Dear Louie,
I appreciate your ministry and your insight, but on the reporting of the
Average Sunday attendance material, I must take issue.
You have rightly noted on the web page that the material indicated has to do
with key Sundays. That all changed in 1995. Beginning with that parochial
report, we no longer calculate Sunday attendance on the four key Sundays.
Beginning that year, we did the calculation based on all Sundays in the
calendar year. How is this a problem with your chart?
First, the four key Sundays were Easter, Advent I, Lent I and All Saints.
Those days did not work, so we switched to averaging all 52 Sundays. Part
of the reason they did not work has to do with certain types of
ministries -- especially campus ministries. Only one of those four days
actually occurred at times when school was in session (All Saints) The
other three were always in a vacation period. Therefore, the numbers were
often reduced. Of course, for dioceses that quit doing campus ministry,
that was not a problem, since they had given up on that ministry -- the
numbers did not matter. But, in places like North Carolina, Louisiana, and
Kansas, it made a difference. In 20 years of campus ministry, I could always
count on my lowest attendance at Christmas, Easter, the Sunday after
Thanksgiving (almost always Advent I). Everybody went home.
Second, attendance on Easter inflates the average attendance. Therefore, if
Easter is one of four in the average, the average will be higher than if
Easter is included with 51 other Sundays. I am quite interested, though.
how some dioceses have actually experienced an increase in average Sunday
attendance when Easter is averaged with the other 51 Sundays. I would like
to see how that is done.
Third, in a diocese like Louisiana, where more than half of the
congregations are of family size, the old system of four Sundays really
boosted the average attendance, because of the Easter factor. We have
charted our congregations from 1989-1998, making a clear distinction between
the pre-95 figures and the post-95 figures. In all honesty, the last four
years are the best indication ever of average Sunday attendance. Easter and
Christmas are balanced by the low times of the year -- neither extreme being
able to express undue influence on the figures. (for example, the Cathedral
in New Orleans shows a 25+ACU- decrease using the 1990-98 figures, but if we
compare apples and apples --95-98 -- there is an increase in attendance.
Why the difference? Cathedrals --especially --really bring them in for
Easter, and therefore the Easter service attendance unduly inflates the
figures in a four Sunday average. That does not happen in a 52 Sunday
average) Although I would take seriously the pre-95 figures, they do not
carry nearly the weight as the 95-98 figures, since those figures are for
all Sundays of the Church year.
Fourth, speaking only for the figures for this diocese, it is apples and
oranges to compare the 1990 figures with the 1997 figures for the reasons
stated above. 1990 can be compared to 1994. From then on a different
standard is set. Therefore the 42.6+ACU- decline you indicate is inaccurate --
totally. There has been a decline, I assure you that I am not trying to
deny that. But, the decline that can, and should, be charted over the years
that include every Sunday, is 4.3+ACU-. There is no pride in a negative 4.3+ACU-
decline I assure you. We are currently working on a plan and vision that
addresses this very issue.
Fifth, we learn about the life of a congregation by the average attendance
throughout the year -- not by four Sundays. This all has to be seen as a
part of understanding the life of a congregation -- there is also education,
outreach, stewardship, hospitality, family systems, etc..
Sixth, I believe your observations about the activity and task of the Church
during the Decade of Evangelism are quite true. We have talked the talk --
sometimes -- but have seriously failed to walk the walk. Too often we have
tried to maintain a fortress against some anticipated attack, when all the
while people simply walked by our fortresses and found a place for their
spiritual journey elsewhere -- places that were more open to them. Too
often we have spent more time fighting amongst ourselves, when we should
have been reaching out to others in love. Too often we have worried about
what it meant to be an Episcopalian -- and forgot our duty to be
Christian -- bringing others to Christ. We have very little of which to be
proud during this Decade, but let us learn from these times, rather than
beat ourselves up over how poorly we responded. Let us move on.
It would be my hope that this General Convention would talk seriously about
a mission, rather than how to patch up the institution. We have a great
number of gifts and talents, and we ought to use them to promote the Gospel.
Thank you for your continuing ministry, and the sparks you ignite to help us
all think.
Ron +-
The Rev. Canon Ronald H. Clingenpeel
The Episcopal Diocese of Louisiana
www.episcopaldioceseofla.com
The Diocese of Louisiana is one church, faithful to Christ, united in
mission, focusing on the unchurched.
We live in joyous expectation of the power of grace and divine compassion in
our lives+ACE-