Episcopal Membership Shows 1980 Decline
Episcopal News Service. September 3, 1981 [81230]
NEW YORK -- Membership in the domestic jurisdiction of the Episcopal Church showed a "substantial decline" for 1980 following a gain of 0.92 percent in 1979, according to the Rev. John A. Schultz, statistical officer at the Episcopal Church Center.
Baptized membership in the 95 U.S. dioceses and one area mission dropped last year by 2 percent -- from 2,841,350 to 2,787,444. Confirmed membership strength declined during the same year by 1.4 percent to 1,933,646 and church school pupils similarly declined to 489,305, Schultz said.
No figures for membership in the Church's 19 overseas jurisdictions are available for 1980, though 232,358 members were reported the previous year. It is estimated that the number of Episcopalians worldwide is just over three million.
In 1979, membership losses moderated in several mainline communions with only the Episcopal Church showing an increase.
The 1980 decline in baptized members was most precipitous in dioceses in the northeastern and mid-Atlantic states (Provinces I, II and III). In those regions, all dioceses declined to some extent except Vermont, Maryland and West Virginia. In the vast region of Provinces, IV, V and VI -- the southeastern states and the entire mid-region of the country from Canada to Mexico -- most dioceses showed a pattern of increase.
A statistical error in reporting the figures for the Navajoland area mission in 1979 accounted for a small portion of the 1980 decline, Schultz said.
On the brighter side, the figures show an increase in baptisms in 1980 to 63,647 -- up 5.6 percent -- and in confirmations to 59,155,up 0.30 percent. There was a striking increase in adult baptisms by 14.5 percent to 7,465, Schultz noted.
Easter attendance was up in Episcopal churches in 1980 but other major services showed a modest decline.
The financial picture was generally favorable with the stewardship index -- average income per household per week in pledge and plate offerings -- rising from $5.27 to $5.69.
Schultz reported that total receipts in the parishes rose 10.5 percent to $535 million. Parish operating expenses rose similarly. Despite internal economic pressures, contributions to purposes outside the parish rose, with 15 percent of the total income devoted to purposes beyond their own needs, with 11 percent designated for the diocesan and national programs of the Church.
Parish endowment funds increased by $12 million, up by more than $2 million. Long-term debt was reduced substantially by parishes as interest charges rose. Pledges for calendar year 1981 rose by nearly 6 percent over 1980, which increases the prospects for keeping ahead of inflation since Episcopalians usually give substantially more than is actually pledged, according to Schultz.
The diocesan reports indicate that the clergy population explosion has definitely subsided, Schultz said. In the 96 domestic jurisdictions the number of male priests actually declined by 32 to 11,635 while the number of women in the priesthood increased from 184 to 281. At the end of 1980, he said, only 45 women were in charge of congregations but estimates indicate that in a few years 20 percent of the clergy will be women with an indeterminate number in charge of parishes.
Of the 12,672 clergy in domestic dioceses, 7,281 are listed as in the parochial ministry, although 1,062 of them derive most of their income from secular work. Although 5,391 clergy are non-parochial, this includes 1,976, retirees and many others who also exercise at least a part-time ministry in parishes.
The number of aided parishes and organized missions has declined while the number of reported self-supporting parishes has increased, which is ascribed to a more accurate diocesan count, Schultz said. An overall domestic total of aided parishes, organized missions and self-supporting parishes of 7,215 compares with 7,020 for 1979.
There has been a slight decline in the number of diocesan-related institutions such as camps, hospitals, homes for the aged and schools to 438, though parochial schools, figured separately, increased by 3,000 pupils to 79,396.
Income provided to the dioceses by their parishes rose by 9.69 percent with other income bringing the total increase in diocesan revenue to 15.25 percent to reach $83.5 million. From this income -- which includes $2.25 million in grants from the Executive Council -- the dioceses shared $14,283,994 with the national Church for the general program of the Church. This represents 17 percent of their total receipts which is a 12 percent cash increase over the previous year when 18 percent of their receipts were allocated to national purposes.
Overseas figures are not available at this time, Schultz said.