
The mainline Protestants (sometimes also known as oldline Protestants) are a group of
Protestant denominations in the United States and
Canada
Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...
largely of the
theologically liberal or
theologically progressive persuasion that contrast in history and practice with the largely theologically conservative
evangelical
Evangelicalism (), also called evangelical Christianity or evangelical Protestantism, is a worldwide, interdenominational movement within Protestantism, Protestant Christianity that emphasizes evangelism, or the preaching and spreading of th ...
,
fundamentalist,
charismatic
Charisma () is a personal quality of magnetic charm, persuasion, or appeal.
In the fields of sociology and political science, psychology, and management, the term ''charismatic'' describes a type of leadership.
In Christian theology, the term ...
,
confessional,
Confessing Movement, historically
Black church, and
Global South
Global North and Global South are terms that denote a method of grouping countries based on their defining characteristics with regard to socioeconomics and politics. According to UN Trade and Development (UNCTAD), the Global South broadly com ...
Protestant denominations and congregations.
Some make a distinction between "mainline" and "oldline", with the former referring only to denominational ties and the latter referring to church lineage, prestige and influence. However, this distinction has largely been lost to history and the terms are now nearly synonymous.
Mainline Protestant churches have stressed
social justice
Social justice is justice in relation to the distribution of wealth, opportunities, and privileges within a society where individuals' rights are recognized and protected. In Western and Asian cultures, the concept of social justice has of ...
and personal
salvation
Salvation (from Latin: ''salvatio'', from ''salva'', 'safe, saved') is the state of being saved or protected from harm or a dire situation. In religion and theology, ''salvation'' generally refers to the deliverance of the soul from sin and its c ...
, and both
politically and
theologically, tend to be more liberal than non-mainline Protestant churches. Mainline Protestant churches share a common approach that often leads to collaboration in organizations such as the
National Council of Churches, and because of their involvement with the
ecumenical movement, they are sometimes given the alternative label of "ecumenical Protestantism" (especially outside the United States). While in 1970 the mainline Protestant churches claimed most Protestants and more than 30 percent of the American population as members, they were a minority among American Protestants, claiming approximately 15 percent of American adults.
Terminology
The term ''mainline Protestant'' was coined during
debates between modernists and fundamentalists in the 1920s. Several sources claim that the term is derived from the
Philadelphia Main Line, a group of affluent suburbs of Philadelphia; most residents belonged to mainline denominations. Today, most mainline Protestants remain rooted in the Northeastern and Midwestern United States. C. Kirk Hadaway and Penny Long Marler define the term as follows: "the term 'mainline Protestant' is used along with 'mainstream Protestant' and 'oldline Protestant' to categorize denominations that are affiliated with the National Council of Churches and have deep historical roots in and long-standing influence on American society."
In the US, Protestantism is generally divided between mainline denominations and
evangelical
Evangelicalism (), also called evangelical Christianity or evangelical Protestantism, is a worldwide, interdenominational movement within Protestantism, Protestant Christianity that emphasizes evangelism, or the preaching and spreading of th ...
or
theologically conservative denominations. In other parts of the world, the term ''mainline Protestant'' is not used. Instead, the term "
ecumenical" is used to distinguish similar churches from evangelical denominations. Some have criticized the term ''mainline'' for its alleged
White Anglo-Saxon Protestant
In the United States, White Anglo-Saxon Protestants or Wealthy Anglo-Saxon Protestants (WASP) is a Sociology, sociological term which is often used to describe White Americans, white Protestantism in the United States, Protestant Americans of E ...
ethnocentric and elitist assumptions, and its erroneous association with the term "mainstream" since it almost exclusively described
White American, non-
fundamentalist and non-
evangelical
Evangelicalism (), also called evangelical Christianity or evangelical Protestantism, is a worldwide, interdenominational movement within Protestantism, Protestant Christianity that emphasizes evangelism, or the preaching and spreading of th ...
Protestant Americans from its origin to the late twentieth century.
''Mainline'' vs. ''mainstream''
The term ''mainstream Christian'' in academic usage is not equivalent to ''mainline Protestant'' and is often used as an attempt to find impartial sociological vocabulary in distinguishing ''
orthodoxy
Orthodoxy () is adherence to a purported "correct" or otherwise mainstream- or classically-accepted creed, especially in religion.
Orthodoxy within Christianity refers to acceptance of the doctrines defined by various creeds and ecumenical co ...
'' and ''
heresy
Heresy is any belief or theory that is strongly at variance with established beliefs or customs, particularly the accepted beliefs or religious law of a religious organization. A heretic is a proponent of heresy.
Heresy in Heresy in Christian ...
''. Hence in Christological and doctrinal reference ''
mainstream Christianity'' is often equivalent to ''
Trinitarianism
The Trinity (, from 'threefold') is the Christian doctrine concerning the nature of God, which defines one God existing in three, , consubstantial divine persons: God the Father, God the Son (Jesus Christ) and God the Holy Spirit, three ...
