A question about evangelism
As you may have heard, the population of the United States now tops 300 million. The Episcopal Church claims about 2.3 million members if I am remembering correctly. That's less than one percent of the population. Meaning, if I remember my high school statistics correctly, than were I in a room with 99 other Americans chosen at random, I'd be the only Episcopalian. I bring this up not to lament the size of our church, I do that in various other places, but to pose a question.
If I want to double the number of Episcopalians in that room, I need to persuade only one other person to join the Church. What's the best way to do that? Should I speak broadly to the other 99 folks in the room, or should I concentrate my efforts on the few people whom I sense are most likely to give me a hearing?
What are the implications of my choice for parochial, diocesan and Church-wide evangelism and advertising efforts?
