AMARILLO, Texas -- A decrease in giving to the United Methodist Church (UMC) could be linked to distrust of the denomination's leadership, one pastor believes.

Dr. Jim Smith, who pastors St. Stephen UMC in Amarillo, Texas, said growing dissatisfaction with church UMC leaders may be linked to concerns about how the money will be spent at the general church level.

"There's not the level of trust today with the people who are under 50 as there was in the older generation where people felt that sense of loyalty -- they could trust the general church staff or someone else to manage their gifts wisely," said Smith, who also heads the board of directors for the Confessing Movement within the UMC. "There has been an erosion in that confidence, and people are not quite as trusting as they were years ago."

Smith believes Methodists' generosity also has declined in the wake of members' stock market losses. Many elderly United Methodists have experienced a decline in their income during retirement years, as well as increases in healthcare and insurance costs.

"Most of our people in our churches have experienced some decline, either in their retirement income from their investments and pension funds, or from their investments and their portfolios," Smith said. "And there's an uncertainty about the future of our economy -- and people are probably being a little more conservative, withholding a little bit more from their giving."