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Commentary
GEN-X RISING: Reducing UMC's top-heaviness Andrew C. Thompson, Jan 16, 2007
The Rev. Andrew C. Thompson
Generally speaking, top-heaviness is not a good thing.
Even SUV manufacturers include prominent warning labels about increased rollover risk due to top-heaviness and a high center of gravity.
Top-heaviness doesn't bode well for society-at-large, either. With the large number of Baby Boomers retiring in the near future, no one is quite sure how Social Security and Medicare can be sustained.
And the United Methodist Church has its very own top-heaviness problem.
Our membership demographics resemble an upside-down triangle: The largest percentage of our membership is made up of our oldest members and the smallest is made up of Gen-Xers and Millennials, many of whom leave the church when they leave home for college.
The actual numbers are shocking. Almost half our church's members are over 60, and well over 11 percent are over 80. Only 8 percent are between the ages of 13 and 30, with a total of only 16.4 percent under the age of 40. And that's just the laity. If anything, the top-heaviness of the church is exaggerated when it comes to our clergy, where less than five percent of ordained elders are under the age of 35.
Clearly, replenishing the ranks of young United Methodists represents a huge challenge. Some have cynically speculated that declining birthrates among affluent Americans are responsible for the mainline membership decline. In other words, our reluctance to procreate means we can't meet the replacement rate for our membership numbers.
Regardless of how much truth there may be in that, it doesn't negate the fact that our young adults are increasingly disinterested in the church. At any rate, we should not let ourselves be distracted by excuses for our evangelistic impotence.
The United Methodist Church needs a spiritual gut-check. We need to realistically look at the situation we face with our young membership and take action.
One way is to identify the young leaders we do have and then help empower them for greater leadership. At the risk of an underwhelming suggestion, I think one avenue for empowerment is right in front of our noses: our annual conferences.
The annual conference is the most distinctive mark of our polity. When undertaken in true Wesleyan fashion, it's a place where connectional ministry really happens. The worship, fellowship and celebration of ministry can be a rejuvenating experience. It's a place to learn firsthand what it means to be a Methodist.
But anyone who has attended an annual conference knows that the top-heaviness of the church is reflected in the average age of delegates. The predominant hair color within the bar has a decidedly gray tint.
Does it have to be that way? How might annual conference change if churches began electing delegates under the age of 40? What would be the impact if large churches-who send multiple delegates-would make sure to include at least one 20-something?
The church might not become a youth movement overnight, but nurturing strong young leadership could have a significant impact in just a few years.
The wisdom and experience that age brings are absolutely vital to the church carrying out its mission faithfully. The energy and enthusiasm of youth are no less essential to the church's witness.
With these two working together, the church could be jolted out of its sleepy lethargy.
It can only happen if local churches want it to happen. That means a commitment to electing younger delegates for annual conference. It means giving them financial and spiritual support to make their service feasible. It means believing that a new commitment to youth is necessary for the vitality of the United Methodist Church.
Our long-term needs in evangelism and discipleship are many. But the need to nurture younger leadership is one that can be met now, within the annual conference structure as it already exists.
The Rev. Andrew C. Thompson is an ordained Elder who is working on a doctoral program at Duke Divinity School. He blogs atwww.genxrising.com.
The Rev. Andrew C. Thompson
One way is to identify the young leaders we do have and then help empower them for greater leadership. At the risk of an underwhelming suggestion, I think one avenue for empowerment is right in front of our noses: our annual conferences. 
