Much of the gain went to the mainline Protestant churches.

Mainline Protestant churches have lost millions of members in the past quarter century.

But in many cases, mainline churches had provided them with conceptual bridges to their conversion.

Rejected by the mainline churches, Pentecostals began to form organizations of their own.

"Mainline churches have identified hip-hop culture as an enemy, and that's their problem," he said.

Some Mainline churches no longer hold to exclusivist views on salvation.

Mainline churches hold a wide range of theologies-conservative, moderate and liberal.

Like other mainline churches in the United States, its membership decreased from the 1960s.

As a group, the mainline churches have maintained religious doctrine that stresses social justice and personal salvation.

He noted, "Mainline churches cannot be the church unless they pay attention to the community where they are.