''. Mainline Protestantism should not be confused with
Nicene Christianity
Nicene Christianity includes those Christian denominations that adhere to the teaching of the Nicene Creed, which was formulated at the First Council of Nicaea in AD 325 and amended at the First Council of Constantinople in AD 381. It encompas ...
which is more widely accepted as having the "mainstream Christianity" designation that also includes
Catholics,
Eastern and
Oriental Orthodox
The Oriental Orthodox Churches are Eastern Christianity, Eastern Christian churches adhering to Miaphysitism, Miaphysite Christology, with approximately 50 million members worldwide. The Oriental Orthodox Churches adhere to the Nicene Christian ...
believers, and non-Mainline Protestants such as
Evangelical
Evangelicalism (), also called evangelical Christianity or evangelical Protestantism, is a worldwide, interdenominational movement within Protestantism, Protestant Christianity that emphasizes evangelism, or the preaching and spreading of th ...
,
Fundamentalist,
Charismatic
Charisma () is a personal quality of magnetic charm, persuasion, or appeal.
In the fields of sociology and political science, psychology, and management, the term ''charismatic'' describes a type of leadership.
In Christian theology, the term ...
,
Confessional,
Confessing Movement, the historically
Black church, and
Global South
Global North and Global South are terms that denote a method of grouping countries based on their defining characteristics with regard to socioeconomics and politics. According to UN Trade and Development (UNCTAD), the Global South broadly com ...
Protestants
Protestantism is a branch of Christianity that emphasizes Justification (theology), justification of sinners Sola fide, through faith alone, the teaching that Salvation in Christianity, salvation comes by unmerited Grace in Christianity, divin ...
.
In the United Kingdom and Australia, the term ''mainline Protestant'' is not used, and ''mainstream'' does not mean ''progressive'' Protestant. Although some supporters and adherents do claim that Mainline Protestant is synonymous with Mainstream Protestant.
Denominations

The largest mainline churches are sometimes referred to as the "Seven Sisters of American
Protestantism
Protestantism is a branch of Christianity that emphasizes Justification (theology), justification of sinners Sola fide, through faith alone, the teaching that Salvation in Christianity, salvation comes by unmerited Grace in Christianity, divin ...
," a term apparently coined by William Hutchison. The "Seven Sisters" are:
*
United Methodist Church
The United Methodist Church (UMC) is a worldwide mainline Protestant Christian denomination, denomination based in the United States, and a major part of Methodism. In the 19th century, its main predecessor, the Methodist Episcopal Church, was ...
(UMC) is the largest mainline Protestant denomination among the "Seven Sisters" with 5.4 million members in the United States in 2022.
*
Evangelical Lutheran Church in America
The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) is a mainline Protestant church headquartered in Chicago, Illinois. The ELCA was officially formed on January 1, 1988, by the merging of three Lutheran church bodies. As of December 31, 2023, it ...
(ELCA) is the second largest mainline denomination with approximately 2.8 million members and 8,500 congregations at the end of 2023.
*
Episcopal Church (TEC) is third largest, with 1.6 million active baptized members, of whom 1.4 million members are located in the United States in 2022.
*
Presbyterian Church (USA) (PC-USA) is the fourth largest mainline denomination, with 1.1 million active members in 8,700 congregations (2021).
*
American Baptist Churches USA (ABC-USA) is fifth in size, with approximately 1.1 million members (2017).
*
United Church of Christ (UCC) is the sixth and has about 710,000 members in 2022.
*
Christian Church (Disciples of Christ)
The Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) is a mainline Protestant Christian denomination in the United States and Canada. The denomination started with the Restoration Movement during the Second Great Awakening, first existing during the 19th ...
(DOC) is the seventh and has about 278,000 members as of 2022.
The term 'mainline' has also been applied to Canadian Protestant churches that share common origins with their US counterparts such as the:
*
United Church of Canada
The United Church of Canada (UCC; ) is a mainline Protestant denomination that is the largest Protestant Christian denomination in Canada and the second largest Canadian Christian denomination after the Catholic Church in Canada.
The United Chu ...
325,315 members (2023), 1.2 million adherents according to 2021 Canadian Census
*
Anglican Church of Canada
The Anglican Church of Canada (ACC or ACoC) is the Ecclesiastical province#Anglican Communion, province of the Anglican Communion in Canada. The official French-language name is ''l'Église anglicane du Canada''. In 2016, the Anglican Church of ...
294,931 members (2022), 1.1 million adherents according to 2021 Canadian Census
*
Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada 111,570 members (2015)
*
Canadian Baptist Ministries 81,685 members
*
Presbyterian Church in Canada
The Presbyterian Church in Canada () is a Presbyterian denomination, serving in Canada under this name since 1875. The United Church of Canada claimed the right to the name from 1925 to 1939. According to the Religion in Canada, Canada 2021 Censu ...
