The Episcopal Church loses about 19,000 members a year because more of them die than are baptized into the church, Jefferts Schori said. The average Episcopalian is about 57 years old. The average age American is 37, she said.
“Fifty-seven-year-olds don’t produce a lot of children,” Jefferts Schori said. “But, there are lots and lots of communities and populations among us that are growing.”
Younger generations don’t know what the church has to offer, she said, adding that it’s going to take Episcopalians to become more passionate about ministry to attract new people.
“How are they going to find out if we don’t tell them?” she asked.
Tell them what? We have a great coffee hour and we don’t require you to believe anything? Oh that will pack them in.
[quote]“Fifty-seven-year-olds don’t produce a lot of children,†Jefferts Schori said.[/quote]
Resist the temptation! Don’t say it! I know you want to (so do I), but if nothing else, there’s no sport in it. Fish in a barrel.
regards,
JPB
“The average Episcopalian is about 57 years old. The average age American is 37, she said.”
would it be too much for her to explain what she is doing to bring the average age down? I’m thinking the answer is probably yes, because of course, neither she nor anyone else is doing anything. And why? Because they don’t care…..:(
We’re up to 2.4 million members now? Where are these fertile Episcopalians?
I can’t resist: But I thought that not producing children was a good thing? That TEC goers are more educated, enlightened, progressive, therefore they respect Mother Earth and strive to limit their carbon footprint by not reproducing.
I don’t quite understand what “passionate about ministry” is. While doing ministry work is a good thing, you have to share the Gospel. You can feed the body, but you must also tend to the soul as well. Charismatic and Pentocostal churches are growing in Latin America because the offer hope through salvation (I know some do the prosperity thing, but at least they also stress salvation as well).
Passionate ministry is selling church buildings to raise funds for litigation. Sheesh………..
http://www.episcopalchurch.org/81799_116612_ENG_HTM.htm
People know what TEC is about and they are leaving. Young people are not brand loyal and there is reason to believe that if our fertility rate went up, so would our ASA. This is completely missing the point. However, it is probably true for squid populations.
Has the PB ever attended a Hispanic non-denominational church?
The ones I have attended are unlike any Anglican/Episcopal Church I have been in. The services are about 3 hours in length, multiple bands and soloists singing praise music, men leading the worship, 700-1000 people of all ages gathered in worship (lots of 20 somethings), and a 45-60 minute sermon based on a traditional reading of scripture.
I know it is beating a dead horse to say this…. but a good starting place for effective evangelism is the Gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God, the Savior of the world. Perhaps if people who regularly sit in the pews encountered Jesus Christ, crucified and risen, they might have something of substance and value to share with others. Anything less than that is an amemic and counterfeit gospel at best. John Wesley once wrote: “If we could bring all preachers, both local and itinerant, to hold to these two points: ‘Christ dying for us’ and ‘Christ reigning in us’… we should shake the trembling gates of hell.”
#8 and 9–Statistical data show unabashedly Christian Churches are growing. That just might say something about TEC.
It would be interesting to see “average age” numbers for ECUSA going back some decades. Fifty years ago they were certainly no [i]more[/i] than the national average.
Our 8 am traditional service has an ASA of about 125 — surpassing the total ASA at a crushing majority of all Episcopal churches — and it currently has an average age of about 60. That age is anecdotal, not from data. More importantly, the traditional service is growing well and the average age five years ago was probably north of 70. These days we’re actually having the occasional infant baptism.
So, even our traditional service is growing well and attracting quite a lot of people in their 20s and 30s. The recipe is not complicated: preach, teach, and live the Word in ways that make a difference to ordinary lives. ASA is probably 120 to 140% of membership. If you look at ECUSA’s ASA-to-membership numbers they seem to be in the 30% range, which speaks many volumes..
And she is telling us this while GC cut the Evangelism budget line item so lawsuits could funded! Let’s face it the mission of TEC is not to “reconcile all people to God,” but rather maintain the instituion at any cost. Until this direction changes (and the theological air improves), I am sorry ++Katherine but the 57 year olds will continue to get older and older.
I don’t think that gay marriage or abortion are likely to attract significant numbers of Hispanics, most of whom highly value family and children. Nor is a genderless religion particularly attune to Hispanic culture. The Roman Catholic Cathedral here is one of the largest parishes in the country and packs them in for numerous masses on Sundays–including large numbers of Hispanics.
I suspect that if one is to attract Hispanics one will need to talk a lot about Jesus, the cross and the Virgin Mother of God.
But all is well.
[url=http://jjostm.smugmug.com/Other/LJ-Etc/The-Episcopal-Church/111762895_vP2bm-O-1.png]The Invitation[/url]
Young people can get a far better version of what Schori is offering from MTV. I agree with Patti Hale (#9): maybe a Christian approach would be worth trying. It’s what ECUSA used to do several decades ago; I’m sure there are still a few alive who could bring Schori up to speed on it.
How about passionate for Jesus, not ministry! Oh, and also our new core demographic target tends not to reproduce either.
To attract people, you have to be attractive (not just physically). However, too many TEC parishes are closed systems that are inwardly focused. A beautiful church building will attract people, but they will only stay if there is something worth staying for. They will only stay if they are called out of themselves to go beyond themselves and to be made new.
It seems that too many TEC churches are about nice life, not new life.
YBIC,
Phil Snyder
Ms Schori said,
“How are they going to find out if we don’t tell them?â€
=============================================================================
I reckon that they already know something about ECUSA and that that “something” is keeping them away.
Philip is right. You have to give them a reason to stay. I tried 4 churches (after leaving an Anglican one that I’d been in for 30 years) that didn’t give me a reason to stay. Then found the one I presently attend (4 square) which gave me plenty of reasons to stay – men on their knees worshipping, altar call, wonderful worship music, a message actually encouraging me to grow closer to Jesus, people who care about me.
