Once it Was Believed only Conservative Denominations Would Survive

Looking at Christian websites for over a decade I have seen the view expressed countless times the those branches of the faith "that teach the Bible" will grow and liberal branches will close down. Certainly, liberal branches are not doing well. Conservative branches are not doing well either. I've predicted several times conservative denominations will die before liberal ones. This has not happened yet. Seminaries of conservative branches are closing or downsizing. Areas with large Catholic populations are closing churches and schools. The number becoming priests is declining. The old magic is gone.

Denominations of the Christian faith could learn from electric automobile business. The first electric cars were luxury vehicles. During the last several years, pickup trucks were also luxury, outfitted to the nines. The public stopped buying both. Now car companies are bringing out cheaper models.

Denominations have priced themselves out of the market in two ways. First, many have required their preachers to have graduated from colleges where students must live and attend on site. They, of course, are call residential colleges. This is very expensive. If the salaries paid upon graduation could pay this cost it was a deal that worked. With fewer churches and smaller churches students go into something else. 

Second, conservative groups make the largest demands on their members. There are "sins" members must not commit. In some, it is a sin to hire a female preacher. There are more weekly events conservatives are expected to attend. Add the sin, time and money demanded and you have the recipe for people to walk.

The rules and money of Christianity have always been about changing to fit the market. Paul in the Bible showed the way by dropping the Jewish requirement of circumcision. The "Book of Mormon" with lays out the rules for being a good member has changed many times. If the desire to control other people would be dropped and conservative churches would say, "Let each person's conscience and understanding of the faith guide his/her life" the chance of survival would increase.