79,961 members (2019)
*
Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) in Canada 2,606 members
The
Association of Religion Data Archives
The Association of Religion Data Archives (ARDA) is a free source of online information related to American and international religion. One of the primary goals of the archive is to democratize access to academic information on religion by making t ...
,
Pew Research, and other sources also consider these denominations, listed with adherents and members, to be mainline:
*
Cooperative Baptist Fellowship 700,000 members
*
Religious Society of Friends
Quakers are people who belong to the Religious Society of Friends, a historically Protestant Christian set of denominations. Members refer to each other as Friends after in the Bible, and originally, others referred to them as Quakers ...
(Quakers) 350,000 members
*
Reformed Church in America
The Reformed Church in America (RCA) is a mainline Reformed Protestant denomination in Canada and the United States. It has about 82,865 members. From its beginning in 1628 until 1819, it was the North American branch of the Dutch Reformed ...
104,921 members (2022)
*
Mennonite Church USA 100,000 members
*
Church of the Brethren
The Church of the Brethren is an Anabaptist Christian denomination in the Schwarzenau Brethren tradition ( "Schwarzenau New Baptists") that was organized in 1708 by Alexander Mack in Schwarzenau, Germany during the Radical Pietist revival. ...
87,181 members (2021)
*
International Council of Community Churches 69,276 members (2009)
*
National Association of Congregational Christian Churches 65,392 members (2002)
*
Alliance of Baptists 65,000 members
*
Moravian Church in North America 60,000 members
*
Universal Fellowship of Metropolitan Community Churches 15,666 members (2006)
*
Latvian Evangelical Lutheran Church in America 12,000 members (2007)
*
Estonian Evangelical Lutheran Church Abroad 8,000 members
*
Hungarian Reformed Church in America 6,080 members
These same sources also consider "Mainline" other denominations outside the US, including:
*
Anglican Church of Mexico 100,000 members
*
Mennonite Church Canada 31,000 members
* The term is also occasionally used to refer to historic Protestant churches in Europe, Latin America, and South Africa.
Historically African American denominations are usually categorized differently from evangelicals or mainline. However, in 2014 the ''
Christian Century'' identified that these groups "fit the mainline description."
*
African Methodist Episcopal Church
The African Methodist Episcopal Church, usually called the AME Church or AME, is a Methodist denomination based in the United States. It adheres to Wesleyan theology, Wesleyan–Arminian theology and has a connexionalism, connexional polity. It ...
2.5 million
*
African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church 1.4 million
*
Christian Methodist Episcopal Church 858,670 members
Though not listed as mainline in either the
Association of Religion Data Archives
The Association of Religion Data Archives (ARDA) is a free source of online information related to American and international religion. One of the primary goals of the archive is to democratize access to academic information on religion by making t ...
or the
Pew Research classifications, two groups also appeal to this label.
* The practices of the
Community of Christ (
Latter Day Saint movement
The Latter Day Saint movement (also called the LDS movement, LDS restorationist movement, or Smith–Rigdon movement) is the collection of independent church groups that trace their origins to a Christian Restorationist movement founded by ...
)
ith 250,000 adherentes are typified as congruent with mainline Protestantism.
* While no longer exclusively Christian, the
Unitarian Universalist Association
Unitarian Universalist Association (UUA) is a liberal religious association of Unitarian Universalism, Unitarian Universalist congregations. It was formed in 1961 by the consolidation of the American Unitarian Association and the Universalist Ch ...
ith 211,000 adherentsconsiders itself to be mainline.
Some denominations with similar names and historical ties to the Seven Sisters mainline groups are not considered mainline: The
Southern Baptist Convention
The Southern Baptist Convention (SBC), alternatively the Great Commission Baptists (GCB), is a Christian denomination based in the United States. It is the world's largest Baptist organization, the largest Protestant, and the second-largest Chr ...
(SBC)
3.2 million Lutheran Church–Missouri Synod
Lutheranism is a major branch of Protestantism that emerged under the work of Martin Luther, the 16th-century German friar and Protestant Reformers, reformer whose efforts to reform the theology and practices of the Catholic Church launched ...
(LCMS)
.8 million the
Churches of Christ
The Churches of Christ, also commonly known as the Church of Christ, is a loose association of autonomous Christian congregations located around the world. Typically, their distinguishing beliefs are that of the necessity of baptism for salvation ...
and
Christian churches .1 million each the
Presbyterian Church in America
The Presbyterian Church in America (PCA) is the second-largest Presbyterian church body, behind the Presbyterian Church (USA), and the largest conservative Calvinist denomination in the United States. The PCA is Calvinist, Reformed in theolog ...
