In the United States, the mainline (also sometimes called mainstream) or mainline Protestant denominations are those Protestant denominations with a mix of moderate and liberal theologies. The hallmark of the mainline churches is moderation. Their theologies tend to be influenced by the Historical-critical method and culture at large, consciously or not. Ministers and members of mainline churches generally are comfortable with inclusive language translations of the Bible. Image File history File links Portal. ... Look up mainstream in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... For other senses of this word, see denomination. ... Protestantism encompasses the forms of Christian faith and practice that originated with the doctrines of the Reformation. ... Theology finds its scholars pursuing the understanding of and providing reasoned discourse of religion, spirituality and God or the gods. ... Higher criticism is a branch of literary analysis that attempts to investigate the origins of a text, especially the text of the Bible. ... Gender-neutral language (gender-generic, gender-inclusive, non-sexist, or sex-neutral language) is language that attempts to refer neither to males nor females when discussing an abstract or hypothetical person whose sex cannot otherwise be determined. ... For other uses, see Bible (disambiguation). ...

They tend to be open to new ideas and societal changes without abandoning what they consider to be the historical basis of the Christian faith.^[1] This places them to the left of the evangelical churches. They have been increasingly open to the ordination of women. They have been far from uniform in their reaction to gays, lesbians, bisexuals and transsexuals, though less dogmatic on these issues than either the Roman Catholic Church or the more conservative Protestant churches. Mainline churches take no set view with regard to military service — all provide chaplains to the United States armed forces and none are historically peace churches except the Church of the Brethren — but express reservations about aggressive use of military force for any reason. For other uses, see Christian (disambiguation). ... Topics in Christianity Movements · Denominations Ecumenism · Relation to other religions Preaching · Prayer Music · Liturgy · Calendar Symbols · Art · Criticism Christianity Portal This box:      In contemporary usage, the word evangelicalism refers to a collection of religious beliefs, practices, and traditions typified by an emphasis on the Bible and on evangelism [1]. Evangelical... In general religious use, ordination is the process by which one is consecrated (set apart for the undivided administration of various religious rites). ... For the LGBT rights article for a particular country, see LGBT rights by country. ... For other senses of this word, see dogma (disambiguation). ... Catholic Church redirects here. ... The armed forces of the United States of America consist of the United States Army United States Navy United States Air Force United States Marine Corps United States Coast Guard Note: The United States Coast Guard has both military and law enforcement functions. ... Peace churches are Christian churches, groups or communities advocating pacifism. ... Topics in Christianity Movements · Denominations Ecumenism · Preaching · Prayer Music · Liturgy · Calendar Symbols · Art · Criticism Important figures Apostle Paul · Church Fathers Constantine · Athanasius · Augustine Anselm · Aquinas · Palamas · Luther Calvin · Wesley Arius · Marcion of Sinope Pope · Archbishop of Canterbury Patriarch of Constantinople Christianity Portal This box:      The Church of the Brethren is...

Mainline churches tend to belong to organizations such as the National Council of Churches and World Council of Churches. The National Council of the Churches of Christ in the USA (usually identified as National Council of Churches, or NCC) is an association of 35 Christian faith groups in the United States with 100,000 local congregations and more than 45,000,000 adherents. ... The World Council of Churches (WCC) is an international Christian ecumenical organization. ...

Beliefs

Most mainline denominations do not require strict acceptance of everything written about or spoken by Jesus in the New Testament. Most mainline denominations are Trinitarian, meaning they accept doctrine that God exists as three persons of one essence: God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit. However, some mainline denominations require belief in the Trinity. This article is about Jesus of Nazareth. ... This article is about the Christian scriptures. ... The adjective trinitarian is used in several senses: Ideas or things pertaining to the Holy Trinity A person or group adhering to the doctrine of Trinitarianism, which holds God to subsist in the form of the Holy Trinity The Trinitarian Order is a Catholic monastic order founded in 1198 by...

