wfn.org | Commentary: Is renewal occurring in the church?

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Nov. 19, 2002  News media contact: Tim Tanton7(615)742-54707Nashville, Tenn. 
10-71BP{534}

NOTE: A photograph of the Rev. Riley B. Case is available.

A UMNS Commentary
By the Rev. Riley B. Case*

Could it be that the United Methodist Church is experiencing renewal?
Consider: an analysis of the 2001 annual conference statistics reports
indicates that the United Methodist Church in the United States is showing
its most significant worship increase in more than 30 years.

The reports are unofficial, and there will be adjustments and corrections yet
to come (there always are), but at the moment, it appears that:
7	The Southeastern Jurisdiction is showing an attendance increase of
more than 34,500.
7	The South Central Jurisdiction, an increase of about 14,000.
7	The Western Jurisdiction, an increase of 1,326.
7	The North Central Jurisdiction, an increase of about 2,000.
7	The Northeastern Jurisdiction, an increase of more than 1,000.

We would do well to mark the significance of these statistics. We have, in
recent years, lamented our continuing membership losses (as well we should).
If we judge health solely by membership, the best we can speak of is a
slowing rate of decline. Let's adjust our thinking. Church-growth people tell
us the best indicator of church vitality is worship attendance.

By this indicator, our United Methodist Church is turning the corner! Let's
praise God! Actually, for the past 10 years, the worship attendance in the
denomination has kept steady. While we have lost members, the number of
people in worship has at least remained constant. We reported 3,478,894
average attendance in 1991 and 3,489,961 in 1999 (the last year for which we
have official statistics). 

During the 1990s, we stopped the discouraging decline that had characterized
our church since the 1960s. But now we claim something better than just
"remaining even." Consider this statistic: in 1999, 17 of 61 annual
conferences showed an attendance increase. In 2000, 25 of 61 annual
conferences showed an attendance increase. In 2001, 44 of 59 conferences
showed an attendance increase.

Of course, much of this increase has been regional. Let's give credit where
credit is due. The Southeastern Jurisdiction, with its 37,000 additional
worshippers, added more attendance in 2001 than the total numbers of
worshippers in the entire Pacific Northwest Annual Conference. From 1993 to
1999, the Southeastern and South Central jurisdictions added more than
100,000 new worshippers (while the other three jurisdictions all showed
decline). There are now more United Methodists in either Georgia or North
Carolina than in all the Western Jurisdiction.

The two Southern jurisdictions are also home to the big churches. Florida has
more churches with an attendance of over 1,000 (22) than all of the
Northeastern, Western and North Central jurisdictions combined (20, according
to 1999 statistics).
 
But overall, the statistics are encouraging and the trends positive. Our
denomination may be bucking the trend that shows all the mainline
denominations in decline.

Can we draw any conclusions at this point? There are many explanations, and
the discussion around these will be very interesting, but let me be first to
offer some observations.

Thanks to the Foundation for Evangelism, we have funded chairs of evangelism
in our seminaries, and at the present time, 11 of the 13 United Methodist
seminaries have those chairs filled. We have thought evangelism is important
enough that we are now requiring a course in evangelism for every person
seeking elder's orders.

Our Board of Discipleship has encouraged programs like Disciple Bible Study,
Christian Beliefs, Alpha, Emmaus and Witness.

We have been willing to listen to people like Lyle Schaller, George Barna,
Herb Miller and others to determine how to make our message attractive to
non-believers.

We have been willing (in some instances where it is appropriate) to try new
music and worship styles; we have been willing to be part of a growing
evangelical and charismatic renaissance across the nation (and the world).

We have moved from "pluralism" in our doctrinal understanding to a new
doctrinal statement that stresses "primacy of Scripture," and this in turn
has led to new interest in doctrinal and biblical studies.

We have sought to balance (at least on paper) our prophetic social witness
with high personal moral standards, including a nuanced stand on abortion
(which should not be considered "pro-choice") and a biblical stand on
homosexuality.

We are back again in the church-planting business, and we have been blessed
with strong, and in many cases evangelical, leadership in these and other
fast-growing churches.

Is this good news just wishful thinking? Do the statistics simply represent a
one-year bump, perhaps the result of 9-11? The next few years will tell for
sure. In the meantime, we rejoice in what God is doing in the United
Methodist Church.

# # #

*Case, retired, is a member of the North Indiana Annual Conference. This
commentary was provided by the Hoosier United Methodist News and appears in
that publication's November issue.

Commentaries provided by United Methodist News Service do not necessarily
represent the opinions or policies of UMNS or the United Methodist Church.

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