(PCA)
.4 million the
Anglican Church in North America (ACNA)
.13 million and the
Conservative Congregational Christian Conference (CCCC)
.04 million After the recent split of the UMC, the
Global Methodist Church (GMC) could be added to this list, though no official census is currently known. Since these groups are too
theologically conservative to be considered mainline, those strictly adhering to historical
rules of faith are grouped as
confessional, while those without are grouped as
evangelical
Evangelicalism (), also called evangelical Christianity or evangelical Protestantism, is a worldwide, interdenominational movement within Protestantism, Protestant Christianity that emphasizes evangelism, or the preaching and spreading of th ...
.
Theology
Variation
Mainline Protestantism is characterized by theological and ideological
pluralism. While doctrinal standards and confessional statements exist, these are not usually interpreted in ways to exclude people from membership. Richard Hutcheson Jr., chairman of the Office of Review and Evaluation of the
Presbyterian Church in the United States, observed that clergy candidates were more likely to be rejected due to "excessive narrowness" than for violating confessional standards.
Mainline churches hold a range of theological orientations—
conservative
Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy and ideology that seeks to promote and preserve traditional institutions, customs, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civiliza ...
, moderate and
liberal.
About half of mainline Protestants describe themselves as liberal.
Mainline Christian groups are often more accepting of other beliefs and faiths, affirm the
ordination of women
The ordination of women to Minister of religion, ministerial or priestly office is an increasingly common practice among some contemporary major religious groups. It remains a controversial issue in certain religious groups in which ordination ...
, and have become increasingly affirming of
gay ordination.
A 2021 Pew Research Center survey found that 56% of mainline Protestants believe that non-Christians, including agnostics and atheists, can go to
heaven
Heaven, or the Heavens, is a common Religious cosmology, religious cosmological or supernatural place where beings such as deity, deities, angels, souls, saints, or Veneration of the dead, venerated ancestors are said to originate, be throne, ...
, compared to around a fifth of evangelical Protestants and 38% of those who attend historically Black churches. Nearly one-third of mainline Protestants call themselves conservative, and most local mainline congregations have a strong, active conservative element.
[Struckmeyer, Kurt. "Mainline Christianity. " ''Following Jesus'' Web: 13 Dec 2009] Mainline denominations are historically
Trinitarian and proclaim
Jesus Christ
Jesus (AD 30 or 33), also referred to as Jesus Christ, Jesus of Nazareth, and many Names and titles of Jesus in the New Testament, other names and titles, was a 1st-century Jewish preacher and religious leader. He is the Jesus in Chris ...
as Lord and Son of God.
In practice, mainline churches tend to be theologically moderate and influenced by ''
higher criticism,'' an approach used by scholars to separate the Bible's earliest historical elements from perceived later additions and intentional distortions. Mainline denominations generally teach that the Bible is God's Word in function, but that it must be
interpreted both through the lens of the cultures in which it was originally written, and examined using God-given reason. A 2008 survey conducted by the
Pew Research Center
The Pew Research Center (also simply known as Pew) is a nonpartisan American think tank based in Washington, D.C. It provides information on social issues, public opinion, and demographic trends shaping the United States and the world. It ...
found that 22 percent of the 7,500 mainline Christians surveyed said the Bible is God's Word and is to be interpreted as literally true, word for word. Thirty-eight percent thought that the Bible is God's Word but is not to be taken literally, word for word. Twenty-eight percent said the Bible was not the
Word of God but was of human origin.
It has been noted, that the leadership of denominational agencies and bureaucracies has often been more theologically and socially liberal than the overall membership of the mainline churches. This gap has caused feelings of alienation among conservative mainline Protestants. This dissatisfaction has led to the formation of various
Confessing Movements or
charismatic renewal movements which are more conservative in tone.
Social justice
The mainline denominations emphasize the biblical concept of justice, stressing the need for Christians to work for
social justice
Social justice is justice in relation to the distribution of wealth, opportunities, and privileges within a society where individuals' rights are recognized and protected. In Western and Asian cultures, the concept of social justice has of ...
, which usually involve politically liberal approaches to social and economic problems. Early in the 20th century, they actively supported the
Social Gospel.
Mainline churches were basically
pacifistic before 1940, but under the influence of people such as
Reinhold Niebuhr
Karl Paul Reinhold Niebuhr (June 21, 1892 – June 1, 1971) was an American Reformed theologian, ethicist, commentator on politics and public affairs, and professor at Union Theological Seminary for more than 30 years. Niebuhr was one of Ameri ...
they supported
World War II
World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
and the
Cold War
The Cold War was a period of global Geopolitics, geopolitical rivalry between the United States (US) and the Soviet Union (USSR) and their respective allies, the capitalist Western Bloc and communist Eastern Bloc, which lasted from 1947 unt ...
. They have been far from uniform in their reaction to issues of gender and sexuality, though they tend to be more accepting than the
Catholic Church
The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...
or the more conservative Protestant churches.
Social issues
Many mainline denominations are active in voicing perspectives on social issues. Almost all mainline denominations are gender-inclusive and ordain women.
