If Protestantism is treated as a single religious group, then fully 34% of American adults currently have a religious identity different from the one in which they were raised, which is up six percentage points since 2007. If the three major Protestant traditions (evangelical Protestantism, mainline Protestantism and historically black Protestantism) are analyzed as separate categories, then the share of Americans who have switched religions rises to 42%. – Chapter 2: Religious Switching and Intermarriage, America’s Changing Religious Landscape, Pew Research Center, 2015.
Of American adults raised Episcopalian/Anglicans, 61% have changed their religious identity. Of American adults currently identifying as Episcopalian/Anglicans, 46% were raised in another tradition. (These percentages are based on calculations from the table on page 38 of the report. The values are in line with other mainline Protestant denominations. Click thumbnail below)
The report surveyed 35,000 American adults. 1.3% currently identify as Anglican/Episcopalian.
Were you aware of the magnitude of churn in the church? Do the numbers from the Pew survey square with your local Episcopal church experience? How much might be accounted for by inter-religious marriage? Does church churn have any implications for The Episcopal Church and the way it does its ministry?
Posted by John B. Chilton