I agree with you on this issue. What I am saying is that mainline Protestants, all denominations or at least most of them, have fallen away from Christian teachings, and not just recently.
The problem is more with the leadership than with the people in the pew, IMO.
Every church has its struggles. That’s because it’s made up of us mortals, sinners all. Let’s face it, anything we touch will have its good side and bad side. It’s up to us faithful to insure we follow the path Christ has set for us.
Yes, the problem lies mainly with the leadership, but as witnessed in the ELCA and elsewhere, there are many “people in the pew” as you put it who willingly follow. Their faith is weak and unenlightened; often by design these days.