She cannot be serious. Mrs. Schori has destroyed the Episcopal Church then asks the few poor souls left to recruit? For what…the Gospel? Maybe she should take a look at her enemies like the Diocese of South Carolina which seems to be still true to scripture and growing. But no… oh no…you Mrs. Schori are more interested in your own gratification than the Good News of Jesus Christ and the death of the Episcopal church is your reward for your stewardship.
Intercessor
The problem is that long established Episcopalian snobbery and the theology of TEC’s liberal leadership act to undermine evangelism and church growth. So for many Episcopalians now, growth is only important in so far as it is necessary for the church to remain solvent. For both many parishioners and the liberal leadership, new members are welcome only so long as they pay up but don’t change the church culture.
The reality is that current TEC culture works strongly against growth. Many Episcopal parishioners believe that “everyone who is Episcopalian in town already attends our church” or they are only interested in attracting more people like them. The liberal leadership has two issues. First, their theological position is such that evangelism is unimportant, and the only reason they can have for others to join TEC is along the lines of “come join us, we do great social work which will make you feel warm and fuzzy inside”. Its sort of like a college student service club trying to attract new student members. This sort of thing draws in only a very small number of people, and given the increasing weirdness, authoritarianism and insularity of TEC’s clergy and lay leadership, the number which would be drawn to such an odd service club will be even lower. The second problem for liberal leadership is that they fear growing churches, because growing churches tend to be more conservative. I have heard from a very reliable source, that when KJS was bishop in Nevada, she had a large sum of money which she could give out to assist a growing church in further evangelism and growth. The one church in the diocese which was growing and that so qualified for this money was conservative. So KJS withheld the money, refused to give it to anyone, and so denied the growing church the funds it needed to take the next step. Why? Clearly KJS preferred there to be no growth at all, rather then there to be conservative growth.
My belief is that when the liberal leadership speak of church growth, they frequently do so in bad faith – that is, they mouth vague platitudes (like KJS did so in this case) but do not seek to actually empower church growth (like GC slashing the evangelism budget and like Executive Council driving the stake through the 2020 vision). I am not convinced that there is any desire at all on the part of TEC’s leadership to grow, except to the extent that they can add in the odd wealthy liberal who will help with the financial bottom line but without changing TEC culture.
In a community where many people live in unspeakable conditions and rent is high, where the only work available is casino work (pays $7.50 per hour, but will not let anyone work more than 30 hours a week to avoid having to provide any benefits), where many people have no work at all; the local TEC’s “outreach” is a few dollars to the local community/charity center and holding a rummage sale. There is no attempt to reach the people with the Gospel of Jesus Christ, because: “We need people with money”. Maybe the people in the church who have money would do well to give some of it to the folks in need in their own community. Get enough poor people in the church who give a portion of the little they have is financially better than not having more people with money who, because they aren’t there, are giving nothing. Frances scott
“What to do with all of the Spanish-speaking immigrants?” Well, how about ACCEPTING them, for starters? I’m not going to go into how for many years the Episcopal Church looked down on others not of their social class…..and I admit to having been one who didn’t…..and that’s one reason why I became disenchanted with that Church, by the way. Now they’re looking down on others who don’t share their views, and so PB Schori and her friends wonder at what’s been happening to their Church.
I think jamesw wrote a good analysis of TEC’s problems. Even 50 years ago, it was so very, very Anglo “upper crust”. And that is certainly a major problem when one talks about “Hispanic ministry.”
And there is a reluctance of those in power to share that power with others or to be open to a fundamental cultural change within the organization.
There are other problems I might mention, as well. For example, the desire to attract young people. While 20s and 30s may “be liberal” and, for example, “tolerate” gay and lesbian co-workers and friends, I suspect that they are generally less enthusiastic about their children being confronted with that issue and being told sexual activity outside of marriage is O.K. so long as it is consensual and not abusive.
Another problem is that TEC congregations are (a) mostly very small and (b) AARP candidates or even on Social Security and Medicare. That in turn means that there are very, very few children if any of any age. The consequence is that the parish cannot offer much in the way of Sunday School or youth groups. Thus, young parents looking for a church with a good Sunday School program for their children will skip the Episcopalian church. And teens will go down the street to the larger churches with youth groups and where their friends are.
Finally, if “church” is primarily to be a social service/justice, political action group, there are all sorts of organizations out there where one can participate more effectively for that and which allow one to sleep in on Sunday mornings.
No 57 year olds don’t produce many children, but our children do. I have 4 children. Only one has remained in the episcopal church. I have 11 grandchildren and none of them are in the episcopal church. They are all christians who have found other churches more in line with their views and worship styles. If young people go to church it is for the “right” reasons not to join an ancient social club. I am happy for them.
Oh…. and gay couples produce even fewer children.
Only God produces true fruit within his church, KJS and her ilk abandoned the truth of his revelation some time ago, she had better expect more of the same I am afraid….
Amen to that…perhaps that is God’s design.
Intercessor
By their fruits shall ye know them…
All of my wife and I’s 5 children were cradle raised Epsicopalians, not one attend the Episcopal and I have only give to the local parish..
Regarding reaching Hispanics, I remember a meeting I went to in 2003 when our diocese’s Hispanic Missioner gave a presentation about reaching out to Hispanics. First, he stated how ridiculously backward Hispanics are (he didn’t use those words, but certainly implied it), and then he went on and on about this lesbian Hispanic writer and how great the book about her life was. Basically, our Hispanic Missioner (who was probably paid pretty well) was clueless. He got a lot of accolades from the folks in the room, but alas, there are still virtually no Hispanics in TEC churches in the area.