As a mainline church we have been told to the point of weariness what is wrong with us. Many articles have been written about the demise of the mainline churches with their dwindling membership and attendance. Someone has figured out mathematically that if the United Methodists continue to lose members at the present rate, the last Methodist will leave the face of the earth in the year 2037. This is a very sobering thought.

The Dilemma Of Decline

To borrow a line from Dickens, these are, for the mainline Protestants, the "worst of times." The mainline churches in the early times of this century were used to vitality, growth, and widespread influence and popularity. Currently, they are experiencing severe decline. Martin Marty tells us that American religion now has a new map. And what…