Episcopal Church Decline Continues
As many CAS regulars know, we read widely among the Christian blogosphere. The major news event of the past week for our Anglican and Episcopal brothers and sisters in Christ is the continuing decline of the Episcopal Church in the USA. The Episcopal Church released its 2007 membership statistics and the Anglican blogosphere is ablaze. CAS readers may not be aware that a second Episcopal diocese, Pittsburg, voted to break communion with the Episcopal Church and join with the Anglican Province of the Southern Cone in South America.
Matt Kennedy of Stand Firm penned:
"According to the latest statistics (for 2007) released last week (and now mysteriously taken down from the Episcopal Church website) only four dioceses out of 111 experienced growth."
David Virtue of Virtue Online recently stated about the Episcopal diocese of Michigan:
"The Episcopal Diocese of Michigan is in free fall.
The liberal diocese is faced with declining church attendance, and dwindling income. The diocese is going to launch a plan aimed at revitalizing the "diocesan household."
A report at their website said the diocese must face stark realities. A task force says that "the Episcopal Diocese of Michigan is in steep decline." Charts included in the document reveal that average Sunday attendance has declined by 22% since 2000. During the same time period, "pledge and plate revenues" for all congregations combined has decreased by approximately $2 million, when adjusted for inflation."
The term "death spiral" is being used with increasing regularity.
Amidst the hand wringing, various reasons for the decline are discussed. Chief among these are unbelief, ordination of an actively gay bishop, heavy handedness of the Presiding Bishop, and demographic winter. We at CAS see things more holistically and find multiple contributing causes.
That said, the largest contributing cause is likely the turn the Episcopal Church took afollowing the 1930 Lambeth Conference when Anglicans reversed centuries of doctrine and allowed artifical birth control by married couples. Hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of Episcopal children were never born.
Discussing the low Episcopalian birth rate, Presiding Bishop Katharine Schori has previously opined that Episcopalians are not much interested in breeding. Mrs. Schori said:
"[Episcopalians] tend to be better-educated and tend to reproduce at lower rates than some other denominations. Roman Catholics and Mormons both have theological reasons for producing lots of children. We encourage people to pay attention to the stewardship of the earth and not use more than their portion."
Decisions have consequences, as countries and now ecclesial communities are discovering long after the unintended results.
CAS would like to remind readers that this is not the time for un-Christian triumphalism. Please pray for your Anglican brothers and sisters in Christ.
Related Posts:
The Shrinking Church of England
Why More Catholics Than Protestants
Demographic Winter
Source: The Shrinking Episcopal Church
Matt Kennedy of Stand Firm penned:
"According to the latest statistics (for 2007) released last week (and now mysteriously taken down from the Episcopal Church website) only four dioceses out of 111 experienced growth."
David Virtue of Virtue Online recently stated about the Episcopal diocese of Michigan:
"The Episcopal Diocese of Michigan is in free fall.
The liberal diocese is faced with declining church attendance, and dwindling income. The diocese is going to launch a plan aimed at revitalizing the "diocesan household."
A report at their website said the diocese must face stark realities. A task force says that "the Episcopal Diocese of Michigan is in steep decline." Charts included in the document reveal that average Sunday attendance has declined by 22% since 2000. During the same time period, "pledge and plate revenues" for all congregations combined has decreased by approximately $2 million, when adjusted for inflation."
The term "death spiral" is being used with increasing regularity.
Amidst the hand wringing, various reasons for the decline are discussed. Chief among these are unbelief, ordination of an actively gay bishop, heavy handedness of the Presiding Bishop, and demographic winter. We at CAS see things more holistically and find multiple contributing causes.
That said, the largest contributing cause is likely the turn the Episcopal Church took afollowing the 1930 Lambeth Conference when Anglicans reversed centuries of doctrine and allowed artifical birth control by married couples. Hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of Episcopal children were never born.
Discussing the low Episcopalian birth rate, Presiding Bishop Katharine Schori has previously opined that Episcopalians are not much interested in breeding. Mrs. Schori said:
"[Episcopalians] tend to be better-educated and tend to reproduce at lower rates than some other denominations. Roman Catholics and Mormons both have theological reasons for producing lots of children. We encourage people to pay attention to the stewardship of the earth and not use more than their portion."
Decisions have consequences, as countries and now ecclesial communities are discovering long after the unintended results.
CAS would like to remind readers that this is not the time for un-Christian triumphalism. Please pray for your Anglican brothers and sisters in Christ.
Related Posts:
The Shrinking Church of England
Why More Catholics Than Protestants
Demographic Winter
Source: The Shrinking Episcopal Church
Labels: Anglican, Demographics, Episcopal, Statistics
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