Politically, mainline churches are also active. While no particular candidate can be endorsed, mainline churches often invite political speakers. At the 2016 General Conference for the
African Methodist Episcopal Church
The African Methodist Episcopal Church, usually called the AME Church or AME, is a Methodist denomination based in the United States. It adheres to Wesleyan theology, Wesleyan–Arminian theology and has a connexionalism, connexional polity. It ...
, a
historically Black denomination which also identifies as mainline,
Hillary Clinton
Hillary Diane Rodham Clinton ( Rodham; born October 26, 1947) is an American politician, lawyer and diplomat. She was the 67th United States secretary of state in the administration of Barack Obama from 2009 to 2013, a U.S. senator represent ...
was invited to offer an address for the delegates and clergy.
Abortion
The Episcopal Church (TEC), Presbyterian Church (USA) (PCUSA), Unitarian Universalist Association (UUA), and United Church of Christ (UCC) are members of the
Religious Coalition for Reproductive Choice. The United Methodist Church (UMC) and Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) support exceptions, when abortion may be necessary, but do not endorse the procedure. Other denominations, such as the Church of the Brethren and Mennonite Church USA, are against abortion.
Human sexuality
Many mainline churches recognize, bless and/or perform same-sex marriages, including the ELCA, TEC, PC(USA), Society of Friends (Quaker), UUA, UCC, the Anglican Church of Canada, Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada, and United Church of Canada.
In 2015, the Mennonite Church Canada saw its first same-sex marriage in one of its congregations.
The American Baptist Churches USA allows each congregation the freedom to decide for itself. Some congregations of the Church of the Brethren have also voted to perform same-gender marriages although the national denomination opposes this practice.
Including the aforementioned denominations, the Mennonite Church USA, Metropolitan Community Church, and Moravian Church Northern Province license or ordain openly gay clergy.
While the UMC does not nationally ordain gay or lesbian clergy, the New York Annual Conference, a regional body of the UMC, has ordained the denomination's first openly gay and lesbian clergy. The Western Jurisdiction of the UMC also elected the denomination's first openly gay bishop.
Most of the above denominations also ordain openly transgender clergy. While the national church has not approved of gay or lesbian clergy, the UMC has allowed transgender pastors.
Statistical decline
United States
The term "mainline" once implied a certain numerical majority or dominant presence in mainstream society, but that is no longer the case. Protestant churches as a whole have slowly declined in total membership since the 1960s. As the national population has grown these churches have shrunk from 63% of the population in 1970 to 54% by 2000, and 40% in 2024, ceasing to be the religious category for the majority of Americans. American affiliation with mainline denominations declined from 55% of all Protestants in 1973 to 29% in 2024.
The number of mainline congregations in the U.S. declined from more than 80,000 churches in the 1950s to about 72,000 in 2008.
[Report Examines the State of Mainline Protestant Churches](_blank)
The Barna Group. December 7, 2009. Web: 12 Dec. 2009 Robert Drinan estimated that there may have been a hundred million Mainline Protestants at one time in the United States.
Various causes of mainline decline in population have been cited. Much analysis has taken place both from those within and outside mainline denominations. Key factors indicate that all types of churches can and do grow, regardless of hymnody or contemporary music, type of liturgy, average age of worshiper, or location On average, however, churches in rural areas, churches with older congregants, and churches with fewer young people involved struggle most to add members and grow churches. For example, of all churches founded since 1993, 54% are experiencing growth, compared to 28% of congregations founded prior to 1900. As demographics change, the churches founded by earlier generations often struggle to adapt to changing conditions, including the declines or shifts in the age and ethnicity of local populations. Says David Roozen, Director of Hartford Seminary's Hartford Institute for Religion Research, "Location, Location, Location used to be the kind way that researchers described the extent to which the growth or decline of American congregations was captive to the demographic changes going on in their immediate neighborhoods." Age demographics are also a real factor in congregational decline, with the birthrate for mainline Protestants well below what is needed to maintain membership numbers.
The
Barna Group, an
Evangelical
Evangelicalism (), also called evangelical Christianity or evangelical Protestantism, is a worldwide, interdenominational movement within Protestantism, Protestant Christianity that emphasizes evangelism, or the preaching and spreading of th ...
surveyor, has noted that Protestant pastors who serve mainline churches serve on average half as long as Protestant pastors in non-mainline churches.
