Denominations have defined Protestant Christianity in America for most of its history. They’ve included Congregationalists, Methodists, Episcopals, Presbyterians, Baptists, and Methodists. But about 40 years ago, these denominations began a steep decline. It started with more liberal denominations, but spread rapidly to moderate ones. For example, the United Methodist Church has lost about three million members over the last 40 years.
Conservative denominations like Southern Baptists have appeared to be immune to this decline. But this may not be the case. Statistics show that the average weekly worship attendance in the Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) is about 6 million. That’s down from slightly more than 7 million in 1980.
Where have the people gone? Many have quit going to church entirely, many have gravitated to chuches of other denominations, and many appear to have migrated to non-denominational churches.
I’m challenged by the fact that when I talk to our high school and college-age students, I find that they find no attraction on any particular denomination or to the idea of a denomination. They feel that denominational distinctives are unimportant. I’ve also noticed that once they get out on their own, they tend to go to non-denominational churches, despite my best efforts to make good Baptists out of them!
What does all this mean to CBF? I remember when I attended one of the early gatherings of what would become the CBF there was a lot of discussion about what the group would be. Would it be a split-off denomination, a network within the SBC, or what? I must confess that I was one of those who wanted to see the CBF become a denomination.
The CBF has developed into a kind of quasi-denomination and mission society. While that frustrates people whose organizational model is the SBC, I’ve reversed my opinion and think that’s a good thing. Why become a denomination when the denomination is a model of the past? Though there are many things about the structure of CBF that are frustrating to those of us who grew up in the denominational model, I think it’s the form of the future: a partnership of Baptist churches, individual Baptists, Christian institutions, and outside denominational entities that continues Christ’s work.
The CBF has many challenges ahead. But I think it’s better equipped to deal with the future than many other groups.
I agree that folk increasingly move their participation from church to church without regard to denominational affiliation. Most of the new members at the church I attend are transfers from other churches, often crossing denominational boundaries. It is likely that is even more prevalent amongst the attending worshipers who are not members. Overall, the percentage of folk who do not participate with a church at all is increasing.
The fact that independent churches can be, and are, birthed more efficiently, and successfully, than denominationally sponsored churches is a testimonial that denominational baggage is not essential for the trip.
When we get the ministry correctly targeted, such as NC Baptist Men’s Disaster Response, folks from all kinds of churches will do extraordinary participatory things.
A major positive factor for the CBF is that being a younger traveler it has not accumulated excessive extraneous baggage. Even if time and success might tend to cause excessive baggage, the opportunity for Christlike ministry in the meantime abounds.
I agree that the trend is certainly moving away from denominationalism, and it is a trend that I am in many ways happy to see. I do wonder, though, how this trend will deal with some of the theological and polity issues that resulted in the formation of denominations in the first place.
For example, how will the trend away from denominationalism deal with questions of baptism? Infant baptism or believer’s baptism? Sprinkling or dunking?
Perhaps the CBF model will become the new model in the sense that the denominational body will be replaced by a network of like-minded churches whose main focus is the sharing of ideas and mission resources. No denominational printing house, seminaries would be more independent, etc.
I agree with you that many people are becoming less attached to denominational identities. Chapter two of the recently published, and very thorough, Pew Center Religious Landscape survey (http://religions.pewforum.org/), for instance says “The Landscape Survey confirms that, indeed, there is a remarkable amount of movement by Americans from one religious group to another. Together with other sources of
change in religious affiliation, such as immigration and fertility rates, this shifting helps account for the great dynamism of American religion. Looking only at changes from one major religious tradition to another (e.g., from Protestantism to Catholicism, or from Judaism to no religion),more than one-in-four U.S. adults (28%) have changed their religious affiliation from that in which
they were raised.”
However, what I’ve always liked about CBF is that, in my opinion, the “B” has always been lowercase; meaning we have been not at committed to “baptist” as a denomination but to baptist principles. Do you feel that those principles (e.g soul freedom, bible freedom, church freedom, religious freedom) are becoming more popular–especially when you consider the ascendancy of the non-denominational church?
Joel,
I think several of those Baptist principles are becoming common to non-denominational churches. Soul freedom and church freedom seem to be on the ascendancy. I’m not so sure about Bible freedom and religious freedom. I see in some younger non-denominational evangelicals a longing for authority in the interpretation of scripture. The rise of Calvinism in this group is a sign of longing for authority and order in theology. In relation to religious freedom, opinion polls done with these same groups suggest that they believe church-state separation has gone too far. Paradoxically, many in this same group believe that God has revealed himself through non-Christian faiths.
Daniel Vestal has an article entitled The Baptist Family in the print CBFfellowship! magazine for May/June 2008. I couldn’t find an online version of it to link. Generally, Vestal is more optimistic than the notions posted here though he refers to The Baptist Family more often than denomination.
