(Blog) A Theological Shift & Aging Church Population - Ep. 989 - October 2, 2026

Episcopal Church Decline: Theology and Aging Membership

Reported Episcopal Church membership fell from about 3.4 million in 1960 to roughly 1.5 million in the account discussed on The Smith and Rowland Show. In episode 989, Alan Smith and Jeff Rowland move from their familiar Friday humor to a serious concern: churches have weakened biblical conviction while trying to attract younger generations.

If you're concerned about declining church attendance, their discussion also draws a distinction between people leaving Christianity and people leaving a denomination for an independent congregation. The Episcopal figures begin a wider conversation about repentance, the appeal of older traditions, and what churches offer those who come through their doors.

The Episcopal Church's Decline and Aging Membership

Alan and Jeff examine an account from Christian Faith Archive that describes a denomination losing members while its remaining membership grows older.

These are the figures presented in the discussion:

The concern goes beyond any single number. An older congregation needs younger generations to replace members who die, yet the account describes the Episcopal Church as closing more churches each year than it opens.

Christian Faith Archive projects that, if the reported pace continues, the denomination could cease to function as a major institution within the lifetimes of many current viewers. Jeff explicitly distinguishes that projection from a settled outcome: the forecast is conditional.

The relationship between declining membership and aging congregations is the larger issue. Fewer members and fewer younger participants can reinforce each other, leaving a church with a growing need to attract and retain the very people it struggles to reach.

Did Changes Meant to Attract Young People Work?

The Episcopal figures lead Jeff to a question about the theological changes churches have made over several decades. If churches changed their theology, presentation, and personality to attract younger people, why are they now left with declining attendance and an older membership?

Alan's answer is that the gospel hasn't needed replacement. He believes the message that brought people to Christ decades ago remains the message churches should offer now.

They treat the decline as evidence that something has gone wrong, but their explanation is a theological interpretation rather than a conclusion established by the membership figures alone. Their concern is that churches have altered the message while expecting those changes to preserve participation.

For both men, the response centers on recovering conviction about Scripture and the message of Christ. A different presentation cannot compensate for losing what they believe people came to church to receive.

Repentance Belongs at the Center of Christian Life

The discussion begins with the hosts' description of the American church as apostate and lukewarm. They connect those conditions to biblical warnings, so their existence doesn't surprise them. Their concern is the church's willingness to accept them.

"We should not be apathetic to our apathy."

Jeff argues that Christians need to confront spiritual indifference and call for repentance. He also identifies resistance to repentance as part of the theological shift they have been discussing.

In his view, Satan works strategically to discourage that call. A church that teaches believers they no longer need an ongoing life of repentance removes something essential from Christian discipleship.

The phrase "a lifestyle of repentance" captures their position. Repentance belongs throughout the believer's life, rather than only at its beginning. Therefore, they reject a version of Christianity that avoids confronting sin because confrontation might make people uncomfortable.

Alan also describes the decline as part of the biblical "great falling away." That language gives the conversation its urgency: they understand the issue as a spiritual departure, not merely a change in church attendance.

The Church as an Open Door Into God's Kingdom

Alan describes the church as an open door into the kingdom of God. People come seeking peace, security, and hope, with the expectation that God will lead them in daily life.

He contrasts that understanding with moralistic therapeutic deism, which he summarizes as an attitude that God is available when needed. Under that approach, people miss the relationship in which God is present and active every day.

Their discussion of "connecting the dots" follows the same thought. Although Christians sometimes draw criticism for seeing spiritual meaning in circumstances, Alan says believers are trying to recognize the Holy Spirit opening and closing doors.

When the Church Offers the World's Door

Alan believes some churches have exchanged the door into God's kingdom for a door into the kingdom of this world. They then try to describe what lies behind that worldly door as Christian.

His illustration also includes a third door, associated with hell. However, he makes a distinction: he identifies rejection of Christ's message as the decisive issue, rather than equating every worldly choice with rejection of salvation.

His concern is that worldliness doesn't provide the hope the church once offered. A moralistic, therapeutic message may retain Christian language while failing to communicate the truth behind it.

Looking Back at the Cultural Changes of the 1960s

The hosts use 1960 as a reference point because that's where the Episcopal membership account begins. However, they allow that the theological shift may have started earlier.

Jeff places the discussion within his understanding of America's Christian history. He argues that revival, including the Great Awakening, helped give rise to the nation and its Christian voice.

The Gospel for Young People and Adults

Jeff recalls a time when preaching the gospel to young people didn't require a different message from the one preached to adults. He acknowledges that children sometimes took on adult responsibilities earlier than they do now.

