The coronavirus pandemic is accelerating the collapse of several mainline Protestant churches by curtailing charitable giving and forcing the cancellation of church conferences.
The two churches most visibly suffering are the Southern Baptist Convention and the United Methodist Church. Already divided by bitter intra-church disputes over gay marriage, the two churches each had factions formally planning to split before the pandemic hit. State restrictions on large gatherings, however, forced them to put off those plans.
But now, the unity forced by necessity is revealing deeper grievances within the warring wings of these churches. Both churches, which in March canceled potentially explosive conferences, are expected to split next year. Until then, they face rapid attrition in membership and in funding.
The UMC reported that during April, the most intense month of lockdowns, its revenues declined 26% compared to that time in 2019. Giving in 2019 was already in steep decline from previous years, according to the church’s internal news service, because of disagreements over whether or not funds would be used to normalize gay marriage.
Projected revenues for the remainder of 2020 don’t look much better: The church reported that it may not be able to raise enough money to pay the salaries of church staffers and ministers. The church in April acquired forgivable loans from the government and has since organized a social media campaign highlighting the urgency of its need.
“We are mindful that people are losing jobs,” church communications director Sharon Dean said in a statement. “But in places where people are still working and want to support their local church, we created a campaign to communicate the need and the thankfulness we have for people who continue to give.”
The SBC in June reported that, within the past year, it saw its single greatest drop in membership over the past year. The church, which has about 14 million members, lost nearly 300,000 in 2019. This is the 13th year straight decline for the church, and church leaders have no expectation that 2020 will be any better.
Executive Director of LifeWay Research Scott McConnell, who compiled the church’s data, said that, in his view, the decline is most likely accounted for by generational disagreements on many social issues — as well as the fact that fewer young people seek baptism for either themselves or their children.
McConnell sees the decline as part of a larger trend across Christian denominations. A Pew Research Center study last year found that 65% of Americans identify as Christian, a decline of 12% over the past decade.
“The Southern Baptist Convention is not immune to the increasing secularization among Americans that is seen in more of our children and our neighbors not having interest in coming to Jesus,” McConnell said.
Like the UMC, the SBC noted that in the past year, it has weathered a significant drop in giving exacerbated by the fact that many people were unable to donate to collection baskets during the pandemic shutdowns.
Ed Stetzer, a professor at Wheaton College who used to handle the church’s annual report, chalked up the consistent decline to “the constant infighting that is driving away the next generation of leaders and leaders of color,” according to the Associated Press.
As churches struggled financially during the spring, many attempted to make up for the loss in revenue through online donations.
Shortly after speaking with religious leaders on a mass phone call in March, Vice President Mike Pence asked Christians to keep donating even if “you’re not in the pews.”
“It’s still a good idea to, if you can, to go ahead and make that donation because all the ministries are continuing to play a vital role in our communities,” Pence said.
