Posted on 12/02/2007 8:54:30 PM PST by fgoodwin
US Episcopal report highlights concerns over church attendance drop
http://www.christiantoday.com/article/us.episcopal.report.highlights.concerns.over.church.attendance.drop/15084.htm
http://tinyurl.com/3d37yq
by Lillian Kwon, Christian Today US Correspondent
Posted: Saturday, December 1, 2007, 12:26 (GMT)
An Episcopal Church committee has released an interim report that reveals positive trends as well as concerns in declining membership and church conflicts.
In a brief assessment of facts and trends in the Episcopal Church, the 'State of the Church' report issued by the House of Deputies Committee in November indicated the need for a "plan for action" at all levels of the denomination in response to membership drops.
In 2006, the number of Episcopal churches growing by 10 per cent or more decreased, and the number declining in membership by 10 per cent increased, according to the report. Average Sunday Attendance (ASA) also dropped by three per cent in 2006 compared to one per cent the previous year.
An estimated 41 per cent of the attendance drop can be attributed to the departure of congregations from their dioceses.
And almost half of Episcopal parishes and missions have an ASA of 70 or less.
Conservative parishes and Anglicans discontent with the liberal direction of the Episcopal Church have left the American church body and realigned with like-minded churches from overseas.
The Episcopal Church the US branch of Anglicanism deepened rifts when it consecrated openly gay bishop V Gene Robinson of New Hampshire in 2003.
Episcopal Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori has indicated that those who have left the national Church only account for less than 1 per cent of the total number of US Episcopal parishes.
According to the report, an increased number of congregations reported "serious conflict" from 2001 through 2005. The consecration of Robinson was one of the frequently mentioned sources of conflict in 2005.
Other areas of concern in the national Church include the "failure of some dioceses to fully support the program of The Episcopal Church at the national level", which is in turn negatively impacting its domestic operations and overseas mission work.
Four Episcopal dioceses have already taken steps to split and realign with a conservative Anglican leader. Most recently, the Diocese of Forth Worth in Texas voted to approve constitutional amendments and remove language that states the diocese accedes to the Episcopal Church's constitution and canons.
In December, the Diocese of San Joaquin could be the first Episcopal diocese in the country to take a final vote and leave the national Church. The diocese has been invited to align with the Anglican Church of the Southern Cone of South America.
Bishop Robert Duncan of the Pittsburgh Diocese is also in the process of forming a separate Anglican structure in North America that would remain faithful to the global Anglican Communion. Bishop Duncan contends that the Episcopal Church has "failed" the communion and rejected "obvious scriptural teaching".
The recently-released interim report also listed areas of encouragement in the Episcopal Church. Support directed to the Church's relief and development organisation increased from less than $9 million to around $40 million and within Episcopal congregations, giving per member continues to increase or remain steady.
Also mentioned was the reorganisation of staff at the Church Center which is underway for better utilisation of resources nationally and locally to support the mission of the Church.
The brief assessment was issued to describe the state of the Episcopal Church "as we see it as this point in time" and to assist and challenge leaders of the Church body.
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Whatever is given is probably thoroughly cooked. My family is still carried on the roll of the local Episcopal diocese even though we left in 2005, sent a letter to the diocese asking to be removed and have followed-up.
My mother hasn’t set foot in her Episcopal church for at least ten years, but they send her her pledge every year.
The crazy thing is she pays it. Very disturbing.
At no time during that ensuing time has anyone contacted her to ask her whether she has a problem with the church, or even more so, does she need help personally? (Yes to first, no to second). Basically, so long as they get the money, they don’t care if anyone is coming.
Does your mother have a church she does attend? That should be the most important issue.
The failure of anyone from the parish to contact her is very telling. The Episcopal Church is dying, and negligence like that is a major cause. Gene Robinson is just a symptom.
She might try withholding her pledge, or even just delaying sending it in. Someone from the vestry would probably contact her pronto.
I have taken her to mine a couple of times (I’m now a Presbtyerian), but it’s just too “modern” for her.
We’re traditional in terms of theology and preaching, but yes, we have the modern things like an overhead screen to project the scriptures, and we mix modern praise music with the older hymns. And frankly my Mom is kind of intimidated by listening to “real” sermons where our pastor actually leads us through and we study the scripture passage, rather than the milquetoast-feel-good-but-means-nothing type of messages you generally get at Episcopal churches.
I probably will get her to come with us to Christmas Eve services though. My church has wonderful Christmas Eve services, usually started off by a processional complete with a bagpipe and drum corps. Gives you goosebumps.
Whatever is given is probably thoroughly cooked. My family is still carried on the roll of the local Episcopal diocese even though we left in 2005, sent a letter to the diocese asking to be removed and have followed-up.
815 always give the standard line there are 2+ million members. Actual attenders warming Episcopal pews probably less than a million any given Sunday.
I first had an inkling what was going on in the late 1980s. My job had moved us (temporarily) to NJ. We visited some Episcopal parishes, trying to find a place to worship. The first was one of the older Episcopal parishes in the nation (George Washington prayed here, that sort of thing). The rector's sermon was all about gay rights. The chief Warden also spoke - it was pledge Sunday. He was an older guy and I could tell he was embarrassed and confused by all the gay stuff, but he really wanted to get with the program, so he made a lame joke about another Vestry-person whose name was "Gay."
We did not join that parish.
After the more recent difficulties, I have spoken to a number of older folks who just don't know what to do. I have also heard stories about some rectors who are trying to keep their congregations ignorant on purpose.
My family is now Orthodox. It's liturgical and certainly is not subject to trendy changes. I'm afraid Orthodoxy is probably too "foreign" for most older folks. If your mother was Anglo-Catholic she might not find it that different, however. There are a number of former Episcopalian priests who now have Orthodox parishes.
If she has an internet connection, have her tune in here. (Will remind her of good times.)
http://www.saintthomaschurch.org/Stream.html
If they would (a) revoke the gay bishop; (b) strive to be more Bible-based on their sermons; and, (c) encourage priests to keep their damned liberal opinions to themselves they would be shocked at the numbers they would see each Sunday.
Thank you.
What’s particularly sad is that when she was young, just out of college, she was the bishop’s secretary, responsible for setting up and planning his itineraries and visitations, and generally keeping him on track. So my Mom was probably more intimately involved with the life of the church than most lay people.
I believe that the entrenchment of socialism in the UK has made it a secular society. More people tour churches for historic value than attend for service. When the government takes care of your needs (food, housing, healthcare, education) you don’t need to have faith in God to provide for yourself. You don’t need to marry, build a family, and a life together. The nanny-state takes care of things that used to be acquired through risk-taking, work, commitment, and faith. We only need look across the pond to see where things like nationalized healthcare would take us.
That 1% figure I always see quoted from the Presiding Bishop sounds a little low to me ... wonder how would could check that out.
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