TLDR;
This video analyzes the dramatic decline of the United Church of Canada, which lost 80% of its members in just two generations. It argues that the church's embrace of progressive theology, prioritization of social justice over spiritual formation, abandonment of evangelism, and loss of theological distinctiveness led to its collapse. The video suggests that the church's attempt to stay relevant by mirroring secular progressive values alienated both traditional and progressive individuals, ultimately leading to its obsolescence.
- The United Church of Canada experienced an 80% membership decline in two generations.
- Embracing progressive theology, prioritizing social justice over spiritual formation, and abandoning evangelism contributed to the decline.
- The church's attempt to stay relevant by mirroring secular progressive values alienated both traditional and progressive individuals.
- The video argues that theological clarity and gospel proclamation are essential for church growth and survival.
Introduction: The Collapse of the United Church of Canada [0:00]
The United Church of Canada has experienced a significant decline, losing two million members in just 40 years. Once the largest Protestant denomination in Canada, with churches across the country and a strong cultural influence, it has seen an 80% collapse in membership in two generations, now numbering fewer than 400,000 members. A minister recounts the moment she realized the church's decline was irreversible when only nine elderly members attended a service in a church that could seat 400, leading to the congregation's disbandment due to financial constraints. The church's attempt to change and stay relevant ultimately led to its demise. The video aims to explain how the church's pursuit of relevance led to its irrelevance.
The Rise and Revolution of the United Church [2:16]
Formed in 1925 through a merger, the United Church of Canada peaked in 1965 with over 1 million members and a significant presence in Canadian society. It was synonymous with moderate Canadian Protestantism. However, starting in the 1960s, the church rapidly embraced progressive theology, questioning traditional doctrines, reinterpreting scripture, prioritizing social justice, and embracing theological pluralism. A key decision in 1988 to ordain openly gay and lesbian ministers led to an immediate exodus of members. Despite losing over 300,000 members between 1988 and 2000, church leadership remained confident that younger, progressive Canadians would join, but this did not happen.
The Exodus and the Irrelevance of the Gospel [3:54]
Margaret Chen, a former member of 30 years, left the United Church due to its shift away from Jesus and scripture towards topics like climate change and gender theory. The church's membership numbers have drastically declined, from 1,064,000 in 1965 to 375,000 in 2023, with the decline accelerating. Approximately 40 congregations close each year, and many church buildings are being sold or demolished. Reverend David Morrison recounts the closure of a rural Saskatchewan church in 2018, highlighting the grief of the remaining elderly members. The United Church's collapse exemplifies a pattern in progressive mainline Protestantism, where attempts to stay relevant led to obsolescence.
The Steps to Obsolescence: Questioning Doctrine and Prioritizing Social Justice [6:04]
The United Church's decline can be attributed to several steps. First, they questioned core doctrines such as the virgin birth, the resurrection, and Jesus's divinity, reframing Christianity as one path among many. Second, they prioritized social justice over spiritual formation, focusing on issues like poverty, indigenous rights, and LGBTQ inclusion, which became the church's primary identity. Sarah Bennett recalls how worship services shifted from hymns about Jesus to songs about peace and justice, making the church feel more like a progressive activism meeting.
Abandoning Evangelism and Losing Theological Distinctiveness [7:40]
The United Church became uncomfortable with evangelism, deeming it too aggressive and exclusive, and instead emphasized dialogue and pluralism. Without evangelism, the church struggled to maintain membership. Furthermore, the church lost its theological distinctiveness, struggling to differentiate itself from secular progressive organizations. By embracing pluralism, questioning core doctrines, and prioritizing social justice, the church offered progressive politics with vague spiritual language, failing to provide a unique value proposition that would attract progressive Canadians.
The Catastrophic Miscalculation and the Failure of Progressive Theology [9:01]
The United Church mistakenly believed that embracing progressive theology would attract younger, progressive Canadians, but this failed completely. Progressive Canadians do not need the church to express their values, as they can do so through secular institutions. The church alienated traditional Christians without attracting progressive ones, losing both audiences. Reverend Thomas Hutcherson reflects that the church confused being prophetic with being relevant, offering nothing unique and removing the essence of what made it a church.
Data and Differing Perspectives on the Decline [10:49]
The United Church's decline accelerated after embracing progressive positions, with the 1988 decision on sexuality not bringing growth but accelerating loss. In contrast, evangelical churches in Canada, which maintained theological orthodoxy and evangelistic mission, declined less dramatically. However, Reverend Jennifer Macdonald argues that the decline is due to secularization affecting all of Christianity and that the church chose to be faithful to gospel values like inclusion and justice. She views the decline as a cost of faithfulness rather than proof of being wrong.
The Data's Story and the Choice the United Church Made [12:22]
Despite arguments framing the United Church's choices as prophetic witness, data indicates that conservative evangelical churches in Canada declined far slower. Growing churches, such as Pentecostal and some Catholic parishes, maintained theological clarity and demanded commitment. The United Church's choice was between theological clarity and ambiguity, gospel proclamation and political activism, and ultimately, between being the church and being a progressive nonprofit with religious language, leading to catastrophic institutional collapse.
Lessons from the Collapse: Progressive Theology, Social Justice, and Theological Clarity [13:18]
The United Church's collapse disproves the idea that progressive theology attracts young people, as they left the church faster despite its progressive stances. Young progressive individuals often find church unnecessary due to their post-religious ideology. Social justice is not a substitute for the gospel, as people need the church for unique offerings like encounters with God and spiritual transformation. Theological clarity matters, as the United Church's pluralism and ambiguity were confusing and unsatisfying, while growing churches have clear theological identities.
The Future of the United Church and the Lesson for Other Denominations [16:09]
The United Church is dying and is projected to be functionally extinct within 20 years, with declining membership and accelerating church closures. The tragedy is that the church squandered its resources by abandoning its core identity. The lesson for other mainline denominations is that the progressive path leads to rapid and catastrophic death. Denominations that embraced progressive theology and prioritized social justice are declining, while theologically conservative denominations are maintaining stability or declining slowly. The United Church's failure highlights the consequences of prioritizing relevance over faithfulness.
Conclusion: The Consequences of Choosing Relevance Over Faithfulness [19:05]
The United Church's collapse serves as a cautionary tale about the dangers of trying to save churches by becoming like the world and trading the gospel for relevance. The minister of a closing United Church in Ontario lamented that they changed everything to survive but died anyway, suggesting that holding onto their Christian identity might have led to a different outcome. The United Church chose relevance over faithfulness and achieved neither, offering a lesson for every church to prioritize the gospel and transform culture rather than reflect it.
