Drift, not rupture explains decline, part 2
In Monday's Lead we reported on a new Pew Forum study on why people leave or switch churches. Boston Globe reporter, Michael Paulson, explores the difference of reasons for Roman Catholics and Protestants (including Anglicans/Episcopalians).
Among the most striking findings are that most people who change their religious affiliation leave the denomination in which they were raised by age 24, and many change religious affiliation more than once. And the study found that the growing population of unaffiliated Americans are more disenchanted with institutionalized religion than with the idea of God.But the differences between Catholics and Protestants are also significant, suggesting that Catholics who become alienated from their church often leave, whereas Protestants have the option of simply switching denominations.
Read interviews, view charts, and discover more interesting data here.
Another report on the study by CNN.
Many Protestants in the study who did switch felt that denominations were not important. What does this mean for the Episcopal Church and evangelism?
It's really very simple. You have either liturgical, semi-liturgical (Methodists and Presbys, etc.) or non-liturgical churches. No matter where they started out, they've pretty much ended up in those two camps. Concerning the liturgical Protestants, the most difficult differences between Lutherans and Episcopalians usually stem from the idea that, in Lutheranism, everyone has the charism to be a full-on priest, but not necessarily the calling, whereas in Anglicanism, both these things are bestowed and/or manifested at ordination; in both churches, both are necessary for public ministry. Get that worked out, and there's no reason why there shouldn't be one Church in the US that reflects the current state of unity between the various Churches of Scandinavia and Britain. Whether you're a Norwegian or an English Churchman, there shouldn't have to be choice between an ELCA parish and an Episcopal parish when you're visiting over here. However, the biggest difference on the ground is the culture of an ELCA vs. an Episcopal parish, and I know in my hometown of Fort Smith, AR, the two are miles apart.
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April 28, 2009 1:23 PM