Is the church really in decline? I think that depends on how you define “church.” Look, I know that there’s been a lot of ink spilled about the decline of the church in North America. (And I no longer have to modify “church” with “mainline” anymore, as it is indeed the whole church – from liberal to conservative, Roman Catholic to Protestant, evangelical to mainline – that is now in decline.) And I know that the numbers occasioning this spilled ink are pretty much incontrovertible. But here’s the thing (actually two things, the first today and the second next week): Let’s be clear that when we’re talking about church...