The Episcopal organization recently released its 2021 numbers which show a continued fall in membership along with a drop in average Sunday attendance (ASA). The fall in ASA may be partially attributed to Covid-19, but the longer impact of the pandemic will not be known until numbers come in for 2022-24.
Jeff Walton at the Institute on Religion and Democracy reported on this,
"Data from 2021 parochial reports shows that domestic membership fell 56,314 persons to 1,520,388 (-3.57%) from 1,576,702, while average Sunday attendance fell in an unprecedented rate of decline of 165,328 persons to 292,851 (-36.08%) from 458,179 in 2020. A total of 62 congregations were permanently closed."
"Median Average Sunday Attendance in the denomination dropped from 55 persons in 2017 to 21 persons in 2021. Long-term, 88% of Episcopal parishes saw their attendance decline 10% or greater in the past five years, and 90% of congregations report attendance of less than 100 persons."
The Episcopal News Service (ENS) for some reason remains optimistic,
"Other figures from 2021 leave room for optimism. The number of active baptized members, though down by more than 3% for the second straight year, is nearly in line with recent historical trends, showing a more gradual decline that is mirrored by other mainline Protestant denominations. "
That's like saying, "Don't worry about the icebergs and freezing waters. Our sister ships are sinking just as fast."
"The pandemic, meanwhile, did not halt the ongoing trend of rising pledges. The average Episcopal pledge increased in 2021 to $3,339, and overall plate and pledge income was up more than 3% for the year."
Don't be fooled by that statistic Episcopalians. The rate of inflation in 2021 was 7.0%, so a 3% increase in pledges is not going to cut it. In the past I have pointed out that on a parish level, as ASA declines there is often seen a paradoxical rise in plate and pledge. I call this squeezing the last drop of blood out of the turnips.
Advent is supposed to be a season of hope and anticipation, not a time for lies, damn lies, and statistics. I don't think the statistics here lie, but the reporting by the ENS lies by omitting the fact that giving did not keep pace with inflation, and by reporting it as a reason to be optimistic.
Needless to say, the ENS did not speculate as to the reasons for the sinking numbers of her sister mainstream denominations. It would have been interesting to see the spin on that.
Does anyone really see hope in these statistics?
Posts
I don't know how things are chez Underground Pewster, but in my REC parish, we maintained our numbers and donations during the pandemic, and now we're growing. We've had to find overflow parking spaces. I have attended my daughter's ACNA parish, in Archbishop Beach's Diocese of the South, and it's overflowing too. Offer people the Gospel and they will come.
ReplyDeleteOur little parish has held steady. People moved out of town, but newcomers came in to fill the ranks.
ReplyDelete