Susan Russell Has It All Explained For Her [Anglican]

Stand Firm ^ | 9/14/2006 | Greg Griffith

[sionnsar]

There are some priceless comments over at Mark Harris's blog. Skip, as always, Harris's editorial itself. Skip, too, the repeated calls in the comment thread by the inclusive left for the orthodox to just leave already, and the sooner the better. Pick up where an anonymous poster asks,

wouldnt we be better off without this small group

To which "The Pilgrim" responds:

It's not that "small" a group. The Episcopal Church is hemmorhaging an average of 700 people a week.

Well, this is just too much for Susan Russell, who chimes in with this:

And I'm always intrigued by the "700 Club" numbers ... who came up with that and where's the data to back that up ... or is another one of those "The Network Said it, I believe it, That Settles it" things?

Now, fasten your seat belts and put your tray tables in their upright and locked position, folks, and behold Pilgrim's response. It should go into the Blog Museum of Smackdown History:

No Susan, it's data published by the Episcopal Church, and it comes from these two links at the Episcopal Church website:
www.episcopalchurch.org/23235_28079_ENG_HTM.htm, and: www.episcopalchurch.org/documents/FAST_FACTS_2004.pdf

But, I can save you the trouble. Here is "the [TEC] data to back that up:"

2002 - 2003 - 2004

Parishes and Missions
7305 7,220 7,200

Net Change in Active Membership from Prev. Yr.
-8,201 -35,988 -36,414

% of Churches Declining 10% in Membership
35% 36% 39%

Total Average Sunday Attendance (ASA)
846,640 823,017 795,765

% of Churches Declining 10% in ASA
39% 43% 46%

% of Congregations with 200 Members or Less

53% 53% 54%

Median Active Baptized Members
185 182 177

Median Average Sunday Worship Attendance
79 77 75

Take the 2004 membership loss of 36,414 and divide it by 52 weeks in the year. You get an average enrollment drop of 700 members per week.

If you look at the 2002 loss of 8,201 (an average loss of 157 per week) and the 2003 spike to over 35,000 . . . . Well, something happened in '03 that really opened the floodgates, and I'll bet it wasn't free milk and cookies over at the Unitarians' place.

If you extend the figures out over the next hundred years, assuming that they remain constant, you can ascertain that the Episcopal Church will be mathematically extinct in 72 years.

Congratulations.

Let's keep an eye on this one and see how (if) Russell responds. You're welcome to chime in here with your own speculation about where she goes from here, but remember: No wagering!

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