If you’ve been paying attention to the headlines lately, you’ve probably seen a few doozies about the decline of churches—especially those in the Mainline Protestant tradition.  

Words like “shrinking,” “declining,” and “graying” get thrown around a lot.  (One article even used the phrase “endangered species,” which feels pretty over the top!)

It’s true that, statistically speaking, Mainline denominations across the U.S. have seen some tough years.  According to Pew Research, Mainline Protestants made up 30% of the U.S. population in the 1970s, but that number has dropped to around 14% today.  Weekly church attendance across many denominations is down, and Sunday morning looks different in a lot of places than it did a generation ago.

But here’s the thing: those numbers don’t tell the whole story.  Especially not our story.

Because right here, in our little corner of the world, something beautiful continues to happen Sunday after Sunday and year after year, and this program year has been no exception.  

We’re seeing new families walk through our doors.  Our pews may not be packed wall-to-wall, but they’re full of real, connected people who pray together, serve together, and show up for one another when it matters most.  Our Sunday School is buzzing, our mission work is active, and our fellowship events are batting a thousand.

First Congregational church is not only surviving, we’re thriving in the ways that count.  We’re welcoming.  We’re resilient.  We’re rooted in deep faith and genuine community.  We are growing in spirit, in service, and in love.

So yes, the wider church landscape may be shifting.  But while the analysts crunch their numbers, we’ll buck the trends and keep doing what the Church has always done best: worshiping God, caring for each other, loving our neighbors, and living the Gospel in real, everyday ways.

And hey, if that makes us a little countercultural in 2025?  We’re okay with that!

Because this place?  It’s more than a statistic.  It’s home.

In Christ,

–Rev. Dominic