BERMUDA: Mainstream churches see membership plunge
Raymond Hainey Senior Reporter
http://bermudasun.bm/
December 14, 2011
Mainstream churches are losing their appeal and the number of people professing no faith at all has rocketed to nearly a fifth of the island population, according to the latest census.
Anglican Bishop of Bermuda Dr Patrick White - whose denomination shows a 28 per cent drop in its flock in the decade to 2010 - said: "The bottom line is it's not terribly encouraging on the face of it and it means we have to do some serious thinking about what we can do to try and turn this around."
The numbers of Anglicans has dropped from more than 14,000 in 2000 to 10,138 in 2010.
Over the ten years from 2000, all the main religious groups showed falls in the numbers of faithful - with the exception of the Catholic Church, the Seventh Day Adventists and non-denominational groups.
Non-denominational congregations increased by 33 per cent over the 10-year period, from 3,988 people to 5,309.
Those who claimed a faith outside the major churches rose by 56 per cent, from 3,723 people to 5,816.
The third-largest church - African Methodist Episcopalian - saw its congregation drop by 19 per cent, from 6,803 people to 5,497, over the same period.
The number of people who professed no faith at all went up by 34 per cent, from 8,560 to 11,466.
The Catholic Church remains the second-largest faith in Bermuda behind the Anglicans, increasing its congregation by one per cent over the decade, up from 9,275 people to 9,340 - but has narrowed the gap between it and the Anglicans to just one per cent.
Dr White said: "The figures are saying we need to pay attention. There's something significant going on here and we need to address it.
"It's not just about numbers, but asking ourselves if we are doing a good job in communicating our message. We seem not to be doing a very good job of this. These figures indicate not many people are listening or they're listening to other people."
He added: "Generally, there is a suspicion of institutional religion - it may be people feel we're caught up in hierarchies and committees."
But Dr White said that the census figures were not borne out by numbers in Anglican church pews over the decade.
He said: "People might be more honest - they have said they're Anglicans in the past and have just admitted they have no real connection to the church or moved to one of the other churches which are growing."
He added it was also not clear from the census figures whether the 11,466 people with no religion were atheist or agnostic or believers without a church connection.
Dr White said that changes in religious belief may have an impact on how Bermuda views casinos on the island - traditionally thought to be opposed by many powerful religious groups, although he said his own church had a wide spectrum of views on the issue.
Catholic Vicar General Fr Paul Voisin said the Catholic Church placed a big emphasis on religious education of the young.
He added: "We have a programme which is maybe a bit more intensive and we hope that's planting down firm roots."
Fr Voisin said that demographics may also play a part, with Portuguese and Filipino nationals, both countries with large Catholic populations, swelling numbers in the pews.
He added: "Filipinos have brought life to our parishes and that's a positive - they are great contributors to parish life in a range of different activities."
Premier Paula Cox said: "I don't think that the churches have ever ruled politics, but they do have the potential to have a certain moral authority.
"When there is hardship, those churches which show real empathy with people are the ones which do best. But there is a separation between the church and the state.
"But, no matter what is said by laws, church religious leaders have tremendous influence on their congregations."
Ms Cox added: "I think the churches identified as having increased participation are those that have been very aggressive in speaking to the needs of the community and helping in a direct way.
"The Seventh Day Adventists and the Catholics have both been very deliberate in their outreach and in providing programmes which actually help and benefit people on the ground."
END
Raymond Hainey Senior Reporter
http://bermudasun.bm/
December 14, 2011
Mainstream churches are losing their appeal and the number of people professing no faith at all has rocketed to nearly a fifth of the island population, according to the latest census.Anglican Bishop of Bermuda Dr Patrick White - whose denomination shows a 28 per cent drop in its flock in the decade to 2010 - said: "The bottom line is it's not terribly encouraging on the face of it and it means we have to do some serious thinking about what we can do to try and turn this around."
The numbers of Anglicans has dropped from more than 14,000 in 2000 to 10,138 in 2010.
Over the ten years from 2000, all the main religious groups showed falls in the numbers of faithful - with the exception of the Catholic Church, the Seventh Day Adventists and non-denominational groups.
Non-denominational congregations increased by 33 per cent over the 10-year period, from 3,988 people to 5,309.
Those who claimed a faith outside the major churches rose by 56 per cent, from 3,723 people to 5,816.
The third-largest church - African Methodist Episcopalian - saw its congregation drop by 19 per cent, from 6,803 people to 5,497, over the same period.
The number of people who professed no faith at all went up by 34 per cent, from 8,560 to 11,466.
The Catholic Church remains the second-largest faith in Bermuda behind the Anglicans, increasing its congregation by one per cent over the decade, up from 9,275 people to 9,340 - but has narrowed the gap between it and the Anglicans to just one per cent.
Dr White said: "The figures are saying we need to pay attention. There's something significant going on here and we need to address it.
"It's not just about numbers, but asking ourselves if we are doing a good job in communicating our message. We seem not to be doing a very good job of this. These figures indicate not many people are listening or they're listening to other people."
He added: "Generally, there is a suspicion of institutional religion - it may be people feel we're caught up in hierarchies and committees."
But Dr White said that the census figures were not borne out by numbers in Anglican church pews over the decade.
He said: "People might be more honest - they have said they're Anglicans in the past and have just admitted they have no real connection to the church or moved to one of the other churches which are growing."
He added it was also not clear from the census figures whether the 11,466 people with no religion were atheist or agnostic or believers without a church connection.
Dr White said that changes in religious belief may have an impact on how Bermuda views casinos on the island - traditionally thought to be opposed by many powerful religious groups, although he said his own church had a wide spectrum of views on the issue.
Catholic Vicar General Fr Paul Voisin said the Catholic Church placed a big emphasis on religious education of the young.
He added: "We have a programme which is maybe a bit more intensive and we hope that's planting down firm roots."
Fr Voisin said that demographics may also play a part, with Portuguese and Filipino nationals, both countries with large Catholic populations, swelling numbers in the pews.
He added: "Filipinos have brought life to our parishes and that's a positive - they are great contributors to parish life in a range of different activities."
Premier Paula Cox said: "I don't think that the churches have ever ruled politics, but they do have the potential to have a certain moral authority.
"When there is hardship, those churches which show real empathy with people are the ones which do best. But there is a separation between the church and the state.
"But, no matter what is said by laws, church religious leaders have tremendous influence on their congregations."
Ms Cox added: "I think the churches identified as having increased participation are those that have been very aggressive in speaking to the needs of the community and helping in a direct way.
"The Seventh Day Adventists and the Catholics have both been very deliberate in their outreach and in providing programmes which actually help and benefit people on the ground."
END
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