MEMPHIS, Tenn. -- When the Promise Keepers came to town three years ago, more than 50,000 men filed into a football stadium to dedicate their lives to Jesus. The ministry returned to town last weekend to kick off a 1999 season of rallies in 15 U.S. locations from Connecticut to California.
But the biggest meeting, in Memphis, drew fewer then 20,000. The attendance drop mirrored what has occurred elsewhere in recent years. Critics say it shows interest is waning in the organization and its conservative message, but Promise Keepers leaders don't see it that way.Founder Bill McCartney, a former University of Colorado football coach, said much of the drop is due to fewer worshippers making repeat visits to rallies. Many have changed their lives and have little incentive to attend, he said.
"It's 'Been there, done that, experienced that,' " McCartney said while preparing for the recent conference at The Memphis Pyramid.
McCartney started Promise Keepers in 1990 to bring together Christian men for spiritual support and enrichment. From 72 men at an organizational meeting, the idea quickly grew. The first conference, in July 1991, drew 4,200 men to the University of Colorado basketball arena.
Attendance peaked in 1996, when 1.1 million men gathered for rallies in large outdoor stadiums like the 62,000-seat Liberty Bowl in Memphis. This year, 10 of the group's 15 rallies are in smaller indoor arenas, like the 21,000-seat Pyramid, and total attendance is forecast to be 450,000.
Darren Sherkat, a professor of sociology and religious studies at Vanderbilt University, said it's understandable that the ministry cannot continue to fill football stadiums.
"There's a kind of burnout that takes place. It's something you do once, maybe twice," he said.