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Since then, the decline in young elders has been 207, or a 24% decline. The situation is reflective of pessimism among mainline ministers that theres no expectation of any radical turnaround, no shift in mission that could lead to a rebound in church attendance. It has more than six thousand churches and a . Evangelism and numerical church growth have not been a priority for Methodist leadership since the era when gradualism replaced conversion.. In the decade to 2016, the Methodist Churchs membership fell by an average of 3.5 per cent each year. It is in the best interest of all bishops, institutional leaders, theological conservatives and theological progressives to change course and institute policies which reflect the gracious spirit of the Protocol, rather than enforcing a punitive (and selective) letter of the law. And a top-heavy, expensive denominational superstructure will likely continue as is, draining away diminishing resources. The Industrial Revolution brought major changes as Americans moved from farms to the cities. Why I'm No Longer a United Methodist - The Gospel Coalition This created serious tensions, even a crisis, in Methodism. Many of us who grew up in United Methodist congregations have fond memories of UM retreat centers. The Jesus they put forth is a mascot, not the Master, and the god they put forth is an idol. In the last few years, many United Methodists in the U.S. have kept their heads down, waiting for the Protocol of Reconciliation and Grace through Separation to pass. By the late 1930s, Methodism realized that its rural base was eroding rapidly as people moved to the cities and pastors served rural circuits only as stepping stones to village or urban stations. The Town and Country Movement developed enough influence to have every seminary devote one faculty position to the rural parish, but the professors training was in rural sociology with no emphasis on evangelism. In 2013, the membership was 1,760,200, a decline of 47 percent.