Masked, socially distanced, and shuttered Episcopal Church congregations were hit hard by COVID closures and delayed reopenings, according to statistics released today by the Office of the General Convention.
Data from 2021 parochial reports shows that domestic membership fell 56,314 persons to 1,520,388 (-3.57%) from 1,576,702, while average Sunday attendance fell in an unprecedented rate of decline of 165,328 persons to 292,851 (-36.08%) from 458,179 in 2020. A total of 62 congregations were permanently closed.
Median Average Sunday Attendance in the denomination dropped from 55 persons in 2017 to 21 persons in 2021. Long-term, 88% of Episcopal parishes saw their attendance decline 10% or greater in the past five years, and 90% of congregations report attendance of less than 100 persons.
The 2021 statistics are the first attendance numbers affected by COVID-19 restrictions (in 2020, the church only reported attendance data for the pre-pandemic period January through early March).
Thanksgiving week marks the latest release of parochial report data in many years, usually occurring between Labor Day and the first week of October. The latest such data has been historically released is October 14 (2014).
Episcopalians track attendance alongside membership and plate-and-pledge as three objective metrics year-over-year.
Finances were the only metric to move in a positive direction, reversing a rare decline in funds collected the previous year. The average pledge grew from $3,226 to $3,360 (+$134), while plate-and-pledge grew 3.33% in 2021 after declining 4.3% in 2020. This still reflects an inflation-adjusted loss, however, with the 3.3% rate of growth trailing the 4.7% average inflation rate in calendar year 2021.
Dioceses in Decline
Across the past decade, only the Diocese of Navajo Missions has reported any increase in membership, with some domestic dioceses reporting declines in that time period of up to 75% (South Carolina saw most of its members depart the Episcopal Church in 2012 and later join the Anglican Church in North America).
In 2021, dioceses posting the largest year-over-year membership declines were found across different regions: Maine (-12.1%), Vermont (-10.6%), Albany (-12.6%), Kentucky (-9.6%), South Dakota (-11.6%), Eau Claire (-9.9%), Iowa (10.3%) and even in otherwise fast-growing states including Idaho (-11.4%). Attendance similarly declined across all domestic dioceses, but was especially pronounced in Oregon (-56.2%), Newark (48.2%), Maryland (49.4%), Easton (46.7%), Lexington (50.8%), North Carolina (-52.8%) and Iowa (-48.9%).
‘Brace for Impact’
Episcopalians convened for their delayed triennial General Convention this past July in Baltimore, Maryland. A shortened schedule and strict anti-COVID transmission policies were imposed by Convention organizers, barring exhibitors and visitors. Receptions and dinners usually hosted by seminaries and caucus groups were mostly canceled, except for those on the convention’s final evening following the conclusion of votes.
Abortion returned to prominence as a public policy matter at an increasingly reactionary governing Convention. The development followed the overturn of the Roe v Wade Supreme Court decision in June. The General Convention reasserted denominational support for legal abortion at any stage of pregnancy.
Resolution D083, “Addressing the erosion of reproductive rights and autonomy” affirmed “that all Episcopalians should be able to access abortion services and birth control with no restriction on movement, autonomy, type, or timing” and “Resolved, that the 80th General Convention understands that the protection of religious liberty extends to all Episcopalians who may need or desire to access, to utilize, to aid others in the procurement of, or to offer abortion services.” It passed both houses, but not without dissent among bishops.
A statement signed by ten bishops called the abortion resolution “an example of a controversial resolution brought to the floor of Convention without sufficient preparation and against which we spoke and voted.”
Discussions centered around gender identity, sexuality and race continue to be prominent in the denomination. In October remarks given before the denomination’s Executive Council, House of Deputies President Julia Ayala Harris warned members to “brace for impact” and that they “are facing a collision.”
“We are finally beginning the truth-telling around racism and white supremacy in our beloved church,” Harris declared. The newly-elected legislative officer recalled an LGBTQ+ listening session of the Executive Council held in January 2022.
“We listened to our trans and nonbinary relatives tell us their stories about their lived experiences in The Episcopal Church. They helped us understand how we can move forward as a church to be more inclusive, especially when it comes to the right use of names and pronouns.”
More: Statistical Totals for the Episcopal Church by Province and Diocese can be browsed through by clicking here. A report on 2020 numbers can be viewed here while 2019 numbers can be viewed here.
Additionally, I joined Kevin Kallsen’s Anglican Unscripted program for a discussion of the 2021 numbers:
Comment by Colin Ross on November 23, 2022 at 5:01 am
Lol, what an absolute dumpster fire. They didn’t even raise the last generation of Episcopalians, they are the last. Speaking from experience none of their kids ever went back. Good riddance to the church founded in the family values of king Henry VIII
Comment by Jeffrey Walton on November 23, 2022 at 10:59 am
“None of their kids ever went back” isn’t far from the truth. Find those under 40 at an Episcopal parish and inquire about their church background: nearly all will tell you that they are either arrivals from Roman Catholicism or are post-Evangelical. Episcopalians did an extraordinarily poor job of catechizing their own children, and most simply ceased attending. There are exceptions, but that’s just it: they are the exceptions.