This may contribute to decline and may be influenced in part by the
United Methodist Church
The United Methodist Church (UMC) is a worldwide mainline Protestant Christian denomination, denomination based in the United States, and a major part of Methodism. In the 19th century, its main predecessor, the Methodist Episcopal Church, was ...
practice of Itinerancy, where clergy are intentionally moved from one church to another as often as yearly in an effort to support and encourage the United Methodist tradition of strong lay ministry. Mainline churches have also had difficulty attracting minorities, particularly Hispanics. As of 2024, Hispanics comprise 6 percent of the mainline population but 19.5 percent of the US population. According to the Barna Group report, the failure of mainline Protestants to add substantial numbers of Hispanics is portent for the future, given both the rapid increase of the Hispanic population as well as the outflow of Hispanics from Catholicism to Protestant churches in the past decade, most of whom are selecting evangelical or
Pentecostal
Pentecostalism or classical Pentecostalism is a movement within the broader Evangelical wing of Protestantism, Protestant Christianity that emphasizes direct personal experience of God in Christianity, God through Baptism with the Holy Spirit#Cl ...
Protestant churches.
Contrast with other Protestant denominations
While various Protestant denominations have experienced declining membership, the most pronounced changes have occurred among mainline churches. Demographic trends for evangelical and historically
African-American churches have been more stable. According to the Pew Research Center, mainline denominations could claim 11.5 percent of all US adults, compared to 23.1 percent who identified as evangelical in 2024.
[Chang, Perry. "Recent Changes in Membership and Attendance. " Presbyterian Church (U. S. A.) Nov. 2006. Web]
Presbyterian Church (U. S. A.)
Demographers Hout, Greeley, and Wilde have attributed the long-term decline in mainline membership and the concomitant growth in the conservative Protestant denominations to four basic causes: birth rates; switching to conservative denominations; departure from Protestantism to "no religion" (i.e. secularization); and conversions from non-Protestant sources. In their analysis, by far the main cause is birth rates—low for the mainline bodies, and high for the conservatives. The second most important factor is that fewer conservatives switch to mainline denominations than before. Despite speculation to the contrary, Hout, Greeley, and Wilde argue that switching from a mainline to a conservative denomination is not important in accounting for the trend, because it is fairly constant over the decades. Finally, conservative denominations have had a greater inflow of converts. Their analysis gives no support for the notion that theological or
social conservatism
Social conservatism is a political philosophy and a variety of conservatism which places emphasis on Tradition#In political and religious discourse, traditional social structures over Cultural pluralism, social pluralism. Social conservatives ...
or liberalism has much impact on long-term growth trends.
Evidence from the
General Social Survey indicates that higher fertility and earlier childbearing among women from conservative denominations explains 76% of the observed trend: conservative denominations have grown their own. Mainline denomination members have the lowest birthrate among American Christian groups. Unless there is a surge of new members, rising death rates are predicted to diminish their ranks even further in the years ahead.
Trends
Some other findings:
* From 1958 to 2008, mainline church membership dropped by more than one-quarter to roughly 20 million people—15 percent of all American adults.
* From 1998 to 2008, there was a 22 percent drop in the percentage of adults attending mainline congregations who have children under the age of 18 living in their home.
* In 2009, nearly 40 percent of mainline church attendees were single. This increase has been driven higher by a rise in the number of divorced and widowed adherents.
* From 1998 to 2008, volunteerism dropped 21 percent; adult
Sunday school
]
A Sunday school, sometimes known as a Sabbath school, is an educational institution, usually Christianity, Christian in character and intended for children or neophytes.
Sunday school classes usually precede a Sunday church service and are u ...
participation decreased 17 percent.
* The average age of a mainline pastor in 1998 was 48 and increased to 55 by 2009.
* Pastors on average remain with a congregation for four years compared to twice that length for non-mainline church leaders.
* The decline in mainline Protestant identification has been so steep that Evangelical identification has risen among Protestants, even as it has declined among all U.S. adults.
The Pew Research Center's 2023-2024 Religious Landscape Study provide additional explanations for the decline.
* Evangelical church members are younger than those in mainline denominations. 14 percent of evangelical congregations are between 18 and 29 (compared to 11 percent of mainline protestants), 30 percent between 30 and 49 (versus 24), 28 percent between 50 and 64 (versus 27), and 27 percent 65 or older (versus 38).
Not paralleling the decline in membership is the household income of members of mainline denominations. Overall, it is higher than that of evangelicals:
* 25% reported less than a $30,000 income per year.
* 21% reported $30,000–$49,999 per year.
* 18% reported $50,000–$74,999 per year.
* 15% reported $75,000–$99,999 per year.
* 21% reported an income of $100,000 per year or more, compared to 13 percent of evangelicals.
History

While the term "mainline" was not applied to churches until the 20th century, mainline churches trace their history to the
Protestant Reformation
The Reformation, also known as the Protestant Reformation or the European Reformation, was a time of major theological movement in Western Christianity in 16th-century Europe that posed a religious and political challenge to the papacy and ...
of the 16th century. The largest and most influential Protestant denominations in Britain's
Thirteen Colonies
The Thirteen Colonies were the British colonies on the Atlantic coast of North America which broke away from the British Crown in the American Revolutionary War (1775–1783), and joined to form the United States of America.
