Richard Hall has some good thoughts and words for Methodists on both sides of the pond who are concerned about denominational decline. He speaks of the alteration of social institutions as a whole as well as the need for the church to be the church, not an institution of capitalism (stinging critique).

For what it is worth, my sense is that what the church most needs now is the faithfulness to ‘hold the line’, to keep our nerve. There is no doubt that we are living through some very unsettling times. The future seems very uncertain. So what’s new? We face the world’s indifference with scarce resources and often-failing courage. Every generation of disciples since the time of Jesus has done the same. We have to lose any illusions we might hold about being in control and trust in the God who calls us to go with us into whatever the future holds.