He also describes parents and schools teaching young people to reverence God, Scripture, the church, and Jesus Christ. In that setting, he says, youth participation wasn't the problem it later became.

The hosts recall earlier preaching against drunkenness and immorality, naming Billy Sunday and Billy Graham as examples of preachers who warned about sin and spiritual decline.

Fear, Rebellion, and the Jesus Movement

The conversation then turns to the hippie movement, "free love," and the wider rebellion of the 1960s. Jeff wonders whether churches responded in fear and changed their approach to appease youth culture.

At the same time, he acknowledges the Jesus movement as a genuine revival in which people were born again. It emerged within that cultural setting and carried some of its personality.

Their distinction is between reaching people within a culture and replacing the gospel to accommodate that culture.

Why Some Young People Are Seeking Older Traditions

Alan and Jeff discuss reports, including coverage they recall from Fox News, of renewed church attendance among younger people. They point to interest in Catholic, liturgical, and Reformed churches.

Jeff sees a shared attraction to something older and more stable. These churches aren't contemporary in the sense of offering the newest worship environment or presentation.

The hosts suggest that younger people may be seeking older forms because newer approaches have disappointed them. Alan describes that response as understandable: when the present approach doesn't work, people look back for something that did.

Tradition and Biblical Truth Aren't Identical

Jeff makes an important distinction between seeking tradition and seeking biblical truth. A person can appreciate liturgy, familiar language, or an established institution without understanding the message of Scripture.

Yet he believes the desire for stability can express a deeper hunger for what God's Word offers. He compares it with a person seeking fulfillment through alcohol or drugs: in his understanding, Christ is the fulfillment that person needs, even if they don't recognize it.

Jeff also says the Catholic Church is growing in America and worldwide, while acknowledging that he doesn't have statistics at hand. The discussion presents that growth as his observation, rather than a quantified comparison with Protestant decline.

Denominational Leaders as Guardians of Truth

Alan describes a change in his confidence in educated leaders. When he was younger, he expected the "smart people" to protect truth because they knew more and held positions of responsibility.

Over time, he says, that confidence has weakened. He believes some denominational leaders have changed biblical teaching to make it culturally acceptable, rather than guarding what they were entrusted to preserve.

He includes homosexuality among the issues where he believes leaders have failed to uphold biblical truth. His criticism centers on using education and authority to construct a different system instead of allowing Scripture to determine the church's position.

Their Recollection of R. C. Sproul's Church

Alan brings up R. C. Sproul's church as an example of a congregation known for holding firmly to Scripture. He places Sproul within the Reformed tradition and also mentions Ligonier Ministries.

Speaking from memory, Alan acknowledges uncertainty about dates, membership totals, and parts of the sequence. He recalls a pastor who followed Sproul facing denominational discipline, followed by the congregation voting to leave its Presbyterian denomination and become independent.

The hosts connect the dispute with inclusivity and women in the pulpit. They describe the congregation as holding to its established interpretation of Scripture.

For Alan, the example illustrates why a loss recorded by a denomination doesn't necessarily mean the people involved have stopped attending church.

Non-Denominational Growth Changes the Picture

The hosts emphasize that their account concerns established denominations. People who leave Lutheran, Presbyterian, Methodist, or other denominational churches may continue worshiping in independent congregations.

Alan cites the following figures during the conversation:

He describes non-denominational churches as the fastest-growing religious group in the United States, with substantial growth over several decades.

Jeff therefore argues that a report on denominational decline needs a companion report on the independent congregations that have emerged outside those structures. Otherwise, the denominational totals leave part of the story unexamined.

Still, both men reject the assumption that becoming non-denominational automatically means someone has found biblical truth. Leaving may show that a person is searching. It doesn't settle what they will find or what their new congregation will teach.

They mention New Life and Grace Place as examples of churches they know that fit the non-denominational category.

Independent Churches Can Rebuild the Same Rigid Systems

Alan notes that denominations associated with Luther, Wesley, and Calvin grew around leaders who weren't originally operating within the later structures bearing their names. Their followers tried to preserve the essence of those leaders' teaching.

Jeff warns that independent churches can repeat the same process. A movement leaves an established system, experiences freedom, and then builds another system that demands conformity.

"When you go outside the camp, you build another camp."

He connects that observation with the language in Hebrews about going outside the camp. The danger is turning the structure that once brought freedom into an object of loyalty that competes with God.

Congregational Autonomy and Its Limits

The hosts also discuss the Baptist emphasis on the autonomy of the local church, particularly among independent Baptists. Each congregation can have its own expression of faith and practices, even when churches share certain beliefs.

They recognize the value of that independence. However, a new congregation can still declare that anyone who doesn't do things its way isn't following God.