Obviously American culture is changing and in many ways not for the better. Commitment to name brands in general is down for a vast majority. Decisions seem to be made more based upon quality received for amount of investment given, convenience, and availability. That is marketing and capitalism. How much does that creep into the decisions we make about other things like faith, church, and groups we attend? More than we are willing to admit, and much more than it should.
I am not sure there is any such thing as long-term trends in the times in which we live, at least not in American culture. It seems that new fads flow in like the waves of the ocean, then crash on the beach, only to be replaced by another that lasts a week or month.
Having said that, a lot of younger people and families are sick of that lifestyle and looking for something with more lasting meaning. A church with baptist values that honors the individual while connecting them to a community of faith and a rich heritage in history, should be positioned to help bring a fresh meaning to their lives.
We served among Baptists in Hungary, who had survived 50 years of communist oppression. Their culture encourages the children to carry on in the church of the family, be that Catholic, Presbyterian, Lutheran, or Baptist. So I think much of what we are seeing is symptomatic of American culture.
In America, denominations and bureaucratically removed organizations are losing their appeal in favor of hands-on participation in the local neighborhood and the possibility to personally occasionally touch the world as well. Again, CBF churches provide those opportunities.
Ed Jordan wrote:
((…..That is marketing and capitalism. How much does that creep into the decisions we make about other things like faith, church, and groups we attend? More than we are willing to admit, and much more than it should.))
Hmmmm. Amongst conservative economic thought is the notion of Says Law: Meaningful supply creates its’ own demand. The premise is that ‘supply’ should precede >b>’demand’ in the chain of economic events. When the supply is meaningful then demand will blossom.
Hi
Please don’t mind. This might interest you.
The SecondComing of Jesus has already happened in the form of the PromisedMessiah 1835-1908 fullfilling the signs as prophesised by Jesus and Muhammad. In my opinion, the Christians, Muslims and Jews should accept him.
Kindly visit my blog for interesting posts in this connection for your peaceful comments and or discussions on the pages/posts there. Differing opinions are also welcome.
Thanks
I am an Ahmadi peaceful Muslim
I’m in agreement that our traditional forms of denominationalism is in decline. No doubt about that. Name brand loyalty is out the window.
However, there will always be the networking of affinity groups. I see that even in our more fundamental-independent baptist brethren. Though it is markedly less than our more cooperative brothers and sisters, they still get together for fellowship and some ministry initiatives.
Will denominations be gone tomorrow? Nah. Will they be gone 20 years from now? Probably not. It is amazing how resilient institutions are. Will they have the same kind of pull/clout? No, not at all.
As an affinity group, the CBF has a lot to offer. As a Missional group, we have the same potential as any Willow Creek/Saddleback Association. I think that our Missional emphasis is a great thing, and needed for the future. Combine that with some reduplicating churches, the kind with it as a part of their DNA; and we can have something amazing.
Yes, it will look different. But man, the ride will be great. 🙂
Tim Dahl
Pingback: The Death of Denominations & the Future of the CBF | the big daddy weave
I’m really loving the theme/design of your web site.
Do you ever run into any web browser compatibility issues?
A handful of my blog readers have complained about my website not operating correctly in Explorer but looks great in Safari.
Do you have any ideas to help fix this problem?
What’s up, this weekend is pleasant designed
for me, for the reason that this time i am reading this fantastic informative paragraph here at my home.
One of the main misconceptions about glass is that it is rather dull with practically no privacy. With all the
new advances in technology- that is simply just not the case anymore.
Over the years, glass manufacturers have come up with various types of glass like double glazed windows and patterned glass.
You can use glass doors for your bathroom, patio and other places at
your house to give your home an ultramodern or elegant look
and feel.
So you do not have to worry about the glass being
dull or plain. Purchasing glass that has etched designs of nature like flowers and trees
or any other categories based on your personal taste is possible nowadays.
So finding the right kind of glass to blend with other furnishings in a particular room is indeed
possible. There is no shortage of choices in terms of
glass design.
Another benefit of glass is in terms of insulation. Glass is not
a good conductor of heat. During our hot summer season, with all the
advances in energy efficiency with glass, glass will not absorb heat,
making the room hotter. During a winter or autumn period,
glass will not cause much heat loss.
So you and your family might enjoy a more cooling effect during summer and a warmer
effect during winter or autumn. You also save money in terms of
utility bills. Since there is less heat loss, you can turn down the heating system to a lower temperature,
which results in less energy consumption. During summer, there would not be any necessity
to lower the temperature.
Another benefit of using glass doors and windows is that it just makes your home brighter and more cheerful feeling.
With our famous sunny days, there might be
no necessity to switch on lights to light up a particular place since there is sufficient natural light.
In fact when someone doesn’t understand afterward its up to other people that
they will assist, so here it occurs.
