A PERSONAL NOTE: Some of my closest, dearest friends are members and pastors of the ELCA Lutheran church and it grieves me to see what has happened to their church in the past few years.
One of the things my ELCA friends and I most often talk about is why this denomination is struggling to keep their churches open. Overall church attendance in our Nation is diminishing, but the once healthy, growing ELCA has in just a few short years become the fastest declining church in America.
I had a difficult time writing this because I hated to use the ELCA as an example of how progressive liberal theology is destroying the Protestant mainline church. Unfortunately, it is the best example we currently have in our Nation and so it was with great reluctance that I chose to use it. As painful as this may be to read, it does give some context for the changes taking place.
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Does Progressive Liberal Theology Work?
In other words, for the mainline churches who have adopted all or part of this new theology, has it helped or harmed them? The United Methodist Church recently voted on a plan to leave human sexuality to the churches to determine what their guidelines will be on issues like membership, marriage of same-sex couples, and ordination of LGBTQ persons. Each UMC church would be allowed to choose their own theology.
The denomination that has been the most changed in recent years by this new wave of liberalism is the ELCA Lutheran Church. In 2009, they adopted the same plan of how to address the issue of human sexuality that the UMC was considering. An ELCA ordained minister, the Reverend Dave Keener wrote the following to the UMC as a warning of what could possibly happen if they chose to go down the same progressive liberal path that the ELCA did. Reflecting on the eventual division in the ELCA and its similarities to the current crisis in the UMC, Reverend Keener notes that the ELCA plan used a term “bound conscience” meaning that a pastor and a church would not be forced to change their theology. During the voting process, the assembly was assured that the theological and biblical positions of traditionalist and progressives alike would be respected. But soon after the vote, it became clear to the traditionalists that there was in reality only one acceptable position and it wasn’t theirs. Since the decisions of 2009, the ELCA has intentionally become more progressive and the traditionalists who remain in that denomination have been marginalized.
The move toward Progressive Liberal Theology and adoption of the new doctrine on human sexualtiy has had a devastating impact on the ELCA denomination. According to Reverend Keener, there has been a..
Massive loss in membership. In the seven years after the decision to go against the historic teaching of the church, the ELCA lost over one million members. They continue to lose members and close churches but in 2016 they decided to no longer release declining membership and attendance numbers to the public.
Massive loss of income. In the first few years after the vote, the ELCA was forced to lay off hundreds of workers and experienced significant decreases in all areas of funding. Their current income for denominational expenses is less than it was in 1987, the year it was organized.
Global impact. Many churches in other parts of the world broke off formal ties with the ELCA — especially in Africa and the East.
Loss of confessional identity and loyalty. It was no longer possible for local pastors to recommend that members who were relocating find an ELCA congregation since there was no longer unity in biblical teaching.
Crisis with theological education. Since the vote, the ELCA has slowly purged itself of orthodox seminary professors who taught biblical principles and historic Lutheran theology. They have had to merge two of their seminaries for financial reasons and have removed one seminary president at the urging of progressive advocacy groups.
Diminishment of diversity. One of the battle cries for the ELCA in making their decision was diversity, inclusion and welcoming. Ironically, according to a Pew research study last year, the ELCA is now the second least diverse and multicultural denomination in the USA (96% white).
Theological drift because of lack of accountability. Since the 2009 decision, the denomination has continued to drift and the ELCA lost its ability to speak credibly to any issue. In saying that it doesn’t really matter what the Bible clearly states, they reduce it to one resource among many and not God’s revelation to His people. Everything becomes a matter of opinion and soon the scripture has no authority for life. ELCA pastors preaching various forms of universalism and denying the atonement of Jesus on the cross for our sins is becoming more and more common. Once biblical authority and historical teachings are removed, pastors can create their own theology and a San Francisco ELCA pastor preaches Jesus as transgender and a bi-sexual.
The United Methodist Church wisely decided to not follow the ELCA down that progressive path and they voted to maintain their traditional Bible-based doctrine on human sexuality. They saw how quickly theology can drift in just one generation, once the theological core of a tribe has been removed. Church experts believe that, based on declining membership, the ELCA will most likely cease to exist in 20-25 years. If the UMC continues to hold its course as a Bible-believing church, it may be one of the only mainline churches to survive this mainline movement towards progressive liberal theology.
The above was compiled from a UMC site and edited for clarity and length.