The Thirteen C ...
were the
Anglican
Anglicanism, also known as Episcopalianism in some countries, is a Western Christianity, Western Christian tradition which developed from the practices, liturgy, and identity of the Church of England following the English Reformation, in the ...
s (after the American Revolution called Episcopalians) and the
Congregationalists (from which the
Unitarians would later split). These were later surpassed in size and influence by the evangelical denominations: the Baptists, Presbyterians and Methodists. Sharing a common Reformation heritage with Episcopal and Congregational churches, these denominations together created the mainline. It was, according to historian Jason Lantzer, "the emerging evangelical movement that would help forge the Seven Sisters and which provides a core to the wide variety of theological and doctrinal differences, shaping them into a more coherent whole."
The
Great Awakening ignited controversy within Protestant churches between
Old Lights and New Lights (or
Old Side and New Side among Presbyterians). Led by figures such as the Congregationalist minister
Charles Chauncy, Old Lights opposed the evangelical
revivalism at the heart of the Awakening, while New Lights, led by fellow Congregationalist minister
Jonathan Edwards, supported the revivals and argued for the importance of having a
conversion experience. By the 1800s, Chauncy's followers had drifted toward forms of theological liberalism, such as
Universalism
Universalism is the philosophical and theological concept within Christianity that some ideas have universal application or applicability.
A belief in one fundamental truth is another important tenet in universalism. The living truth is se ...
,
Unitarianism
Unitarianism () is a Nontrinitarianism, nontrinitarian sect of Christianity. Unitarian Christians affirm the wikt:unitary, unitary God in Christianity, nature of God as the singular and unique Creator deity, creator of the universe, believe that ...
and
Transcendentalism.
The
Second Great Awakening
The Second Great Awakening was a Protestant religious revival during the late 18th to early 19th century in the United States. It spread religion through revivals and emotional preaching and sparked a number of reform movements. Revivals were a k ...
would inaugurate a period of evangelical dominance within American mainline Protestantism that would last over a century. The Second Great Awakening was a catalyst for the reform of society. Efforts to improve the rights of women, reforming prisons, establishing free public schools, prohibiting alcohol, and (in the North) abolishing slavery were promoted by mainline churches.
After the
Civil War
A civil war is a war between organized groups within the same Sovereign state, state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies.J ...
, however, tensions between evangelicals and non-evangelicals would re-emerge. As the practice of
historical criticism
Historical criticism (also known as the historical-critical method (HCM) or higher criticism, in contrast to lower criticism or textual criticism) is a branch of criticism that investigates the origins of ancient texts to understand "the world b ...
spread to the United States, conflict over
biblical inspiration
Biblical inspiration is the doctrine in Christian theology that the human writers and canonizers of the Bible were led by God with the result that their writings may be designated in some sense the word of God. This belief is traditionally asso ...
erupted within Protestant churches. Conservative Protestants led by
A. A. Hodge,
B. B. Warfield and other
Princeton theologians argued for
biblical inerrancy
Biblical inerrancy is the belief that the Bible, in its original form, is entirely free from error.
The belief in biblical inerrancy is of particular significance within parts of evangelicalism
Evangelicalism (), also called evangelic ...
, while liberal theologians such as
Charles A. Briggs of
Union Theological Seminary were open to using historical criticism to understand the Bible.
As 19th–century evangelicals embraced
dispensational premillennialism and retreated from society in the face of mounting social problems caused by industrialization, urbanization and immigration, liberal Protestants embraced the
Social Gospel, which worked for the "regeneration of society" rather than only the conversion of individuals.
The
Fundamentalist–Modernist Controversy of the 1920s widened the division between evangelical and non-evangelical Protestants as the two sides fought for control over the mainline denominations. The
fundamentalists lost these battles for control to the modernists or liberals. Since the 1920s, mainline churches have been associated with liberal Protestantism.
Episcopalians and
Presbyterian
Presbyterianism is a historically Reformed Protestant tradition named for its form of church government by representative assemblies of elders, known as "presbyters". Though other Reformed churches are structurally similar, the word ''Pr ...
WASPs
A wasp is any insect of the narrow-waisted suborder Apocrita of the order Hymenoptera which is neither a bee nor an ant; this excludes the broad-waisted sawflies (Symphyta), which look somewhat like wasps, but are in a separate suborder. Th ...
tend to be considerably wealthier
and better educated than most other religious groups in America, and are disproportionately represented in the upper reaches of American
business
Business is the practice of making one's living or making money by producing or Trade, buying and selling Product (business), products (such as goods and Service (economics), services). It is also "any activity or enterprise entered into for ...
, law and politics, and for many years were especially dominant in the
Republican Party. Numbers of the
wealthiest and most affluent American families, such as the
Vanderbilts and
Astors,
Rockefeller, who were Baptists,
Du Pont,
Roosevelt,
Forbes
''Forbes'' () is an American business magazine founded by B. C. Forbes in 1917. It has been owned by the Hong Kong–based investment group Integrated Whale Media Investments since 2014. Its chairman and editor-in-chief is Steve Forbes. The co ...
