In order to generate a pictorial chart of this parish, please go [url=http://www.episcopalchurch.org/growth_60791_ENG_HTM.htm?menupage=50929]here[/url] and enter “Iowa” in the second line down under “Diocese.” Next please wait a moment and then click on “Church” and choose “Trinity (Davenport, Iowa).” Then wait another moment and choose “View Church chart” under that line (the middle of the three choices).
My guess is that they haven’t purged their membership roll in a long time, hence the high number of ‘members’ as compared to the low number of ASA. Looking at their web site I was surprised to find there are 7 sacraments … so the 39 articles are no longer even important historical documents?
I recently stood by the bedside of family friend as his life ended. All eyes were riveted on the monitors as he breathes became fewer and fewer and longer between. A nurse arrived and checked him and said that he had expired. We could not believe it. The EKG still showed activity. She explained that brain was still firing, but the heart was no longer responding. It was only a matter of time for EKG to flat-line as well. Trinity Church is an endowed parish. The endowment gives the appearance of life, but the heart of the church (those is the nave) are only hanging on by the barest thread. Eventually the endowment will be gone and it will be over.
I’m not quite sure what conclusions to draw. Attendance and giving seem fairly stable, with a modest downturn during an interim between deans. Some decline after 2003, though Iowa is in general a rather liberal state in the region and historically a liberal diocese, so I’d be surprised if GC2003 alone accounted for much of that. There may be issues within the congregational narrative that aren’t immediately apparent. I don’t know what the full financial profile is either, but the general picture seems like a fairly typical “institutional” Episcopal cathedral parish. The discrepency between membership and ASA probably a combination of factors. Perhaps, as per #1, the rolls need some attention. But there is a certain old fashioned Cathedral Episcopalian who finds attendance about one or two Sundays a month between September and December and March and June, then with stretches in warmer climes during the winter and a month or two at the shore in the summer filling in the rest, to be sufficient for “active church membership.” There’s not going to be much energy or passion probably for growth in ministry and mission here, but my guess is that we’re talking less about life support at hospice and more about a long stay in a nicely accomodated “senior living residence.”
Bruce Robison
Bruce Robison
If I’m not mistaken, this was Bishop MacBurney’s parish before he was elected Bishop of Quincy in 1988 (or thereabouts). I suspect is may not have been a full participant in the general slide into revisionism that has characterized the diocese as a whole. FWIW.
It doesn’t appear that they allow “open communion” (for the non baptised) and do define marriage as between a man and a woman. The low attendance numbers are somewhat surprising, given the large membership numbers, perhaps their rolls do need purging.
Fr Dan+ (#4), you are correct on all counts.
Don’t discount the proximity of the Diocese of Quincy (just on the opposite side of the Mississippi River of Davenport).
I knew the last dean – he was undoubtedly orthodox and faithful, and exceptionally frustrated by the diocese (my opinion). The current dean is none other than the retired bishop of Iowa, and most recently the PB’s Ecumenical Officer Christopher Epting.
Fr Darin Lovelace+
St John’s, Park City UT
Fr Darin Lovelace+
As a member of the namesake institution in [url=http://www.trinitycathedralpgh.org/]Pittsburgh[/url], I would like to point out that a cathedral tends to be a losing proposition wherever one is on the theological map. You are usually situated in non-residential (that’s beginning to change here, but only slowly) downtown zones, parking is a nightmare, and you frequently carry the legacy of the Social Gospel model of parish plant designed to service a non-member working-class population that no longer exists (and that your existing congregation couldn’t fund anyway). Add to that the constant distraction of a sizable homeless population seeking assistance of one sort or another (we’re the only downtown congregation where anyone can sit in the nave from when we open until we close), and you can see that there are problems that would be present even if the present unpleasantness were not.
Of course, there’s still things that one can do. We’re presently working on visioning, not just in terms of increasing income and membership, but on initiatives within the arts community and – we hope – to downtown colleges, but it isn’t easy.
One other point. Not unnaturally, bishops tend to take more notice when things go wrong and can’t really be expected to treat “their” congregation as a rector treats “his” parish. While there is nothing new about this sort of tension, it can be unsettling when a cathedral’s population (unlike in the past) takes on more of the characteristics of a regular congregation. None of us, dare I say it, are perfect, and it would be reassuring to be acknowledged as a community of faith and not simply as a model of liturgical excellence (or whatever else a cathedral is “supposed” to be).
[url=http://catholicandreformed.blogspot.com]Catholic and Reformed[/url]
The membership numbers are silly to the point of just ignoring them. What I see with the P&P and ASA is that they are mirroring themselves fairly closely (usually P&P declines lags behind ASA decline). Both dropped to a nadir in 2004, rose and then started falling in 2006.
Epting was appointed interim dean this past November. He might be able to stem the decline but he won’t change the equations and when he is gone, the decline will continue.
