I know it was ENI/RNS that listed the Mormans as a denomination when it is a cult. Perhaps they just wanted to list it among religious bodies. But it's a wimpy church when it fails to make a distinction in reports like this when people are led to believe that the Mormans are Christians; you have to believe in a second relevation to believe that Mormans are Christians. It's going to be an interesting race in 2012 if Romney gets the nomination.

The information regarding National Baptist Convention U.S.A. and National Missionary Baptist Convention U.S.A. are overly inflated. These are predominately african-american conventions and the numbers are off. There is approximately 350 million people in the US. 10% of the population are african americans which means there are 35 million african americans in the US give or take a few million. The point is there is no way that 8.5 million african americans are part of these baptist bodies. I am a member of National Missionary Baptist Convention and at best there may be 20,000 members. Those bodies are comprised of senior citizens 60 years and above. Many african americans are non-denominational and others are tied to other denominations but I guarantee you they are not in these two listed conventions. These bodies have been in decline for the past 20+ years.

What is the difference between the average PCUSA Sunday Sermon content and that of a local university philosophy or sociology lecture ? Visit a few PCUSA Churches and decide for yourself. Make sure to evaluate the credence evolutionary and humanistic doctrine is given with respect to inerrant Biblical authority. The PCUSA needs to examine what their actual " mission statement" is. The "boomers and gen-x`ers" are simply responding in a realistic manner to a Church with a watered down secular message. This is the reason I left the PCUSA for a Reformed Church

The problem - worried more about issues and trying to be liked by the world instead of fulfilling the Great Commission and adhering to the standards of the faith that are explicit in the Scripture. Too many of the churches seek to be "inclusive" and admired by the world. When the church looks like the world, why bother going to church? People, as they always have, want the truth. Too many pastors are too concerned about offending some regarding their lives that they instead, choose to offend God.

In the first real attempt at a census taken in America, 1790. It was estimated that about 20% of the colonial population were Presbyterian or other reformed groups. Projected to the US population now, that would mean the various Presbyterian groups would number about 60 million in 2010. In a sense we have been in decline for over 200 years. And given our historic tendency to schism over matters of doctrine and dogma, 11 major breaks since 1820, we are what we are.

As I have stated a number of times, the PCUSA is over-franchised in terms of the number of churches, square footage of worship space, clergy seeking jobs, and under-resourced in mission and capital neeeded just to maintain the current administrative system, relative to the actual number of people active in PCUSA churches. Age and demographic trends do not bode well going into the future. The restructure and reformation of the PCUSA will be painful, and not without its associated gut-checks along the way. But the church that emerges from the ashes will in many way be far better to address and manage the issues and needs of people in contemporary culture and where people find themselves now. As we move away from the culture wars that consumed the Boomer generation over matters of sexuality and autonomy, Gen X and Y generations will embrace a new spirituality, far different from their grandparents. Less requirement on denominational structure and identity, more so on service and personal fulfillment.

But since 1720 and the first synods in Philadelphia, that's the way it has always been.

When I look at the list of churches which are growing, I don't choose to belong to any of them. Do you want to imitate Catholics? Pentecostals? Mormons? Presbyterian/Reformed have their own unique gifts that contribute to the whole Body of Christ. No member of Christ's Body should be viewed as less necessary than any other. Numbers or majorities do not equal justice, righteousness, or fidelity to Christ's Gospel.

This is another sad factual article about the state of affairs within our denomination in particular, and the Christian movement in general! We all know there has been a constant decline in membership, attendance and commitment to our faith for fifty years.

Now I have some questions like:
What is the plan to stop the annual decline in our denomination?
Is the plan on the internet so members can read it?
Who is in charge of denomination growth?
What has he or she done in the past two years that has made a positive impact on church growth?
Do we have a national advertising campaign to attract visitors?
What is our message to the world?
Are we in a death spiral that no one knows how to arrest?
Do members believe our decline is acceptable?

If the Presbyterian Church USA were a business with a profit and loss statement along with a board of directors, these questions would be some of the easy ones at the next Board meeting.