Yes, conflict is down 3% (93% to 90%) since those awful fundamentalists who believe in honoring our brothers and sisters in the Anglican Communion left our congregations. ed.
Posted by Craig Uffman on March 06, 2009 at Communion-Covenant:
Findings from the 2008 Faith Communities Today Survey
Channel: Episcopal Church Author: Evangelism and Congregational Life Center, Domestic and Foreign Missionary Society
These are selected highlights. View the charts and full report (PDF) by visiting the link below.
Parishes and Their Settings
The largest proportion (52%) of Episcopal congregations is located in villages, towns and small cities with a population of less than 50,000. Overall, 28% are located in villages or towns of less than 10,000 and 24% are in larger towns or small cities.
Larger cities with a population of 50,000 or more are home to 40% of Episcopal congregations. Only 4.9% are in newer suburbs.
A majority (53%) of Episcopal parishes and missions were founded before 1901. The post-war baby boom years (1946-1965) saw a boom in new church development as many parishes (19% of all congregations) were organized in that twenty year period. Only 4% of Episcopal congregations were founded from 1990 to 2007.
The median seating capacity of parish worship facilities is 175 persons. Only 13% of Episcopal congregations have facilities that seat more than 300 people, while one in five seats 100 or fewer.
Worship
Half of Episcopal congregations (50.7%) are small or family-sized congregations where average worship attendance is 70 persons or less (2007 Parochial Report data). Pastoral-sized congregations make up the next largest proportion of parishes and missions (28.8%). Corporate-sized congregations with 351 or more in worship represent only 3.5% of Episcopal congregations.
The median Episcopal congregation had 69 persons in worship in 2007 according to the annual Parochial Report.
The largest proportion of Episcopal congregations (41%) offers two worship services each weekend. 65% offer two or more services each weekend, with 35% offering only one service. Of the congregations that report more than one weekend worship service, most (72%) say that worship style varies among their services, at least to some degree.
Of congregations with a single worship service each weekend, three quarters report that attendance is 40% or less of capacity
Of congregations with more than one worship service each weekend, 11% report that aggregate worship attendance equals or exceeds their seating capacity. Only about one quarter indicate that total attendance is 40% or less of capacity.
Majorities of congregations report that worship often or always includes:
• Eucharist (99%)
• A printed order of service (95%)
• Kneeling by the congregation (76%)
• Choir (67%)
• Prayers for healing (53%)
. . . but only small minorities report that worship always or often includes:
• Visual projection equipment (6%)
• Drums or other percussion equipment (7%)
• Incense (5%)
Only 11% of congregations report that one or more of their weekend worship services changed a lot in format or style during the last five years. Most churches report that worship has either changed a little (40%) or changed moderately (26%).
Congregations were most likely to say the following descriptors characterized their worship services “very well”:
• Filled with a sense of God’s presence (38%)
• Welcoming to newcomers (34%)
• Joyful (29%)
. . . and congregations were least likely to say the following descriptors characterized their worship services “very well”:
• Contemporary (4%)
• Thought-provoking (22%)
• Predictable (23%)
Participants and Members
The median Episcopal congregation had 168 active members in 2007 (from Parochial Reports).
Most (87.0%) Episcopal congregations are at least 60% white/European American. Another 5.0% of Episcopal congregations are predominantly African American or Black. In 4.5% of Episcopal churches no racial/ethnic group predominates.
Conflict
90% of Episcopal congregations reported having conflicts or disagreements in the last five years (up from 86% in 2000, but down slightly from 93% in 2005). 64% of churches reported at least one area of serious conflict.
Declining congregations tended to have more overall conflict and more areas of serious conflict.
Conflict over leadership and conflict over worship were the areas most strongly related to decline in attendance.
Of congregations that had serious conflict:
• Some members left the church: 89%
• Some members withheld funds: 45%
• A staff member was dismissed or reassigned: 18%
No comments:
Post a Comment