Beautiful building.
I don’t think the good Lord is pleased with the gross malfeasance of Scarfe, etc.
It does look like the rolls need to be purged. Maybe a new Dean will do this.
Judging from the web site, Bishop Epting has been giving the sermons. (Sermon pages here) Reading through them makes it appear that he does a good job. I had to read down to Advent II before I found something questionable when talking about church growth.
12/6/2009
[blockquote]There is hope, however, because The Episcopal Church is attractive to people brought up in other religious traditions and to unchurched seekers, and statistically The Episcopal Church is the healthiest denomination in the mainline. [/blockquote]
Sounds like “All is well.”
I will leave the ruminations on statistics, their meaning, and its portend for the Diocese of Iowa or the Episcopal Church to other people posting. I found the Trinity Cathedral’s website more interesting and illustrative of what might be going on in Iowa.
What was more interesting is the “Sacramental Practices at Trinity ” material right at the top. First contra-Article XXV, there are seven sacraments again (gee, the Reformation never happened!) and when you look at the description of them it is difficult to see much explicit about the Gospel in any of them the description, that is). It is as if most of the emphasis is on the “outward and physical sign not the “inward and spiritual grace” aspect.
As long as the primary thing on offer is beautiful music and majestic ritual not the proclamation of the Gospel, I can imagine which way the statistics will continue to trend.
Pax et Bonhomme!
Steve Goodman
The stats do appear bogus for Members and not good for ASA and Plate & Pledge. I believe that Jeremy is on to something. For some really depressing stats check out the TEC Charts for the Cathedral in Salina, KS and the Cathedral in Philadelphia. And recall that the Cathedral in Portage, MI was sold. Statmann
The ASA stats actually buck the trend of general Episcopal congregations. To see an increase of any kind within the last 5 to 10 years puts them in the minority. Indeed, the membership stats are most likely overinflated, but cathedrals do tend to gather moss as already noted. What the cathedral might be happy about re: ASA, they also must take alarm with another non-trend statistic, and that is the abrupt drop in giving. You should note that the majority of TEC congregations are showing fairly steady increases in giving, while at the same time ASA is decreasing. The faithful few digging deeper into their pockets in order to sustain and maintain. That is a common knowledge conclusion at this point. So when a substantial drop in giving shows up, it is not a good sign for that sustainability from the pew.
It is quite possible that an either/or exists. Either reasserter/conservative members who have been “joyful givers” are now exiting and taking their larger tithes and offerings, or conservative politics within the cathedral have taken their stand and revisionists are moving on to the TEC alternative in Davenport.
In either case, they need to swiftly count the cost.
As far as being close to Quincy, indeed, the river separates the metro area in half, one side being Iowa, the other Moline, Illinois. At some point in the last 10 years, transfer defections have taken place across the river both ways, and stereotyped name calling ensued. The cathedral was not unaffected by such. Despite such self-purging, though, it has apparently not been as much the culture wars as it has been the long-time battle (rivalry, I mean) between the two cathedrals. So in this case, it looks to me like clearly an institutionalist issue. Having a bishop as interim will greatly satisfy the institutionalists, no matter their stripe. As the old guard dies off (forgive me) less and less out of pocket operational income will be available, and ASA will obviously decrease. Strictly from the question of “how will we survive”, they will need to make wise use of endowment income, place a great urgency on personal stewardship, begin limiting the operational budget to giving from the pew – and live with it, and recast their methods of drawing attention to worship and available program.
And I haven’t said anything blatant about prayer, intentional evangelism, empowerment in the Holy Spirit, and holding true to the authority of the Word of God. (now I have).
What jumps out to me is the huge disparity between claimed baptized membership and Average Sunday attendance.
Actually, Rob, TEC giving has not been that good. Plate & Pledge for TEC has failed to increase more than inflation in 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, and 2008. Statmann
Fr. Darin, may your ministry prosper as you remain true to the Gospel of Christ…….hate to see that you have left Iowa, but happy for you and Marci……..and for the people of St. John’s Anglican…..
We did a purge of the rolls when I first went on chapter, which did some good, but there’s still the disparity to which Kendall refers. As long as the current definition of baptized membership applies, it’s going to be hard to avoid (though it’s probably more glaring in some places than others).
I’ve often wondered what function baptized membership actually serves. Would it not make more sense to use some other characteristic – pledging membership (not necessarily tithing) for example – as the basis for who actually belongs?
Incidentally, are ACNA churches using a different definition of baptized membership from the one they used before they realigned?
Stats,
No argument re: value of the dollar. Just an observation of so many of these parish and diocesan graphs to see red line and blue line declining and yet pledge amounts increase.
By the way, I appreciate and value your contributions re: stats to the whole conversation about TECUSA. Keep up the good work.