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TechnoratiNot all churches are on the decline in membership, but those that have stable numbers are afraid that they are going to die, said Ellingson. As the members in such churches age, they fear they won't get replaced, he explained.
"We have to change or die" served as a mantra for most of the congregations Ellingson studied.
For churches that choose to change, many are adding elements of evangelicalism.
"Anecdotally, one of the things I heard and witnessed a lot was just how important the megachurches are for all sorts of clergy especially," said Ellingson.
Some clergy and lay leaders, not just within the Lutheran denomination, connect with different church professional groups such as the Willow Creek Association for resources and help in understanding the different practices that have led to the success and growth of megachurches.
One surprising finding, Ellingson pointed out, is that the synod – the local administrative region of Lutheranism – would bring in people who weren't Lutheran to talk with Lutheran ministers about the problems facing Lutheran and mainline churches.
The book suggests that "the old boundaries that kept evangelicalism and mainline Protestantism in separate religious worlds are breaking down as churches within the old mainline adopt the worship practices, theological language, and identities of evangelicalism and nondenominationalism," wrote Ellingson. "It appears that evangelicalism and nondenominationalism are colonizing mainline Protestantism."
Overall, mainline churches realize they have got to do stuff differently, said the sociologist – whether it means "really being Lutheran" and embodying the best of tradition or embracing evangelical practices.
There isn't one solution, Ellingson said, and the Lutherans haven't figured out the best way to go yet. Right now, it's a period of trial and error and "whenever it ends, Lutheranism will look differently than it does today."
Traditionalists won the 19th century fight regarding these issues, noted Ellingson, but he's not convinced the traditionalists will win this fight.
The Megachurch and The Mainline was released on May 1 and was written as an academic book for sociologists from a sociologist point of view, Ellingson clarified.
