Diocese of Albany Faces up to The Issues - Bishop William Love
Diocese of Albany Faces up to The Issues - Bishop William Love
Bishop's Diocesan address calls on delegates to heed Great Commission and discipleship
November 12, 2011
While there is much to be encouraged about and the overall health of the Diocese is good, there are a few ongoing issues that we can't afford to ignore, one of the largest of which is the slow, but continued decline in Church attendance.
The average Sunday attendance (ASA) for the Diocese of Albany in 2010 was 6491. That is down by just a fraction from the 2009 ASA of 6498, however, it is down by 839 from the 2003 ASA of 7330. While our rate of decline has not been as steep as some of our surrounding dioceses, that is nothing to brag about. No doubt the political climate and on going turmoil in The Episcopal Church and Anglican Church has played a large part in the decline, however, we would be naïve to think that was the only factor.
If we are to reverse the decline, we have to take a serious look at not only what is going on at the provincial and international level, but also what is happening in the Diocese and our individual parishes.
Are there local community or societal issues such as Sunday morning hockey or soccer practice contributing to the decline of church attendance by young families with kids? What are we doing at the local parish or diocesan level to address or counter these concerns? What are we doing to reach out to the un-churched and invite them into the body of Christ and a saving relationship with our Lord? Is there something going on in our local parish such as break down in communications, power grabs or internal bickering that is driving people away or seen as uninviting? Having the courage to ask and seek solutions to some of these questions can make a huge difference in whether people choose to come and feel welcome at Church.
Read the full story at www.VirtueOnline.org
Bishop's Diocesan address calls on delegates to heed Great Commission and discipleship
November 12, 2011
The average Sunday attendance (ASA) for the Diocese of Albany in 2010 was 6491. That is down by just a fraction from the 2009 ASA of 6498, however, it is down by 839 from the 2003 ASA of 7330. While our rate of decline has not been as steep as some of our surrounding dioceses, that is nothing to brag about. No doubt the political climate and on going turmoil in The Episcopal Church and Anglican Church has played a large part in the decline, however, we would be naïve to think that was the only factor.
If we are to reverse the decline, we have to take a serious look at not only what is going on at the provincial and international level, but also what is happening in the Diocese and our individual parishes.
Are there local community or societal issues such as Sunday morning hockey or soccer practice contributing to the decline of church attendance by young families with kids? What are we doing at the local parish or diocesan level to address or counter these concerns? What are we doing to reach out to the un-churched and invite them into the body of Christ and a saving relationship with our Lord? Is there something going on in our local parish such as break down in communications, power grabs or internal bickering that is driving people away or seen as uninviting? Having the courage to ask and seek solutions to some of these questions can make a huge difference in whether people choose to come and feel welcome at Church.
Read the full story at www.VirtueOnline.org
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