Mainline Protestant churches in Butler County lost 5,000 members during the past decade, mirroring a national trend where rolls dropped more than 7 million members between 2000 and 2010, according to data from the Association of Religious Archives.

Leaders from Butler County’s downtown Protestant churches said they aren’t surprised by the data. They see the empty pews every Sunday morning and are fighting to find ways to keep pace with the popularity of suburban mega-churches and a cultural shift in how people view church.

The Rev. Lawrence “Tim” Doty, of First Presbyterian Church on Central Avenue in Middletown, said membership has dropped 30 percent the past 10 years. He said his aging congregation either has retired and moved or passed away, and there aren’t enough young families to fill the void.

In Butler County, from 2000 to 2010, the biggest drop in membership was felt by the Christian Church, part of the mainline Protestant family. The number of people who regularly attend services dropped 1,094, or 69 percent, according to the 10-year data.

Other mainline Protestant churches that experienced lower attendance included United Church of Christ (46 percent), Presbyterian Church (32 percent), American Baptist Churches in the USA (25 percent), Episcopal Church (17 percent), Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (5 percent) and United Methodist Church (1 percent).

When First Presbyterian Church moved from Main Street to Central Avenue in the 1950s, it was located on the edge of town, Doty said. Today, the church’s location is considered downtown. He said people who have moved to the suburbs now attend churches in their neighborhoods.

Dr. Peter W. Williams, Distinguished Professor of Religion and American Studies at Miami University, said there was a time when people moved to the suburbs, and they felt compelled to join a church and to take their families every Sunday morning.

“A certain person attended certain churches and it was socially respectful thing to do,” he said.

That’s not the case today, he said. People don’t feel the social pressure to join a church as a way to be an “influential person” in the community, he said.

Front Street Presbyterian Church in Hamilton is trying a “variety of options in terms of worship style,” said the Rev. John Lewis. The church holds three worships every Sunday: a contemporary, traditional and family contemporary that Lewis hopes will fit families’ busy schedules.

“That’s where our culture is,” he said. “We can’t offer just one style of worship and get their needs met.”

There were 13 Butler County churches that saw an increase in their congregations, but none was mainline Protestant, according to the ARA data.

Vineyard USA saw the largest increase in Butler County, more than 900 members, or 171 percent. Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints was up 120 percent, followed by Seventh-day Adventist Church (115 percent), and Missionary Church (102 percent).

This culture shift about church can be seen through the growth of churches with diverse congregants, like the Vineyard, according to Williams. These churches have listened to the research and marketing that says people don’t want to attend churches that have the traditional look of stained-glass windows and pipe organs, he said.

Instead, he said, people want to attend buildings that resemble theaters and shopping malls, want to dress casual, drink coffee and listen to the preacher who sounds and looks like them.

“That fits our society today,” Williams said.

The Rev. Andy Randsell, lead pastor at Lifepoint Vineyard Church in Liberty Twp., said the church’s philosophy is to “recognize the cultural trends” and prepare a religious environment that matches those needs. That, he said, helps people “connect” with the church.

The church’s mission, he said, is “the timeless message of church in relevant ways.”

The church meets at 10 a.m. and 11:30 a.m. every Sunday in the Lakota Freshman building, and now in its sixth year, it has held services in a variety of schools. Because the church is held in a school, Randsell said it’s “aware of the needs” of local residents and is able to help “lift burdens off in our communities.”

Lewis agreed, saying in the 26 years he’s been in the ministry, the “driving force” in our culture is convenience. The days of people wearing suits and ties to church have been replaced by parents in shorts and their children wearing a T-shirt over their soccer uniform.

Because they don’t have time for breakfast before church, Front Street offers coffee and doughnuts. Lewis said the church also tries to offer a music program that matches what his members listen to on their iPods during the week.

“These things resonate with them,” he said. “You got to adapt without compromising the content of your experience.”

The Rev. Peggy Garrison, pastor at First United Methodist Church in Hamilton, said the percentage of those attending church is dropping with each generation.

“Children are not being taught to go to church,” she said. “They don’t understand the importance.”

First United Methodist will celebrate its 200th anniversary in 2019. With an older building, Garrison said, comes the added financial burden of repairs.

Now the church is fighting its downtown location. People no longer congregate downtown, especially on Sunday mornings, she said. So churches have moved out of downtown to be closer to their members.

In the 1950s — at the peak of its popularity — First United Methodist’s congregation sometimes reached 1,400. Now, after years of steady decline, the membership is close to 225, according to Garrison.

Despite its dwindling numbers, Garrison described the congregation as “small, but mighty,” and added it has “a very deep faith. It doesn’t mean it has lost its mission or heart for God.”

But she understands the perception that empty pews represent: “People don’t want to go some place that’s failing,” she said.

Through his discussions with religious leaders around the United States, Williams said there are a number of congregations that are “very shaky” and probably won’t be around in another 10 to 20 years.

“There’s just a shift in cultures and expectations,” he said.