Comment by Bob on November 23, 2022 at 8:29 am
A look at video services for the diocese of Olympia in western Washington is astonishing. In the seattle area virtually all congregations are getting about 20-30 people on a Sunday. All elderly. These places are at about 5% capacity. Each time the woman (quite often) celebrant makes a firm announcement that this is GODS TABLE and ALL are welcome. The echo is impressive. None of those congregations are in a rust belt, all in the money belt. The episcopal religion just doesn’t attract anyone.
Comment by Colin Ross on November 23, 2022 at 9:26 am
The funny thing is to anyone under 70 it just sounds like a bunch of boomers arguing about gay marriage. Their children decided they had better things to do. It’s telling that the church announced how great a fundraising year it was. No one wants a bunch of old, rich, white people leading the charge on social justice. Just google images of episcopal bishop and tell me I need to take those people seriously.
Comment by David on November 23, 2022 at 9:31 am
The Pew Research people have done demographic profiles of various denominations. Nearly 2/3s of the Episcopal membership is over age 50. Obviously, people do not live forever especially when a pandemic has killed a million persons in the US, generally older adults. The UMC has a slightly younger membership with 63% being over age 50. Southern Baptists are slightly younger yet. The immense Boomer generation is now approaching mortality.
Comment by Steve on November 23, 2022 at 1:01 pm
David,
Studies show that Gen Xers, such as myself, are beginning to return to the church as all generations do as they get older. The problem for progressive denominations is that they are not going to their churches. When people face their mortality they prefer to join a faith group that is consistent with the teachings of their own God. Not a faith group that lawyers their way into rejecting their own God’s teachings.
Comment by Bill on November 23, 2022 at 11:50 pm
My congregation has picked up people from neighboring progressive congregations (mainly PCUSA and Disciples of Christ) partly because they were so slow to reopen. When one of those congregations did reopen, the restrictions were so cumbersome and difficult to navigate that people said “No!” My congregation picked up a few from that situation too. Sadly, that congregation (a PCUSA) had to dismiss its pastor and they have chosen to close. But it was way beyond COVID for them and the others. They all heavily promoted the gay agenda. In another case, the congregation opened its chapel for use to a pagan religious group.
Comment by Colin Ross on November 24, 2022 at 9:15 am
David,
With all due respect I think your studies are 30 years out of date. The gen x is getting into their late 40s man. When are they going to come back? Who in their right mind would support these people? Anglican watch says that 90% of the money goes to overhead. The church continuing on at this point is purely narcissistic. The only thing the organization can highlight how much money they are bringing in. $18 million suing their own congregations over empty buildings. What a disgrace! The offices of the church are in some of the nicest buildings in this country! I really don’t think it’s about progressive vs conservative churches. Across the world the story for the Anglican Church and Christianity in general is dying out. It’s a shame all that money doesn’t go to a charity and instead supports this ridiculous religion.
Comment by Jeffrey Walton on November 25, 2022 at 12:28 pm
“Across the world the story for the Anglican Church and Christianity in general is dying out” Colin, can you provide data to back up this statement? Anglicanism — and Christianity overall — has been growing globally for centuries now. If you had limited your statement to be about the United States or Western Europe, I’d likely be more receptive, but globally the Anglican Communion and the overall Christian population is larger than ever.
“The membership of the Episcopal Church (TEC) has halved since 1970. During the same period, the Anglican Communion’s combined membership has doubled. It is now heading toward 100 million,” writes David Goodhew of St. Johns College, Durham University. See: https://covenant.livingchurch.org/2022/02/22/is-anglicanism-growing-or-dying-new-data/
Comment by Colin Ross on November 24, 2022 at 9:28 am
And don’t even get me started on this church getting ppp loans. The idea that this church needs to take from the taxpayers and borrow more money from future generations to continue its payroll is pretty gross.
Comment by David Mu on November 24, 2022 at 11:08 am
I can think of no better denomination to face its end than the Episcopal Church. The movers and shakers of it have done everything they can to bring disgust to the membership, and being Branch Covidians was just another coffin nail for these clowns. My nearby Episcopal parish is clearly a dying one with an priest who feels the need to list his preferred pronouns. Nonsense. Watching paint dry has greater interest.
Comment by David on November 24, 2022 at 2:48 pm
Well, here is another study that appeared in the Baptist Press in 2021:
https://www.baptistpress.com/resource-library/news/southern-baptists-among-oldest-congregants-in-u-s-study-says/
“The average Southern Baptist adult was 55.2 years old in 2020, ranking the faith group the 13th oldest among 45 studied in the nation. Southern Baptists ranked 15th in the same study in 2008. The Lutheran- Missouri Synod has the oldest members today, with an average age of 58.7.
