Hold on to what you have

Like nearly all Christian denominations in the United States, our Wisconsin Synod has experienced a consistent annual decline in membership over the past three decades. The synod’s largest membership was 421,000 in 1990; the synod’s total membership at the end of 2024 was 327,000, a decrease of about 22 percent.

Photo Mark Schroeder wearing green vest with cross — WELS President Mark Schroeder

That is a concern. But the statistics are not all bad. The 2024 statistical summary (statistics for 2025 are being tabulated now) noted the following positive signs:

WELS’ total membership had its smallest decline in many years, just 2,675 souls (less than 1 percent).
The Lord of the church blessed WELS with just over 4,100 adult confirmations, the second highest total since that number has been tracked. That compares with an average of 3,000 confirmations annually over the last decade.
Reported in-person worship attendance, Bible study attendance, and youth Bible study attendance (such as Sunday school) all rose—about 3 percent, 2 percent, and 1 percent, respectively.

Statistics not only can illustrate the positive but also can draw our attention to areas of our mission in which we might direct more effort.

Here’s one example. Every spring, on Confirmation Day, I see another class of eighth graders who have spent several years in instruction classes with a pastor. They have learned the teachings of Scripture and memorized hymns and Luther’s Small Catechism. I’m happy to hear them confess their faith before the entire congregation and take a solemn oath never to turn away from the truths they have learned. But at the same time, I have a sense of sadness as well. I know all too well that many of these young people will likely leave the church by their early 20s.

We rightly are filled with a desire and a commitment to do all we can to search and find the lost—to bring people into God’s church through the power of the gospel. But what about our commitment to holding on to the young people who are already in God’s family? How much time and energy do we devote to preventing our confirmands from straying from worship, God’s Word, and even the faith?

Addressing that problem is a congregational effort. Parents need to continue setting an example of regular worship and encouraging their young adult children to be faithful in their worship and active in church activities. Congregations can find ways to include young people in the life and worship and work of the congregation and invite them individually to participate. Adult members can take the time to get to know the young people in the congregation, showing interest in their joys and challenges and offering encouragement and advice. Spiritual leaders can strive to offer Bible classes for young people that not only dig more deeply into God’s Word but also provide practical guidance in applying scriptural truth to their lives at a time when everything they believe will be under attack.

Statistics are not the answer, but they can help us see where our efforts should focus. And as we seek to hold on to the souls we already have, we can be sure that God will bless our efforts.

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