In fact, it might be argued, the more appeals there are for greater "inclusivity" the faster the Church empties. Calls for inclusion are, in fact, having the opposite effect from what was intended. The church is about transforming peoples' lives not letting them live in their sin and delusion. And one of the reasons for the decline is that if you have no specific salvific message to proclaim or a mission statement that does not make sense of peoples' real lives, there is little incentive to roll out of bed on Sunday morning if what you think you will hear in the pulpit is a rehash of the op-ed page of the New York Times or a major whine about why the Christian Church is homophobic.

As a result the Episcopal Church-Ad project touted to increase membership will not have the desired effect.

Part of the problem is found in the stated objective of the Ad campaigns themselves. The Episcopal Church doesn't want to appear to offend anybody. So the admen say the TV-ads should be rendered with sensitivity to people of other faiths. "Care should be taken to assure that marketing, branding and advertising do not foster statements or nuances that, either directly or indirectly, discount or compete with the experiences and traditions of other faith groups. It is of further help whenever advertising and public communication is respectful of the diversity of spiritual traditions and geographic/demographic contexts within the Episcopal Church and its 7,300-plus congregations, as well. Likewise, it is best whenever advertising and public communication seeks not merely to encourage attendance, but on a higher level evokes and inspires appreciation for truths and spiritual experience valued by the Episcopal Church."

Now imagine for a moment Pepsi Cola saying that it wouldn't for a moment offend Coca Cola, by arguing "we respect the traditions of other Cola groups." You could hear the hysterical laughter all way down New York's 5th Avenue.

But in its desire not to appear too pushy or uninclusive or insensitive, the latest ad targets Gen-X women. The Rev. Paige Blair, 35, rector of St. George's Church in York Harbor, Maine -- a post she has held since 2000 -- speaks frankly in a new 30-second ad inviting television viewers to visit the Episcopal Church.

"We live in very complicated times. There's war, poverty, famine ... We build more jails and fewer schools and there's never enough money to pay the bills. For me, church provides some solace and perspectives that help me understand, reconcile and forgive.

"I don't think church gets everything right," Blair says, over scenes of her walking her dogs and gardening. "We are only human."

So this ad is appealing to one group of people - "Generation X women". Why this group? Why not single parent mums raising kids alone, (the local church could push child care), or why not young married couples, needing Jesus in their lives as they step into an uncertain future together. Is the subtext, "we love lesbians our church is for you" (rites included) REALLY the message here?

There is nothing to say it is not. Then, in a surprise "reveal" statement, Blair continues: "I go because if I didn't, people would ask me why. After all, I am the priest of this parish."

"The commercial sparks an 'aha moment' for many viewers, and especially among the market research groups in which the spot was tested," said Mike Collins, director of broadcast and multimedia communication at the Episcopal Church Center in New York.

"The ad creates an important point of peer identification for the target audience of Gen X women," said Collins, who at age 34 is himself part of "Generation X," and who oversaw production of the ad created by the Partners and Simons agency of Boston.

So what about this ad will draws tens of thousands of single women back to the church if they will hear nothing about sin, (heaven forbid) salvation, (fugettaboutit) redemption, forgiveness, new life, regeneration, hope, eternal life, heaven (and hell if you don't repent). The answer is nothing at all!

An "implied Jesus" is not enough successfully to present the gospel," says an editorial in The Living Church.

What is missing in the Ad is any mention of "God" or "Jesus", worse still, anything solidly related to the Good News of the transforming gospel of Jesus Christ! Mel Gibson's, "The Passion of the Christ" did more for Christianity in America, than all the TV evangelists hawking Jesus and promoting a 'health and wealth' gospel and Episcopal Church ads put together, and many people watching the movie actually bowed the knee and surrendered to their lives to Jesus Christ. But Frank Griswold found this movie a bit too gory for his sensitive persona.

Where, in the Episcopal Church ad is there any mention of the power of a changed life, the move from darkness to light, a true 'aha' moment - 'once I was blind but now I see.' The answer, there is none. Where and what is the source of Ms. Blair's welcoming face? She never tells us.

And, we are told, the ad will be coordinated through Time Warner Cable and it will stay on the air through this June's meeting of the Episcopal Church's General Convention in Columbus, Ohio. Furthermore they plan to double the spending of $100,000 to $200,000 for an ad that will produce absolutely nothing. Go figure.

The new ad concludes with the invitation, "The Episcopal Church Welcomes You: Come and Grow." The same theme has been chosen for this summer's meeting of the General Convention.

"We've been able to accomplish a considerable amount with $250,000 per year this past triennium," Williams said. "Excellent partnerships have been built with dioceses across the church, and we look forward to even wider collaboration as we move ahead in this important area of evangelism and mission."'

So, the question must be asked, why should anyone come to a church where pluriform truths are espoused by its Presiding Bishop, where 'your truth' and 'my truth' are on an equal plane and perhaps even cancel each other out. If my 'truth' is just as true as Page Blair's 'truth' then roll over in bed and sleep an extra hour in Sunday morning that might be the best truth of all.

There is real irony here in that the Anglican Church of Nigeria says it will double its numbers from 18 million to 36 million over the next three years through vigorous on the ground evangelism, and they will do it without one single commercial television Ad. Go figure.

If there is no purpose driven reason for attending the Episcopal Church and no call to faith and repentance, putting a human face on the church is no different from putting a human face on the Rotary Club or Alcoholics Anonymous. Ads like this will draw no one because they don't offer the true hope of the world, the true lover of our souls, Jesus Christ himself.

END