants recorded a nearly 30 percent decline \u201d\u201c from 24 percent in 1998 to 17 percent in 2012 \u201d\u201c in the proportion of its members filling U.S. pews, the NCS study found.
\n\u201d\u00a2 In the 2005 FACT survey, a little more than half of mainline churches said fewer than 100 people on average were at weekend worship; in 2015, nearly two-thirds attracted less than 100 worshippers. Sociologist David Roozen, a FACT study director, reported the findings at the annual meeting of the Religious Research Association.<\/p>\n
How serious are the numbers?<\/p>\n
\u201cIt might already be beyond that point\u201d\u009d where a significant recovery is possible, said Duke University sociologist Mark Chaves, NCS director and author of \u201cAmerican Religion: Contemporary Trends.\u201d\u009d<\/p>\n