Many believe that the Bible is God's Word, while remaining open to new understanding of it. Few would suggest that the Bible was verbally and plenarily inspired as some biblical inerrantists maintain. Plenary is an adjective related to the noun, plenum carrying a general connotation of fullness. ... Topics in Christianity Movements · Denominations Ecumenism · Relation to other religions Preaching · Prayer Music · Liturgy · Calendar Symbols · Art · Criticism Important figures Apostle Paul · Church Fathers Constantine · Athanasius · Augustine Anselm · Aquinas · Palamas Luther · Calvin · Wesley Arius · Marcion of Sinope Archbishop of Canterbury · Pope Coptic Pope · Ecumenical Patriarch Christianity Portal This box:      Biblical...

Use of the term mainline

The term mainline may imply a certain numerical majority or dominant presence in mainstream society that is no longer accurate. The Association of Religion Data Archives (ARDA) counts 26,344,933 members of mainline churches versus 39,930,869 members of evangelical Protestant churches.^[2] There is evidence that there has been a shift in membership from mainline denominations to other churches.^[3] There are very few or no other articles that link to this one. ...

The inclusion of a denomination in the mainline category does not imply that every member of that denomination, nor even every member of their clergy, accepts some of the beliefs generally held in common by other mainline churches. They allow considerable theological latitude. Moreover, mainline denominations have within them Confessing Movements or charismatic renewal movements which are more conservative in tone. Clergy is the generic term used to describe the formal religious leadership within a given religion. ... The Confessing Movement is a neo-Evangelical movement within several American mainline Protestant denominations to return those churches to what the members of the movement see as theological orthodoxy. ...

Some denominations with similar names, and historical ties to mainline groups are not considered mainline. For example, while the American Baptist Churches, the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, and the Presbyterian Church (USA) are mainline, the Southern Baptist Convention, Lutheran Church - Missouri Synod, and the Presbyterian Church in America are Evangelical. The American Baptist Churches in the USA (ABCUSA) is a group of Baptist churches within the United States; headquartered in Valley Forge, Pennsylvania. ... The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) is a mainline Protestant denomination headquartered in Chicago, Illinois. ... Emblem of the PC(USA) The Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) or PC(USA) is a mainline Protestant Christian denomination in the United States. ... The Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) is a United States-based Christian denomination that consists of numerous agencies including six seminaries, two mission boards and a variety of other organizations such as: the Executive Committee of the Southern Baptist Convention, which can act for the SBC ad interim between annual meetings... LCMS redirects here. ... The Presbyterian Church in America (PCA) is a Protestant denomination, the second largest Presbyterian church body in the United States after the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.). The PCA professes a strong commitment to evangelism, missionary work, and Christian education. ... Look up Evangelical in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ...

Mainline denominations

The Association of Religion Data Archives considers these denominations to be mainline:^[2] There are very few or no other articles that link to this one. ...

• American Baptist Churches in the USA 1,442,824 members (2001)^[4]
• Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) 804,842 members (2001)^[5]
• Congregational Christian Churches, (not part of any national CCC body)
• Episcopal Church in the United States of America 2,369,477 members
• Estonian Evangelical Lutheran Church
• Evangelical Lutheran Church in America 4,850,000 members (2007)^[6]
• International Council of Community Churches 200,263 members (2000)^[7]
• Latvian Evangelical Lutheran Church in America
• Universal Fellowship of Metropolitan Community Churches 44,000 members (1998)^[8]
• Moravian Church in America, Alaska Province
• Moravian Church in America, Northern Province 24,650 members (2003)^[9]
• Moravian Church in America, Southern Province 21,513 members (1991)^[10]
• National Association of Congregational Christian Churches 65,569 members (2000)^[11]
• North American Baptist Conference
• Presbyterian Church (USA) 2,300,000 members (2007)^[12]
• Reformed Church in America 285,453 members (2001)^[13]
• Religious Society of Friends (Quakers)
• United Church of Christ 1,359,105 members (2001)^[14]
• United Methodist Church 8,070,000 members (2006)^[15]

