Membership, Church, Protestant Church History, Presbyterianism

The Mainstream Protestant Decline

Name: The Mainstream Protestant Decline
Author: Milton J. Coalter
ISBN: 9780664251505

by Milton J. Coalter (Editor), Louis B. Weeks (Editor), John M. Mulder

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Overview

The meaning of the declining membership in mainline Protestant denominations has been hotly contested since the 1960s. Drawing on statistical analysis of membership trends, congregational surveys, individual interviews, research on disaffiliation, and case studies of congregations and presbyteries, this volume examines patterns and causes of congregational growth and decline in the Presbyterian church.

Through its examination of American Presbyterianism, the Presbyterian Presence series illuminates patterns of change in mainstream Protestantism and American religious and cultural life in the twentieth century.

About the Author, Milton J. Coalter

Milton J. Coalter is Library Directorand William B. and Mildred L. Nivison Professor at Union Theological Seminary and Presbyterian School of Christian Education in Richmond, Virgina. He is an ordained minister in the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.).

John M. Mulder was formerly President and Professor of Historical Theology at Louisville Presbyterian Theological Seminary in Louisville, Kentucky. He is the author of several books on Presbyterian history.

Louis B. Weeks is President Emeritus of Union Theological Seminary and Presbyterian School of Christian Education in Richmond, Virginia. He formerly served as a stated supply pastor and as a missionary in the Presbyterian Church in Congo (then Zaire). He has written broadly about church history, ethics, development, administration, the Bible, pastoral care, and ministry. His books include To Be a Presbyterian, The Presbyterian Presence: Bible Words That Shape a Faith, and Making Ethical Decisions.

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Editorials

Library Journal

This volume in the ``Presbyterian Presence'' series provides background information on membership trends since colonial America and then studies results from congregational surveys and individual interviews, as well as information from case studies and research on denominational defection. Repeatedly, the editors find unintended and even paradoxical results from human actions: they therefore call for deeper appreciation for the unity of the church. Recommended for clergy, sociologists of religion, and for laypersons concerned with church growth, membership retention, and clergy hiring.