Buddhist Catholic Contemplative Evangelical General Christian Hindu Jewish Latter-day Saint Muslim New Visions Progressive Christian

Beliefs

Topics

Columnists

Resource Library

Research Tools

Video

Podcasts

Thought Readers

Faith In Media Tracker

Newsletters

Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In Subscription Support

Follow Patheos

Ellen Painter Dollar

Home
Progressive Christian
Mainline Churches—A New Home for Disaffected Evangelicals?

Mainline Churches—A New Home for Disaffected Evangelicals?

Last updated on: August 12, 2013 at 4:00 am by Ellen Painter Dollar

Mainline Churches—A New Home for Disaffected Evangelicals? 2013-08-10T00:23:04-04:00 Ellen Painter Dollar

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

By now, it’s old news that one in five Americans, including one-third of adults under 30, claim no religious affiliation. Popular blogger and author Rachel Held Evans, who identifies primarily as an evangelical, wrote a much-shared CNN blog post about how churches can attract disaffected “millennials,” or young adults, back to church. (She is talking mostly about young evangelicals disenchanted with the trappings of that particular expression of faith, rather than young people who reject religion altogether.) No, it’s not about having hip music or serving better coffee, Evans wrote. Rather,

What millennials really want from the church is not a change in style but a change in substance. We want an end to the culture wars. We want a truce between science and faith. We want to be known for what we stand for, not what we are against. We want to ask questions that don’t have predetermined answers.We want churches that emphasize an allegiance to the kingdom of God over an allegiance to a single political party or a single nation. We want our LGBT friends to feel truly welcome in our faith communities.We want to be challenged to live lives of holiness, not only when it comes to sex, but also when it comes to living simply, caring for the poor and oppressed, pursuing reconciliation, engaging in creation care and becoming peacemakers.

Evans also strikes a note of hope for those of us who worship in mainline denominations like the Episcopal Church, implying that in our churches, millennials might find some of what they’re looking for:

Many of us, myself included, are finding ourselves increasingly drawn to high church traditions**–Catholicism, Eastern Orthodoxy, the Episcopal Church, etc.–**precisely because the ancient forms of liturgy seem so unpretentious, so unconcerned with being “cool,” and we find that refreshingly authentic.

I want to believe that is so, and there’s some evidence it might be. I know of several former evangelicals, for example, who now worship in the Eastern Orthodox tradition. Might mainline traditions, ours and others, be poised for a resurgence, a triumph of tradition and depth over politics and marketing? It’s an attractive notion.

Then again, my friend Katherine, a UCC pastor, is currently mourning the permanent closing of the first church she served. She notes that while the church she currently serves is very much open, it is not being inundated by millennials seeking an alternative to either evangelicalism or a life lived outside of any religious tradition.

If disenchanted young people are longing for the ancient, unpretentious, authentic gifts of mainline denominations, that’s news to many mainline congregations that have plenty of room in the pews.

In my more optimistic moments, I believe the Episcopal Church can become a home for young evangelicals who are fed up with the politicization of their faith and their slick megachurches, who want a church with solid doctrine, plenty of room for conversation and questioning, and a commitment to justice, mercy, and hospitality. In my more pessimistic moments, I see my friend Katherine’s grief over the closing of her former church, and I’m not so sure.

I am sure of one thing, though. If young people start looking to mainline traditions to provide something they’re missing, it won’t be because we change things up to be more relevant and hip. It will be because we stick with the ancient traditions, liturgies, language, and creeds that are our foundation. As another blogger, Andrea Palpant Dilley, wrote in a post for Faith and Leadership:

Consider the changes that people go through between age 22 and 32. Consider that some of us in time renew our appreciation for the strengths of a traditional church: historically informed hierarchy that claims accountability at multiple levels, historically informed teaching that leans on theological complexity, and liturgically informed worship that takes a high view of the sacraments and draws on hymns from centuries past*.*

But Dilley is realistic. She recognizes that, despite the appeal of history and tradition, “…your church (and your denomination) might die. My generation and those following might take it apart, brick by brick, absence by absence.” But, she continues, “…the next generation might rebuild it. They might unearth the altar, the chalice and the vestments and find them not medieval but enduring. They might uncover the Book of Common Prayer and find it anything but common.”

Do I share Dilley’s pessimism about the possibility that mainline churches and denominations might die? Or her optimism that young people, as they mature in years and faith, might find something of great value, something they need, in our traditional approach to faith?

Yes.

How about you?

religious affiliation

Previous Post

August 1, 2013

The Redemption of the Mundane: My Post at Convergent Books

Next Post

August 18, 2013 On Disquiet Time and Chickens

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category disability ethics parenthood Uncategorized

Select a Month September 2016 June 2016 May 2016 April 2016 March 2016 February 2016 January 2016 December 2015 November 2015 October 2015 September 2015 August 2015 July 2015 June 2015 May 2015 April 2015 March 2015 February 2015 January 2015 December 2014 November 2014 October 2014 September 2014 August 2014 July 2014 June 2014 May 2014 April 2014 March 2014 February 2014 January 2014 December 2013 November 2013 October 2013 September 2013 August 2013 July 2013 June 2013 May 2013 April 2013 March 2013 February 2013 January 2013 December 2012 November 2012 October 2012 September 2012 August 2012 July 2012 June 2012 May 2012 April 2012 March 2012 February 2012 January 2012 December 2011

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz

Which empire destroyed the First Temple in Jerusalem?

Select your answer to see how you score.

Assyrian Empire Roman Empire Babylonian Empire Persian Empire