“Debate over the measure was brief, as one of the moderators noted that none of the delegates queuing up to comment on the proposal intended to speak against the overture.” - CPost
The Episcopalian heads for extinction
“As of this year, the denomination has lost well over half of its historic membership in the 1960s, numbering some 1.5 million on the rolls today. But the problem is even worse when the aging of members and clergy is taken into consideration. In recent days, the church has announced plans to sell its Manhattan headquarters” - World
Conservative alternative to UMC now has over 7,000 member congregations
“Launched in 2022 amid the UMC’s schismatic debate over LGBT issues, the Global Methodist Church announced on its Facebook page Wednesday that it has ‘officially surpassed 7,000 churches worldwide.’” - CPost
Sarah Mullally Confirmed as First Woman to Be Archbishop of Canterbury
“The so-called Confirmation of Election service marks a major milestone for the Church of England, which ordained its first female priests in 1994 and its first female bishop in 2015.” - AP
How Should Evangelicals Respond to the Vanishing Mainline? A Review of Ryan Burge’s ‘The Vanishing Church’
“Burge, a political science professor who is probably the leading analyst of religion data in the United States today, points out that not all branches of American Christianity are declining. The percentage of Americans who identify as evangelical is just as high as it was fifty years ago, during the 1970s.” - Mere Orthodoxy
Liberal Christian denominations condemn US actions in Venezuela, call for peace
“The bishops of the United Methodist Church on Wednesday (Jan. 7) issued a statement ‘condemning all acts of violence, military aggression, and violations of national sovereignty’ ….The Episcopal Church was quicker to respond.” - RNS
Global Anglican ties are under stress. It's unclear if they're at the breaking point
“After decades of fierce controversies over sexuality and theology in the Anglican Communion, some leaders of a conservative coalition say it’s time to make a final break from what has long been one of the world’s largest Protestant church families.” - RNS/AP
United Methodists ratify plan to unify denomination while decentering US church
“Under the new restructuring plan, called ‘regionalization,’ the denomination’s nine regions will be equal partners with greater freedom to tailor church life to their own customs and traditions.” - RNS
Rejecting Canterbury decision, conservative bishops claim lead of Anglican Communion
“The majority of the Anglican Communion still believes that the Bible requires a male-only episcopacy. Therefore, her appointment will make it impossible for the archbishop of Canterbury to serve as a focus of unity within the Communion.” - RNS
Also…
The Demise of the Religious Left?
“It’s hard to name a single Religious Left institution today that retains major influence in America. Of course, some MAGA evangelicals call non-MAGA religious evangelicals ‘Religious Left,’ since they themselves have no memory or awareness of the real Religious Left. More on that later.” - Mark Tooley