Jeff's warning applies to non-denominational churches as much as to older denominations. A different label doesn't prevent the same rigid attitudes from returning.

Making Room for Historic Hymns and Contemporary Worship

The hosts apply the same concern to worship music. Jeff recalls supporting a new sound when contemporary music faced resistance from those committed to older styles.

He sees nothing wrong with contemporary worship. The problem begins when a new sound becomes an idol and its supporters dismiss every other form.

His preferred approach is to build on what came before. Old and new can belong together without either becoming a test of faithfulness.

Jeff even questions whether "blended" fully describes the result. To him, bringing old and new together creates something new because it contains both.

The issue reaches beyond music to the whole church environment. Rejecting everything old for the sake of change can destroy things worth keeping.

At the same time, Jeff makes room for a congregation that uses only contemporary worship. His objection concerns contempt toward other expressions, such as criticizing someone who loves to sing "Just As I Am."

What the Old Hymns Still Offer

Jeff speaks warmly about the old red-back hymnal. He says reading the lyrics, even without singing, can teach Scripture and move a believer's soul.

The poetry of those songs leads him to conclude that the Holy Spirit was at work in the people who wrote them. Their value lies in what they say about God and the faith they express.

Alan and Jeff also affirm worship in a mountain church with a banjo, mandolin, upright bass, and acoustic guitars. They mention singing "I Saw the Light" as an example of an expression they welcome.

That appreciation comes from experience. They recall visiting a church of that kind during the previous week. Although it wasn't active when they visited, they could recognize the worship tradition it had held.

Their examples make room for several sounds without making one sound the standard by which every other congregation must be judged.

Church Closures and Signs of New Growth

Neither host opposes denominations. Both say they want denominational churches to grow, and they are troubled by church buildings being sold.

Alan mentions former churches converted into restaurants, including one he recalls as being in Chicago. He describes a beautiful building with stained-glass windows that a young couple bought and repurposed.

While others celebrated the conversion, the hosts saw the loss of a place of worship. They describe too many "for sale" signs in front of churches and too much ground being lost.

Jesus Image as a Contrasting Example

Alan also points to a new building project at Jesus Image outside Orlando, led by Michael Koulianos. He describes Koulianos as committed to Scripture and says his messages center on Christ.

Alan mentions that Koulianos married Benny Hinn's daughter. Although some people hold that connection against him, Alan doesn't. He speaks positively about the family's love for God and also mentions knowing Koulianos' father and the service of Theo Koulianos.

For Alan, Jesus Image offers an example of new growth alongside the closures they have been discussing. He also appreciates its use of contemporary worship when the content directs people toward worshiping God.

A Congregation Taking Over "How Great Thou Art"

Alan recounts watching a Jesus Image service in which a visiting worship leader prepared to lead "How Great Thou Art." Instead, the leader began worshiping, and the congregation started singing the hymn.

The leader never took over the song. He went to his knees and then to the floor in worship while the congregation continued.

Eventually, a woman came to the microphone and helped lead the singing. The worship leader remained on the floor, and the service continued beyond what Alan describes as a normal stopping point.

Alan and Jeff recognize that kind of shared worship from their own experience. Their enthusiasm for the moment also shows why they resist treating older hymns as obsolete.

A contemporary congregation can sing a historic hymn with wholehearted worship. In their account, the age of the song didn't limit the congregation's response to God.

Prophetic Urgency Without Claiming to Be the Only Faithful Church

The hosts acknowledge that their teaching often gives substantial attention to end-times eschatology. They also recognize that younger generations may not always want to hear that emphasis.

Their reason for continuing is their conviction that the hour is late. Jeff uses the image of a clock approaching midnight: someone needs to tell people what time it is.

Alongside that urgency, the growth of independent churches gives them encouragement. They recall the biblical account in which a servant of God feels alone, only to learn that God has 7,000 who remain faithful.

The reference challenges the assumption that one congregation or movement contains all the faithful believers. God has people beyond the groups any individual knows.

Alan and Jeff close by repeating that they aren't against denominations. Their criticism concerns leaders who, in their judgment, have departed from Scripture. They preview a continuation of the discussion focused on the Disciples of Christ and the United Church of Christ.

Biblical Conviction Beyond the Membership Numbers

The Episcopal figures raise a serious concern about declining membership and aging congregations. Yet denominational losses don't account for every believer who has moved into an independent church.

Alan and Jeff's central argument is that church life needs repentance and biblical conviction, whatever its structure or worship style. Neither an old tradition nor a new label guarantees faithfulness to Christ.

Their concern rests on what the church offers through its open door: the message of Christ and a life led by God.

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