A world wide gathering of representatives of several Christian traditions in Toulouse, France, representing Roman Catholic, Orthodox, Protestant, Evangelical and Pentecostal traditions met to develop
USA Today reports,”Seven in 10 Protestants ages 18 to 30 — both evangelical and mainline — who went to church regularly in high school said they quit attending by age 23, according to the survey by LifeWay Research.”
Rod Dreher observes troubling class divisions within Christian denominations that traditionally have been attractive to all. He looks for answers, and the issues he raises should be important to the Episcopal Church as well. What are we doing to be the church for all?
Though Gallup polls dating to the ’50s say young adults are less likely to attend services or say religion is very important in their lives, clergy of all stripes say they are seeing a small wave of young adults who are more pious than their parents. And they’re getting an earful from boomer moms and dads who range from shocked to delighted.
For many years, I was a serious Anglophile. I loved being an Episcopalian, because we talked like Thomas Cranmer every single week (at least until the 1979 revision of the Prayer Book). I was obsessed with the Masterpiece Theater series on Henry VIII and Elizabeth I….
Why don’t mainline Protestant denominations do a better job at evangelism? The Christian Century touches on this question in two book reviews.
Mainline churches seeking to ape the the techniques of megachurches should be aware that megachurches are just beginning to ape the mainline’s commitment to social justice. Jason Byassee noted this intriguing dynamic when he accompanied a group of Methodist ministers from North Carolina on a visit to Willow Creek Community Church outside of Chicago.
For much of the 20th century the mainline fertility by age cohort was just over two, barely enough for zero growth. In contrast, conservative fertility in the early part of the century was almost one more child per woman; more recently it remains above but is nearly equal to mainline fertility.
The friendliest, trendiest, most radically inclusive worship experience in all of Tulsa, Oklahoma, takes place at Trinity Episcopal Church. No, not at that service! The
She is living in a home bought by the church that also serves as her office and meeting space for the congregation.