You are here
Episcopal Church suffers huge losses in domestic membership and attendance numbers
Preliminary figures show more than 4% drop in each category
By Mary Ann Mueller
VOL Special Correspondent
www.virtueonline.org
October 2, 2013
The Episcopal Church's downward spiral in membership numbers continues as preliminary 2012 domestic bar graphs were released last week. The graphs reveal a drop of 4.15% in baptized membership and a staggering 4.9% drop in average Sunday attendance (ASA). Final numbers will not be known until the Domestic and Foreign Missionary Society (DFMS), AKA The Missionary Society, releases its actual numeric figures.
The 2011 Domestic Fast Fact figures show that in recent years (2007-2011) the domestic baptized membership fell 193,703 souls. Another 79,746 souls can be added to that slide bringing the baptized membership of the 2012 domestic portion of The Episcopal Church down to approximately 1,843,300 or a 13% drop from the 2007 figure of 2,116,749 domestic Episcopalians.
As far as average Sunday attendance figures go, TEC's 2011 minuscule uptick of 56 Sunday worshippers was totally wiped out in 2012 by a resounding 32,225 drop in Sunday attendance resulting in an approximate total 625,662 ASA. Since 2007, the ASA has fallen by 14% from 727,822 Sunday worshippers resulting in a loss of 102,160 people in the pews.
Only a few dioceses showed any sort of growth in either baptized membership or Sunday people in the pews. Dioceses showing some growth in baptized members are: Atlanta (52); Florida (124); Kansas (31); Montana (5); Navajoland (29); North Carolina (217); North Dakota (77); Northern California (80); Oklahoma (85); TEC Pittsburgh (71); Texas (131); Upper South Carolina (51); Western Massachusetts (199); and Western New York (33).
Only the Diocese of Tennessee posted gains in both baptized numbers (12) and ASA of (60).
Tennessee also showed a three-year growth in both categories, while Texas showed a three-year growth spurt in baptized membership. Both the Diocese of Oklahoma and the reconstituted Diocese of Pittsburgh reflected a four-year increase in baptized members.
No new figures for South Carolina were available since the diocese seceded from The Episcopal Church late last year following the actions of General Convention. The 2012 Diocese of South Carolina bar graph is nonexistent. However the 2011 figures show South Carolina had a baptized membership of 29,444 with 12,338 attending Sunday worshippers.
TEC dioceses showing an increase in Sunday attendance included: Alaska (33); Chicago (125); Fond du Lac (18); Rio Grande (56); and Nevada (23) showing a three-year upward trend. Bishop William Love also reports that the Diocese of Albany has a 100 ASA uptick, however "reading" the visual bar graph does not reveal that but precise numeric figures will be known when they come out later this year. The imprecise bar graph indicates that Albany has suffered a loss of more than 200 people in the pews on Sundays.
A loss in baptized membership can come from death of current members with no new members being baptized to replace them and fill out their ranks; or from baptized members leaving The Episcopal Church for other Christian denominations, including the Anglican continuum; the ACNA with many dropping out altogether increasing the growing ranks of the unchurched.
DIOCESAN LOSSES
Preliminary bar graph figures indicate the dioceses losing baptized members include: Alabama (386); Alaska (18); Albany (1256); Arizona (874); Arkansas (3); Bethlehem (334); California (332); Central Florida (167); Central Gulf Coast (604) Central New York (748) Central Pennsylvania (202); Chicago (248); Colorado (71); Connecticut (4778); Dallas (2245); Delaware (508); East Carolina (280); East Tennessee (6); Eastern Michigan (357); Eastern Oregon (168); Easton (88); Eau Claire (101); El Camino Real (75); Fond du Lac (56); TEC Fort Worth (234); Georgia (888); Hawaii (7); Idaho (27); Indianapolis (127); Iowa (15); Kentucky (549) Lexington (558); Long Island (1775); Los Angeles (5072) Louisiana (611); Maine (532); Maryland (367); Massachusetts (1331); Michigan (1147); Milwaukee (279); Mississippi (202); Minnesota (574); Missouri (53); Nebraska (141); Nevada (217); New Hampshire (789); New Jersey (1200); New York (143); Newark (544); Northern Indiana (121); Northern Michigan (130); Northwest Texas (434); Northwestern Pennsylvania (186); Ohio (3630); Olympia (473); Oregon (1055); Pennsylvania (1968); and TEC Quincy (81) which is now the Peoria Deanery in the Diocese of Chicago.
Rhode Island (1318); Rochester (437); Rio Grande (208); San Diego (902); TEC San Joaquin (136); South Dakota (514); Southeast Florida (522); Southern Ohio (178); Southern Virginia (1030); Southwest Florida (1162); Southwestern Virginia (243); Spokane (16); Springfield (229); Utah (82); Vermont (241); Virginia (1771); Washington DC (119); West Missouri (593); West Tennessee (98); West Texas (1268); West Virginia (383); Western Kansas (514); Western Louisiana (274); Western Michigan (153);Western North Carolina (179); and Wyoming (344).
The ASA numbers reveal a more dismal picture with baptized members choosing not to attend Sunday worship services leading to a 4.9% drop in the number of people in the pews.
The bar graph reveals the dioceses with a dropping ASA are: Alabama (401); Arizona (257); Arkansas (30); Atlanta (650); Bethlehem (150); California (431); Central Florida (664); Central Gulf Coast (164) Central New York (214) Central Pennsylvania (318); Colorado (497); Connecticut (685); Dallas (302); Delaware (219); East Carolina (463); East Tennessee (350); Eastern Michigan (64); Eastern Oregon (64); Easton (24); Eau Claire (42); El Camino Real (315); Florida (341); TEC Fort Worth (303); Georgia (399); Hawaii (93); Idaho (79); Indianapolis (198); Iowa (65); Kansas (244); Kentucky (323) Lexington (579); Long Island (1155); Los Angeles (1381) Louisiana (462); Maine (276); Maryland (912); Massachusetts (865); Michigan (170); Milwaukee (270); Mississippi (483); Minnesota (347); Missouri (285); Montana (35);Navajoland (39); Nebraska (181); New Hampshire (63); New Jersey (1033); New York (942); Newark (112); Newark (112); North Carolina (579); North Dakota (7); Northern California (4); Northern Indiana (443); Northern Michigan (22); Northwest Texas (165); Northwestern Pennsylvania (40); Ohio (1407); Oklahoma (395) Olympia (308); Oregon (158); Pennsylvania (489); TEC Pittsburgh (248); TEC Quincy (32); Rhode Island (262); Rochester (150); San Diego (492); TEC San Joaquin (97); South Dakota (221); Southeast Florida (537); Southern Ohio (494); Southern Virginia (45); Southwest Florida (608); Southwestern Virginia (249); Spokane (114); Springfield (201); Texas (1481); Upper South Carolina (768); Utah (166); Vermont (64); Virginia (1261); Washington DC (632); West Missouri (307); West Tennessee (251); West Texas (291); West Virginia (137); Western Kansas (71); Western Louisiana (206); Western Massachusetts (337); Western Michigan (123); Western New York (161); Western North Carolina (379); and Wyoming (63).
Mary Ann Mueller is a journalist living in Texas. She is a regular contributor to VirtueOnline
