19 March 2015 A.D. The Growth & Decline of the Episcopal Church
19 March 2015 A.D. The Growth & Decline of the Episcopal Church Virtue, David. “The Growth and Decline of the Episcopal Church.” Virtueonline.org. 18 Mar 2015. http://virtueonline.org/growth-and-decline-episcopal-church . Accessed 19 Mar 2015. The Growth and Decline of the Episcopal Church NEWS ANALYSIS By David W. Virtue DD www.virtueonline.org March 18, 2015 A 2014 survey of 762 Episcopal congregations (out of a sample of 1100) revealed that 45% of surveyed churches declined by 10% or more, while a small group of churches grew by at least 10%. Those congregations that plateaued experienced change in ASA (average Sunday attendance) of +5% to -7.4%. These new facts on Episcopal Church growth and decline were assembled by Dr. C. Kirk Hadaway as part of an ecumenical/interfaith survey project. Here are some of his findings: • The Northeast and Midwest are much less hospitable environments for Episcopal churches. Both share population stability...