Recently, the United Methodist Church, the largest mainline Protestant denomination in the United States, concluded its quadrennial legislative general conference in Tampa, Fla. Since the early 1980s, the general conference has repeatedly passed legislation that has chipped away at the foundations of what was once one of the most progressive denominations in North America. In Tampa, this process was reflected in an unprecedented restructuring effort that would dismantle several denominational boards and agencies that have historically safeguarded and promoted racial-gender inclusivity in the church. However, the most publicized manifestation of the dismantling of United Methodist progressivism continues to be the denomination's reaffirmation of its longstanding prohibition that "homosexuality is incompatible with Christian teaching."
Like all American mainline churches, the United Methodist Church has suffered through a long and steady membership decline. From a membership high of more than 11 million in the mid-1960s to its current membership of approximately 8 million, Methodism has become one of the most documented cases of mainline Protestantism's changing fortunes in the latter half of the 20th century. Many commentators on American religion have responded thoughtfully and insightfully to the religious demographics of the late 20th century that have impacted the missions of mainline churches. For many conservative United Methodists, however, careful analysis has been replaced by a tendency to believe that fundamental to the church's problem is a lack of faith, caused by an erosion of authentic "Wesleyan" teaching.
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