Press the Panic Button, Protestants?

On Tuesday I posted six reasons why Mormons are beating Baptists in church growth and then just this morning ran across this chart based on Pew Forum data. Simply put, unless we Protestants can start to change these numbers, we’re going to fade away in the United States.  Yes, it will take time.  Yes, we’ll be a cultural influence for decades to come.  But fade we will.

Note that among the Christian churches, those that are more “institutional” or “religious” are doing much better than the nondenominational churches and those known for looser doctrine.  That seems counterintuitive, doesn’t it?  Unless of course popular YouTubes and blogs don’t really have their fingers on the pulse of the human heart.