I wrote the following thoughts to help my own church family, First Congregational Church of Ramona, understand what it means to be a "mainline" church. This article was originally published on our church website . Much of this is specific to our context, but the history and principles are transferable. Enjoy!  Many of you have heard me use the term Mainline to describe our church, but I want to take a moment to clarify what that means. Understanding this term can help us see who we are, how we fit into the wider Christian family, and why our identity matters in a community where there are many different kinds of churches. The word “mainline” originally comes from the Main Line suburbs outside Philadelphia, which developed along the Pennsylvania Railroad. The churches most prominent in those communities—Episcopal, Methodist, Lutheran, Presbyterian, and others—came to represent the mainstream of American Protestant life in the early 20th century. As these traditions grew acro...