May we please put to rest the "mainline decline"/"evangelical churches grow" nonsense? Let's talk about the most dramatic story - a decade of precipitous decline in white evangelical churches. 
The percentage of white mainliners and white evangelicals is now the same: 15% of the population.
The mainline percentage have stayed within a 13-17% range for a decade; while the evangelical percentage has dropped 6-7 points at the same time.
The mainline percentage have stayed within a 13-17% range for a decade; while the evangelical percentage has dropped 6-7 points at the same time.
*has stayed
Also note: the white mainline percentage has ticked up since 2016.
The old saw is "only conservative churches grow." Well, this puts that to rest.
A century of theological argument between the heirs of Fundamentalism and the heirs of Modernism has resulted in a numerical tie.
Note to smart politicians: Don't spend all your cash wooing white evangelicals who are probably going to continue voting GOP no matter what.
Put energy into speaking w/evangelicals of color, non-religious folks, white mainliners (who value civic participation), and RCs.
Put energy into speaking w/evangelicals of color, non-religious folks, white mainliners (who value civic participation), and RCs.
If you are going to base your view that the evangelical numbers are stable, you have to discount racial differences among evangelicals - differences that are significant in everything from theology to politics engagements to economic and social status.
Wrote a piece about this chart and its implications: Evangelical Decline, or Why Conservative Churches Are Shrinking:
https://twitter.com/dianabutlerbass/status/1316005766290190336
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