,
Fords,
Mellons,
Whitneys, the
Morgans and Harrimans are Episcopalian and Presbyterian families.
Through the 1940s and 1950s,
neo-orthodoxy had become the prevailing theological approach within the mainline churches. This neo-orthodox consensus, however, gave way to resurgent liberal theologies in the 1960s and to
liberation theology during the 1970s.
Recent history
Mainline Protestants were a majority of Protestants in the United States until the mid-20th century. A dip in membership across all Christian denominations was more pronounced among mainline groups, with the result that mainline groups no longer comprise the majority. In 2020, Public Religion Research Institute conducted a religious census, based on self-identification, finding that an estimated 16% of U.S. Americans identified as non-Hispanic white mainline Protestants, slightly outnumbering non-Hispanic white evangelical Protestants who were 14% of the American population. In 2014, Pew Research completed and published the ''Religious Landscape Survey'' in which it was estimated that 14.7% of American adults identified as mainline Protestant, excluding historically Black and African American denominations, while 25.4% identified as evangelical Protestants, also excluding membership in historically Black denominations. In 2025, Pew Research published an updated ''Religious Landscape Survey'', finding that 11% of American adults identified as mainline Protestant while 23% identified as evangelical Protestants.
Mainline churches share an active approach to social issues that often leads to cooperation in organizations such as the
National Council of Churches. Because of their involvement with the
ecumenical movement, mainline churches are sometimes (especially outside the United States) given the alternative label of ecumenical Protestantism. These churches played a leading role in the
Social Gospel movement and were active in social causes such as the
civil rights movement and the
women's movement
The feminist movement, also known as the women's movement, refers to a series of social movements and political campaigns for radical and liberal reforms on women's issues created by inequality between men and women. Such issues are women's ...
. As a group, the mainline churches have maintained religious doctrine that stresses
social justice
Social justice is justice in relation to the distribution of wealth, opportunities, and privileges within a society where individuals' rights are recognized and protected. In Western and Asian cultures, the concept of social justice has of ...
and personal
salvation
Salvation (from Latin: ''salvatio'', from ''salva'', 'safe, saved') is the state of being saved or protected from harm or a dire situation. In religion and theology, ''salvation'' generally refers to the deliverance of the soul from sin and its c ...
.
Members of mainline denominations have played leadership roles in politics, business, science, the arts, and education. They were involved in the founding of leading institutes of higher education. Marsden argues that in the 1950s, "Mainline Protestant leaders were part of the liberal-moderate cultural mainstream, and their leading spokespersons were respected participants in the national conversation."
Some mainline Protestant denominations have the highest proportion of graduate and post-graduate degrees of any other denomination in the United States.
Some also include the highest proportion of those with some college education, such as the
Episcopal Church (76%),
the
Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) (64%),
and the
United Church of Christ (46%), as well as most of the
American upper class.
compared with the nationwide average of 50%.
Episcopalians and Presbyterians also tend to be considerably wealthier and better educated than most other religious groups, and they were disproportionately represented in the upper reaches of US business and law until the 1950s.
In the 1990s four of the US Supreme Court Justices were Mainline Protestants:
Sandra Day O'Connor,
John Paul Stevens
John Paul Stevens (April 20, 1920 – July 16, 2019) was an American lawyer and jurist who served as an associate justice of the Supreme Court of the United States from 1975 to 2010. At the time of his retirement, he was the second-oldes ...
,
William Rehnquist and
David Souter.
From 1854 until at least 1964, Mainline Protestants and their descendants were heavily
Republican. In recent decades, Republicans slightly outnumber Democrats.
From 1965 to 1988, mainline church membership declined from 31 million to 25 million, then fell to 21 million in 2005. While in 1970 the mainline churches claimed most Protestants and more than 30 percent of the population as members, today they are a minority among Protestants; in 2009, only 15 percent of Americans were adherents.
A
Pew Forum
The Pew Research Center (also simply known as Pew) is a nonpartisan American think tank based in Washington, D.C. It provides information on social issues, public opinion, and demographic trends shaping the United States and the world. It als ...
statistic revealed the same share in 2014.
Conservative factions
Recent efforts from
theological conservatives have resisted the liberal drift of Mainline churches. Through social media, conservative factions within the Mainline like
Redeemed Zoomer's "Operation Reconquista" have evangelized a conservative perspective to
Generation Z.
See also
*
Nicene Creed
The Nicene Creed, also called the Creed of Constantinople, is the defining statement of belief of Nicene Christianity and in those Christian denominations that adhere to it.
The original Nicene Creed was first adopted at the First Council of N ...
, sometimes called the "mainstream Christianity"
Notes
References
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* Hollinger, David A. ''Protestants Abroad: How Missionaries Tried to Change the World but Changed America'' (2017
excerpt*
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