Ryan Burge, an American Baptist pastor and Eastern Illinois University professor who writes extensively on the intersection between religiosity and political behavior, said the data is reflective of a declining birth rate among white Americans, the majority demographic among mainline religions in the U.S.”
Comment by David on November 24, 2022 at 2:51 pm
“The average Southern Baptist adult was 55.2 years old in 2020, ranking the faith group the 13th oldest among 45 studied in the nation. Southern Baptists ranked 15th in the same study in 2008. The Lutheran- Missouri Synod has the oldest members today, with an average age of 58.7. Muslims have the youngest at 32.2.
Ryan Burge, an American Baptist pastor and Eastern Illinois University professor who writes extensively on the intersection between religiosity and political behavior, said the data is reflective of a declining birth rate among white Americans, the majority demographic among mainline religions in the U.S.”—The Baptist Press (2021)
https://www.baptistpress.com/resource-library/news/southern-baptists-among-oldest-congregants-in-u-s-study-says/
Comment by David on November 24, 2022 at 6:09 pm
Another factor in church decline is the increasing reluctance of Americans to join anything. Fraternal organizations, be they the Freemasons, Knights of Columbus, Odd Fellows, etc., are all on life support. At one time, these supplied a form of social security with life insurance, aid to indigent members, and homes for widows and orphans. Government programs now provide these. Service organizations such as Rotary and the Lions have equal difficulties. “Bowling Alone: The Collapse and Revival of American Community” by Robert D. Putnam discussed the trend two decades ago.
Comment by Different Steve on November 25, 2022 at 11:02 am
Yet many churches find ways to grow, and not just a little:
https://outreach100.com/fastest-growing-churches-in-america/2022
That’s a lot of churches, and I don’t know why they succeed when others fail. If I were in the business, I would make it my business to find out. The excuse that all churches are in decline is clearly untrue.
Comment by Different Steve on November 25, 2022 at 2:03 pm
I’ll risk a few initial (possibly last) thoughts regarding this list of churches having clicked on a few of them:
1) Appear to be megachurches with theatrical seating and praise bands (not my cup of tea).
2) Seeing mostly white faces.
3) Didn’t see any woke virtue signaling (no BLM or LGBT signage logos or lingo).
3) Locations seem to trend Southern or non-coastal (non-liberal locations).
4) Most speak of the need for biblical literacy (suggests metaphorical interpretations of the bible aren’t favored).
5) Saw one in the top five that explicitly called itself orthodox; I also appreciated their warning their music is a “little” loud.
6) Surprisingly, #1 church is with ELCA (in Iowa). Their “about” statement is pretty short and vague, but does not contain woke virtue signaling.
Comment by Colin Ross on November 26, 2022 at 5:18 pm
I absolutely stand behind the statement the Anglican Church is dying. Should I qualify it to say everywhere in the 1st world: Australia, Canada, Europe. Hell, just look at the state of the Church of England in England. They literally have seats in the British parliament yet less than 1% of the population bothers with them. The secular movement can’t be stopped. Christianity grew for centuries often by murdering anyone who disagreed with them. When the claims of a cult can be tested in the open marketplace of ideas, ie the internet, the cult doesn’t stand a chance. This is the real cause of doom, the Episcopalians just happen to be among the most boring cults out there. It’s hard to make blood magic, Demi god sacrifice, and immortality boring but they manage to do it.
Comment by Colin Ross on November 27, 2022 at 6:37 am
Dear author,
I enjoyed your piece but don’t take shelter in that logic for growth. People believed in Jupiter for centuries…until they didn’t. If churches understood this they would know the key to why so many have really left. But then they wouldn’t be in a church anymore, huh?
Comment by Different Steve on November 27, 2022 at 10:11 am
I can’t tell if the prior post is addressed to the “author” of the article or me. The article doesn’t address “logic for growth”, while my comment does. But it doesn’t make much sense to call the writer of a comment “Dear Author”.
Comment by Colin Ross on November 27, 2022 at 9:37 pm
Wasn’t for you buddy
Comment by Stephanie Jenkins on November 27, 2022 at 10:12 pm
I left the Episcopal Church after 72 years. Dogma changed that I was taught to believe as the mission of the church. Social Justice is the new explanation of the Old Testament. Every new priest seemed to need to kick the butt of some old person who had volunteered forever to do a job. Lots of drama. TEC doesn’t seem to know what is the belief of the church. Too many leaders who have their own personal issues and have used the bureacracy of TEC to act on those ideas. Sad and useless.
Comment by senecagriggs on November 28, 2022 at 5:36 am
Two year old article – John MacArthur’s Church
https://protestia.com/2021/01/19/breaking-john-macarthurs-church-adds-1000-new-members-since-covid-19-shutdowns-other-updates/
Comment by DeWayne on November 28, 2022 at 11:36 am
This apparently is a truism: “Everything woke turns to s#&t.”