Lutheran Synod Leaders Review Membership Decline at St. Louis Summit

ST. LOUIS: The Lutheran Church–Missouri Synod’s overall membership has declined by about 12 percent in the last decade alone. At a stewardship summit at the LCMS International Center here on Feb. 3, the Synod’s Office of National Mission (ONM) hosted Dr. Ryan MacPherson, a professor at Bethany College in Mankato, Minn., and president of the “Into Your Hands” consulting firm. MacPherson outlined reasons for the Synod’s demographic decline, examined common assumptions about its causes and remedies, and offered recommendations for Synod leaders and laity attending his “Generational Generosity” summit.

MacPherson described several “standard stories,” or assumptions that Missouri Synod Lutherans might hold about the decline. He said his research did not support them.

According to MacPherson’s study, two major factors account for most of the downward trend in LCMS membership. The first is a birth rate that has declined for more than 50 years among white Anglo Americans of Northern European descent, a major Synod demographic. His study found that rising rates of divorce and non-marital cohabitation among younger people have intensified this challenge. The second is a decline, over the past 20 years, in the retention of baptized infants as they grow toward confirmation age. “Only about half of the children baptized a decade-and-a-half ago were present for confirmation in the past few years,” MacPherson said.

MacPherson said LCMS preschools and other childhood centers are commendable, but he cautioned that they are not a cure for attracting young families. His study showed that child baptisms fell 55 percent from 1990 to 2010, a period when LCMS childhood centers were growing in number and enrollment. He said congregations with schools have generally retained children at a higher rate than those without, but that this advantage has been shrinking. “It seems that more and more families connect with a congregation for preschool, but then disengage in the years that follow,” he said.

MacPherson noted that half or more of LCMS preschool children come from outside the Synod, which makes early-childhood centers a significant mission opportunity. He said programs focused on children often fail to engage parents over the long term, and he argued that more adult-to-adult ministry and a holistic approach to young families are needed. Keeping the next generation within the congregation is, in this sense, part of passing the faith on (Psalm 78:4).

The Rev. Nathan Meador, assistant coordinator of stewardship for the ONM, said, “The family will be a key part of the LCMS’ future strength in sharing the Gospel.” He described the report as a call “to come to grips with who we have been, who we are now and then to seize the God-given opportunities to be who God called us to be.” Meador added that the church may become smaller in the future but holds a strong position as a “faithful remnant church” going forward.

Meador and the Rev. Heath Curtis, ONM stewardship coordinator, brought MacPherson to the International Center for the summit as part of the ONM’s stewardship-ministry efforts.

Source: Read the original report