You are here
Austin ACNA parish joins the Episcopal Church
PRESS RELEASE
By Shawn Tirres
July 26, 2023
Dear Resurrection family,
I am happy to announce that the parish vote has reached a quorum with more than an 80% majority in favor of disaffiliation with the Anglican Church in North America and pursuing affiliation with the Episcopal Church with the Diocese of Texas.
The last month has been intense for all of us, and it was certainly not the summer we expected. Thank you for leaning in on such a vital discernment process, opening yourselves up for dialog, and being diligent in prayer. I am so proud to belong to a parish that has never been afraid to face complex topics while demonstrating hope and faith in our Good Shepherd to see us through.
Those who have long been with this faith community will be the first to tell you that we have always aspired to be the kind of place that could welcome everyone in our neighborhood to encounter the love of God, or as we say it, "Life Together in the Goodness of God." Today our community deepened its commitment to that vision.
While this moves us out of affiliation with our friends in the Anglican Church in North America and the Diocese of Churches for the Sake of Others, we appreciate the support and relationships we have enjoyed with so many sisters and brothers in Christ over the years and hope those friendships continue. We are especially grateful for our colleagues in C4SO and our beloved bishop, Todd Hunter. We also look forward to pursuing affiliation with the Episcopal Church, getting to know the Episcopal Diocese of Texas and the parish communities that have long been at work in Central Texas. Though our affiliation is undergoing change, more importantly, our commitment to the Gospel of the Kingdom and our mission as a parish will be sustained and strengthened.
You all have given your best discernment and prayer to this process. We are thankful to have encountered the face of Jesus in the many testimonies and stories shared. Even in our disagreements and concerns, we have walked in love, sought understanding and reconciliation, and entrusted ourselves to God's unfailing wisdom and mercy. This journey has brought us immense clarity and conviction about what makes our parish so special and given us a new boldness to participate in the mission of God for the sake of South Austin.
We understand that some of you will not be moving forward with us, and we grieve this loss in our community. Our clergy and diocese have a care plan in place, which includes a local gathering on August 13 hosted by C4SO. Please feel free to contact us so we can support you.
Beloved, we have good work that God has given us to do in South Austin. So, with the hope we have in the resurrected Jesus (1 Peter 1:3), let us continue pursuing Him toward Life Together in the Goodness of God.
The Rev. Dr. Shawn McCain Tirres
Rector
The Rev. Ryan Boettcher
The Rev. Courtney Greene
STATISTICS FOR THE TWO DIOCESES
Resurrection was in the Diocese of the C4SO. Here are the 2022 ACNA stats.
DIOCESE: Christ for the Sake of Others (C4SO) founded 2013. Bishop Todd Hunter
CONGREGATIONS: 50
MDMBERSHIP: 9103
APSA (Average Principal Service Attendance)
Post-COVID 2022: 8,017
PERCENT WORSHIP ATTENDANCE
Post-COVID 2022: 88.1%
Four-year pre/post COVID difference: 2019-2022: -1.2%
EPISCOPAL DIOCESE OF TEXAS
Here are the 2021 stats for the
BISHOP: Andrew Doyle (IX Texas) Founded in 2009. The Diocese of Texas absorbed the Episcopal Church in North Texas (TEC Diocese of Fort Worth) in 2022
LATEST TEXAS STATS – 2021
Parishes: 153
Membership: 73,617
Communicants: 56,894
Average Weekly Attendance: 11,880
Percentage Attendance: 16.1%
Baptisms: 806
Confirmations: 773
Funerals: 696
