Do FACTs spell future of The Episcopal Church?
The profile of The Episcopal Church does not match the diversity of the US population or its growth. Parishes are stressed financially by overhead, services are less than half full.
Discuss in light of the facts below.
From FACT 2010:
87% of Episcopalians are white.
30% of us are age 65 and above; for the country as a whole, 13% are seniors.
15% of us are below the age of 20; for the country as a whole, 28% are.
60% of Episcopalians are female. Take out the non-adults, who are likely closer to 50-50, and you see the figure for adults is higher.
"Relatively few Episcopal churches reported that their members were heavily involved in recruiting new members. Only 20% say their members are involved “quite a bit” or “a lot.” The more typical involvement is “a little” (36%) or “some” (40%)."
"A majority (53%) of Episcopal parishes and missions were founded before 1901. The post-war
baby boom years (1946-1965) saw a huge rise in new church development as many parishes (18% of all congregations) were organized during those twenty years. Only 3% of Episcopal congregations were founded from 1993 to 2009."
"In 2010 86% of Episcopal parishes and missions said their congregation used a website, up from 81% in 2008 and 76% in 2005. The use of social media has exploded in recent years and 41% of Episcopal congregations indicated that they used Facebook or other social media in 2010."
So what has changed in the last ten years? I find little new or notable here, except the same thing I've been hearing the past twenty: we're in decline as a denomination. Is there a point at which saying this over and over again becomes counterproductive?
Posted by Richard E. Helmer![[TypeKey Profile Page]](http://www.episcopalcafe.com/lead/nav-commenters.gif)
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March 25, 2011 12:17 AM
There really should come a time when we say, "Well at some point in time we have been here before and we grew out of it so we can do it again." Of course that requires that we listen to the Holy Spirit and move out of our comfortable lethargy into uncomfortable faith sharing!
So, saying it over and over again is counterproductive.
Posted by Reid Morgan![[TypeKey Profile Page]](http://www.episcopalcafe.com/lead/nav-commenters.gif)
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March 25, 2011 10:00 AM
"The profile of The Episcopal Church does not match the diversity of the US population or its growth. Parishes are stressed financially by overhead, services are less than half full.
Discuss in light of the facts below."
I have nothing to say. I only have a question: Just what are we expected to do, then? Be specific. And even then, I can guarantee it won't work. Every place I have served we have implemented every program that has come down the pike, every consultant, all the wisdom available, most of the time before I even arrived on the scene, and, unlike all the success stories that have fueled these "self-help" schemes, it has made no difference at all.
A second question: Where is the statistic on attachment to a particular building and name, without which there is no church for many people?
Posted by Lois Keen![[TypeKey Profile Page]](http://www.episcopalcafe.com/lead/nav-commenters.gif)
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March 27, 2011 8:48 AM
This is another sign of the over-all shift in the church's center of gravity. Our time (the USA) as the global locus of the church has passed. Right now, more Christians attend worship every Sunday in China than here in the US. Asia will be the center of the church in the future.
However, there is a message here for us, I believe. It seems clear that we are not doing a good job of translating the gospel into the idiom of the people. Many Americans simply do not perceive the gospel message that we proclaim as worthwhile of their attention, let alone their commitment.
Posted by Nathanferrell![[TypeKey Profile Page]](http://www.episcopalcafe.com/lead/nav-commenters.gif)
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March 29, 2011 9:38 AM