The largest U.S. mainline churches are sometimes referred to as the Seven Sisters of American Protestantism.*^[16] The term was apparently coined by William Hutchison^[17] in reference to the major liberal groups of American Baptists, Disciples of Christ, Congregationalists / United Church of Christ, Episcopalians, Lutherans, Methodists, and Presbyterians during the period between 1900 and 1960. ABCUSA American Baptist Churches USA (ABCUSA) is a group of Baptist churches within the United States; headquartered in Valley Forge, Pennsylvania. ... The Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), often abbreviated as the Disciples of Christ or Christian Church, is a denomination of Christian Restorationism that grew out of the Restoration Movement founded by Thomas Campbell and Alexander Campbell of Pennsylvania and West Virginia (then Virginia) and Barton W. Stone of Kentucky. ... This article is about the Episcopal Church in the United States. ... The Estonian Evangelical Lutheran Church (Estonian: Eesti Evangeelne Luterlik Kirik) is a Christian Protestant church, following the teachings of the German theologian Martin Luther, one of the main figures of the Reformation in the 16th century, in the country of Estonia; and whose teachings caused the Roman Catholic Church to... The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) is a mainline Protestant denomination headquartered in Chicago, Illinois. ... The International Council of Community Churches (ICC) is a mainline Protestant Christian denomination based in Frankfort, Illinois. ... The Latvian Evangelical Lutheran Church in America is a Lutheran denomination, formed in 1957 as a federation, and reorganized in 1975 as a formal denomination. ... Logo of the Metropolitan Community Churches The Metropolitan Community Church (in full, The Universal Fellowship of Metropolitan Community Churches or UFMCC, or more commonly MCC) is an international fellowship of Christian congregations. ... The Moravian Seal, as rendered by North Carolina artist Marie Nifong. ... The Moravian Church in America is part of the world wide Moravian Church Unity. ... The Moravian Church in America is part of the world wide Moravian Church Unity. ... National Association of Congregational Christian Churches (NACCC) is an association of about 400 churches that is organized according to Congregational church governance. ... North American Baptist Conference (NABC) - an association of Baptists in the United States and Canada of German ethnic heritage. ... Emblem of the PC(USA) The Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) or PC(USA) is a mainline Protestant Christian denomination in the United States. ... The Reformed Church in America (RCA) is a mainline Reformed Protestant denomination that was formerly known as the Dutch Reformed Church. ... Quaker redirects here. ... Disambiguation: This article is about the United States denomination known as United Church of Christ. ... This article is about the current Christian denomination based in the United States. ... Astronomy and mythology: Pleiades (mythology), seven sisters who are companions of Artemis in Greek mythology Pleiades (star cluster), a star cluster named for the mythological characters The Hesperides of Greek mythology Churches: The Seven Sisters of American Protestantism, an informal grouping of seven traditional mainline and liberal Protestant denominations: the... The name American Baptist might refer to one of two specific groups of Baptist churches in the United States of America: The American Baptist Association The American Baptist Churches in the USA This is a disambiguation page — a navigational aid which lists other pages that might otherwise share the same... The Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), often abbreviated as the Disciples of Christ or Christian Church, is a denomination of Christian Restorationism that grew out of the Restoration Movement founded by Thomas Campbell and Alexander Campbell of Pennsylvania and West Virginia (then Virginia) and Barton W. Stone of Kentucky. ... Disambiguation: This article is about the United States denomination known as United Church of Christ. ... This article is about the Episcopal Church in the United States. ... Lutheranism is a major branch of Protestant Christianity that identifies with the teachings of the sixteenth-century German reformer Martin Luther. ... For other uses, see Methodism (disambiguation). ... Presbyterianism is a Christian denomination following Jesus which is most prevalent within the Reformed branch of Protestant Western Christianity. ...

The Association of Religion Data Archives has difficulties collecting data on traditionally African American denominations. Those churches most likely to be identified as mainline include these Methodist groups: An African American (also Afro-American, Black American, or simply black) is a member of an ethnic group in the United States whose ancestors, usually in predominant part, were indigenous to Africa. ... For other uses, see Methodism (disambiguation). ...

• African Methodist Episcopal Church
• Christian Methodist Episcopal Church

The African Methodist Episcopal Church, usually called the AME Church, is a Christian denomination founded by Bishop Richard Allen in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in 1816. ... The Christian Methodist Epsicopal Church is a historically black denomination within the broader context of Methodism. ...

References