The Incredible Shrinking Church

I have now been an Episcopalian for over a decade. On June 2008 the CEC parish of El Mesías was received in the Episcopal diocese of Florida to much fanfare and a hearty welcome! I have no regrets at all, overall the diocese of Florida has been a good home to us, and our ministry in the heart of the Arlington Neighborhood has been fruitful.

Yet for all that, the Episcopal Church is full of surprises. There are many things admirable about the Episcopal Church which I and others in our parish love! Yet, every three years, the National Convention with its discussions and resolutions, seem to throw our parish into weeks of questions, uncertainty and distraction from our mission to worship God and spread the good news! Are they changing the prayer book? How is the canon on marriage different? Will we have to do that at our parish? Can we do it? Is our church now against Israel? We have to do whaaaaaat to our bathrooms? Estan locos?  

Episcopal clergy rightly are vocal about the things they believe in, and the internet keeps a record of that forever! That is not always a positive thing! Imagine explaining to people in a family oriented, largely conservative parish, stuff they happen to stumble on as they surf in the world wide web…How is it that “ Abortion is a Blessing” ? And how in the world can Episcopal priest and Seminary president  say that?  Or.. this recent beauty: How can a bishop be disciplined for following what the Bible says clearly about marriage?

It is another surprise, as we explore the status of our diocese and church over the years…when the Parochial Report and Statistics come out every September! It seems every year there are a lot less Episcopalians!  

Since we came into the Episcopal Church in June 2008, average Sunday attendance for TEC has dropped by 24.5 %. There is now 177,770 less Episcopalians.

As a parish working with mainly Latino members, many of whom move frequently looking for work or better opportunities, we are used to church attendance waxing and waning! There usually is a balance, you lose some, you gain some!  That is hard to see when we gaze at the latest statistics from TEC.

Anecdotally, I would think that the numbers may be a little different for Latino parishes and missions, most of my friends in Hispanic ministry seem to think that their churches are either stable or growing. But then, if we consider the Episcopal Church in Province 9, churches in Central and South America; their attendance has dropped by a whopping 40% in the last decade.    

I am sure we have lost members and prospects, over the years,  due to some of the things that land our church in the news. It is also true that, many of the young adults raised in our parish, who have moved away for college or have begun a life away from family, of those who remain committed Christians, most have chosen other communities of faith instead of the Episcopal Church.   

However, for many people at San Lucas, the warmth of the parish family, the celebration of the Eucharist and practical teaching of scripture along with years of relationships seems enough for them to stay and call our church a spiritual home!  

It has been a blessing that we pray lasts, even as we are part of a beautiful, historic, amazing and incredibly shrinking Church , not just in numbers but in theological perspectives.

This is all before COVID 19…! I must confess that judging by our parish numbers as we reopen from 6 months of a shut church, with services online, it seems to me that we and our beloved Episcopal Church have serious challenges ahead! 

I have no solutions to offer for this complex problem but, if it ever was proper to pray, this is a time when we should do so much more seriously!

Blessings

Seraph