Long-standing divisions between liberals and conservatives had already fragmented the Episcopal Church by 2003 when it consecrated Gene Robinson of New Hampshire as the first bishop known to be in an openly gay relationship in more than four centuries of Anglican Church history.
That act further roiled the 2.1 million-member U.S. church and the 77 million-member worldwide Anglican Communion of which it is part. In recent months, four dioceses, out of a total of 110, have split from the Episcopal Church in California, Pennsylvania, Texas and Illinois. The church says that fewer than 100 of 7,100 congregations had left or voted to leave before the recent diocesan defections.
The dissidents who met on Wednesday want to become a province within the Anglican Communion — on equal footing with the Episcopal Church. Achieving that status would require approval from two-thirds of the primates — the heads of national churches — in the Anglican Communion and ultimate recognition from the Anglican Consultative Council, another church body.
[blockquote]The church says that fewer than 100 of 7,100 congregations had left or voted to leave before the recent diocesan defections.[/blockquote]
From the Cherie Wetzel story below:
[blockquote]Q: How many churches are involved?
The Rev. Peter Franke: 700 churches are clearly involved that are not part of Anglican Church of Canada or TEC. That’s 100,000 people in pews on Sunday morning.[/blockquote]
Someone is not telling the truth here.
It depends on what the meaning of the word “is” is.
Both are likely telling the truth. TEC now concedes 100 prior to the diocean departures (they used to say less than 50). Add at least another 100 with the diocean departures. Then there is the REC say another 100, Amia I think has planted nearly 100 – CANA has also planted new Churches. Then there are other parishes that have left prior to 2003 and have joined one of the constituent members of the ACNA – some of the 700 are Canadian and thus also do not count as having departed TEC but the Anglican Church in Canada. And some parishes have formed from smaller groups leaving TEC churches – but the TEC church remains albeit smaller.
ACNA has several avenues for growth – more church departures from TEC and the Canadian Church, more church plants either from whole cloth or groups leaving TEC churches, and churches departing other continuing churches that have not chosen to join the ACNA as a body.
Let’s look at the numbers another way. Instead of counting the number of congregations, let’s count the average Sunday attenders. The folks at 815 are desperate to spin this thing as the work of just a handful of prejudiced malcontents. Thus the talk about a mere 100 or so out of over 7,000 congregations having left TEC before the four now-departed dioceses swelled their ranks. In other words, a paltry 1/70th of the whole, or less.
OTOH, when you compare ASA’s, the ACNA can reliably claim 100K in regular attendance, whereas TEC can only claim 727K or so. Thus, the ACNA already has roughly 1/7th the ASA of TEC. And it is almost certain to keep growing, while TEC is likewise virtually certain to keep shrinking.
So if you count congregations, and go by 815’s grossly misleading and understated numbers, this new province in the making is teeny tiny, a mere 1/70th of the size of TEC. But if you count ASA, it’s a whole different story. From that perspective, the ACNA is already up to almost 1/7th the size of TEC, and gaining fast.
Yes, Dr. Witt (#1), someone is fudging the truth here. And we all know which side it is.
David Handy+