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Religion
Formerly Influential U.S. Episcopal Church: Now Fewer than 2 Million Members
WASHINGTON -- Once a flagship denomination of American mainline Protestantism, the U.S.-based Episcopal Church has for the first time in decades reported membership below two million.
Self-reported statistics provided by the denomination this month show that the church has dropped from 2,006,343 members in 2009 to 1,951,907 in 2010, the most recent reporting year. The loss of 54,436 members increases the annual rate of decline from 2 percent to 3 percent, outpacing the most recently reported declines in most other mainline churches. The church's 10-year change in active members has dropped 16 percent.
A branch of the otherwise fast-growing 80 million member worldwide Anglican Communion, the third largest family of Christian churches globally, the Episcopal Church had also seen a steady decrease in the number of parishes, losing or closing over 100 in 2010, as well as a drop in attendance from 682,963 in 2009 to 657,831 in 2010, a 4 percent drop. Fifty-four percent of all U.S. Episcopal Churches suffered attendance loss over the prior year. Over the last decade, attendance was down 23 percent.
The denomination, which once claimed over 3.5 million members as recently as the mid-1960s, has lost over 40 percent of membership even while the U.S. population grew by over 50 percent.
A statistical summary provided by the Episcopal Church can be viewed here.
Jeff Walton, spokesman for IRD’s Anglican Action Program, commented:
"The drop below 2 million members is noteworthy, but the precipitous drop in attendance is even more dramatic, boding poorly for the Episcopal Church’s future. Almost one-quarter of Episcopalians who were in the pews in 2000 have vanished.
"Departures to other churches have fueled Episcopal decline, as have decreasing baptisms and its graying population.
"These statistics contrast sharply with more theologically conservative Anglican churches in the global south, many of which are witnessing skyrocketing numbers.
"Despite all its liberal cheer leading about inclusiveness, the Episcopal Church is a dwindling, nearly all white, increasingly gray-headed denomination with a grim future, absent divine intervention."
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Comments
This is total nonsense. TEC
This is total nonsense. TEC WISHES they had 2 million members! Their system is to NEVER remove a member from their rolls unless that person specifically demands it. I left the church 5 years ago and they STILL carry me as a member. Horse Pucky!
Over 1/3 of all TEC churches are expected to be shuttered within the next several years.
This organization adopted the 'strategy' to become a social club, not a church of Christ. In their new role they have fierce competition from much more well established social clubs and from groups that do 'social club' much more effectively.
Meanwhile, those REAL churches of Christ who remain just that are exploding.
A half dozen year back, when it became clear the gays had successfully taken over TEC, many predicted this atrophy - but also predicted the gays could not care in the least, since they would still have control of the vast real estate holdings and still have a medium sized group of contributors who don't care the church is no longer a church.
Prophetic, huh?
I guess it is even worse than
I guess it is even worse than i thought. My family belonged to TEC for generations in the Berkshires and we gave very generously. But my siblings and mother have left. We were made to feel like we didn't belong by people who came in from other religions and took over. Sort of like the presiding bishop herself. It was their way or the highway. Of couse they said we could stay and they all loved our social position in the community. That had alot of what attracted them to TEC in the first place, social position. It was a free club for them to join and woship at the alter my family bought. They didn't take over the Methodist or Baptist church not grand enough for them. Now all the cradle Episcopalians are leaving. They have our beautiful churches to use for their political purposes. But these new sorts don't support TEC the way we once did and they don't attend as often. So the whole roof is caving in. What a mess.