One of the main misconceptions about glass is that it is rather dull with practically no privacy. With
all the new advances in technology- that is simply just not the case anymore.
Over the years, glass manufacturers have come up with various types of glass like double glazed windows and patterned glass.
You can use glass doors for your bathroom, patio and other places at
your house to give your home an ultramodern or elegant look and feel.
So you do not have to worry about the glass being dull
or plain. Purchasing glass that has etched designs of nature like flowers and trees
or any other categories based on your personal
taste is possible nowadays. So finding the right kind of
glass to blend with other furnishings in a particular room is indeed possible.
There is no shortage of choices in terms of glass design.
Another benefit of glass is in terms of insulation. Glass is not a good conductor of
heat. During our hot summer season, with all the advances in energy efficiency with glass, glass will not absorb
heat, making the room hotter. During a winter or autumn period,
glass will not cause much heat loss.
So you and your family might enjoy a more cooling effect during summer and a warmer
effect during winter or autumn. You also save
money in terms of utility bills. Since there is less heat loss, you can turn down the heating system to a
lower temperature, which results in less energy consumption. During summer, there would not
be any necessity to lower the temperature.
Another benefit of using glass doors and windows is that it just makes your
home brighter and more cheerful feeling. With our famous sunny days, there might be no necessity to
switch on lights to light up a particular place since there is sufficient natural light.
This is really attention-grabbing, You’re an excessively professional blogger.
I’ve joined your rss feed and sit up for seeking extra of your magnificent post.
Also, I have shared your site in my social networks
Revealed: Secret to Reducing Air Conditioning Costs
Certain results indicate how each American household pay an estimate of $1000
for both heating and air conditioning systems every year.
Indeed there are very good ways to cut down on these
expenses without sacrificing the benefit of air conditioning during hot summer days in any way.
The true secret to reducing Air Conditioning costs lies in your maintenance activities and making
the right purchase of air conditioner units based on your
needs.
Currently, there are 3 common kinds of air conditioners, central,
freestanding and window on the US market. Each kind has its own pros and cons.
Before purchasing any air conditioners for your home, there is something
that you need to understand. Not all the types of units on the market require
the same kind of maintenance.
Think about the possible utility and maintenance costs when you purchase your unit.
What is the cooling coverage that you truly need? It may seem
easy to install a centralized system for your entire house.
But the question is whether it is necessary.
Apart from the high expense of purchasing this system, there are the possible high costs of
repair and maintenance. If you only want cool air in certain rooms because they are the hottest in your home during
a hot summer season, then opt for the window or freestanding kind.
The key difference between the freestanding type and the window type is in terms of mobility.
You can move a freestanding air conditioner from one room to another
easily enough.
Buying this type will be a great idea if you intend to
rotate the usage of the unit in different rooms.
But if your mind is fixed on having a few units in specific rooms, then the window
type might be a good option. Since the window type would be up on the
wall, it would not take up space in the room like how the freestanding type
would. When it comes to the window type, you have the choice of selecting one that comes with or without duct.
Apart from being compact and small, the ductless kind is rather easy to install on any wall.
Compared to the one that comes with a duct, it is also more energy saving.
A good way to cool the temperature in the other rooms that
have no air-conditioners is to use oscillating fans.
Another smart way is to purchase a few 5 ton air conditioners to cover the
space for your entire house instead of buying a centralized unit.
But this depends on how large your home is. Apart from the
cost of purchase, there is the expense for maintenance.
Normally, the cost of maintenance of a centralized air conditioning system is much higher compared
to the freestanding or window types. To reduce maintenance costs, think about performing simple maintenance activities on your own.
For example, you can take a look at the filter and change it if it requires
changing. Normally, the frequency for changing or checking the filter will be mentioned in the air conditioner
manufacturer’s manual. Some findings show that changing the filters can help in reducing monthly utility costs by 10 to 20%.
Though it is fine to carry out a simple maintenance task such as changing
a filter, it is best to leave the more complex maintenance or repair
tasks to Air Conditioning Experts. Now and then,
call them up to check on the state of your air conditioner units and
do what is necessary for their optimum working condition – an ounce of
prevention is worth a pound of cure.
I’m really enjoying the theme/design of your site.
Do you ever run into any browser compatibility issues? A
small number of my blog audience have complained about my website not working correctly in Explorer but
looks great in Opera. Do you have any suggestions to
help fix this problem?
Thank you for another informative web site. The place else could I am getting
that kind of information written in such a perfect approach?
I havge a undertaking that I’m simply now running on, and I’ve been at the glance out for such information.
For learning more interesting things, also you can checkout the Vaporizer
Reviews of real users. For better usability, they are
usually washable, but nonetheless you must check the merchandise
before buying by reading including the minor details.
Smoking marijuana can be quite much detrimental to the body because doing so
releases harmful toxins.