“I’m sure we will attract people who are saying maybe we are doing it right,” Mr. Hay said as he came off the convention floor for lunch one day with his mother. “For me it seems right because I was raised in a household where we were always taught to accept everyone, regardless of creed, color, gender or sexual identity.”
Whether Episcopalians really can regenerate a church based on youth and “inclusivity” remains to be seen.
So far, they have paid a price for their actions. Four bishops, the majority of their dioceses and numerous parishes around the country jumped ship in the last few years to form a new, theologically conservative entity called the Anglican Church in North America. That group will not consecrate women, not to mention gay men and lesbians, as bishops. It has about 100,000 members, while the Episcopal Church has about two million.
But a church study shows that membership declined about 6 percent from 2003 to 2007.
This story also re ran on page 9 a of the local post and courier 1 of 4 total stories of the TEC meltdown. Dr. harmon was quoted in 2 of the 4.
Well, they claim they can. Let’s see it then.
At some point it would seem that the press would catch up with the fact that the Episcopal Church indeed does NOT have 2.2 or 2.3 million members. With all the reports of loss of membership, wouldn’t that mean a smaller number?
And I thought the ACNA was going to accept women priests (but not women bishops.)
Growth at any cost.
Well … I guess they wont be “growing” through infant baptisms.