2006 Statistics for the Diocese of South Dakota are in print with the Diocesan Journal of the 2006 Annual Convention. Average Sunday Attendance (ASA) fell yet again, down from over 2,300 in 2005 to 2,192 in 2006.
Bishop Robertson's Convention Address is in the Journal as well. He said:
...we have been called to a new place...not an expression of our American colonialism...After all, isn't that what we celebrate on July 4 of each year...we affirm the revolution? Maybe it is time for us to speak out not only for the presence of gays and lesbians in our midst, but for all those minorities that make us who we are as a church and society: blacks, Natives, women, Asians, the lame, the poor, the marginalized in our society. Maybe God's Spirit is calling us to something new... (Journal p. 24-5)
Actually, the Spirit seems to be calling more people out of The Episcopal Church and the Diocese of South Dakota. Instead of an Apostolic witness to the world and all its people, TEC declines more and more into a few people who talk only to each other.
5 comments:
Or...maybe Creightons utter lack of leadership and apostate ways is what is KILLING this diocese. Completely unwilling to admit that he and TEC are on the wrong path and God will not bless unrepentant sin.
anonymous,
You must surely live in the sunny state of South Dakota.
"Maybe it is time for us to speak out not only for the presence of gays and lesbians in our midst, but for all those minorities that make us who we are as a church and society: blacks, Natives, women, Asians, the lame, the poor, the marginalized in our society."
+Creighton, does that list of minorities include the orthodox conservative reasserting Episcopalians and former Episcopalians in the diocese?
No? Hmm, I rather thought not. Although we are/were/have been certainly marginalized in the diocesan scheme of things.
As i thought about the figures; there has to be something about evangelism that I just do not understand...
DioSD 2003 -- ASA 2600,
DioSD 2006 -- ASA 2192.
Let's see,
thats a net "gain" of 408, in only four short years, a percentage "gain" of 15.7%.
That is astounding, and there are dioceses who are LOSING ground?
I can't believe it! Why did I ever think about leaving such a dynamic organization as TEC in SD?
I wonder what could be the cause of such 'growth', could it be the inclusive emphasis to all oppressed minorities? Yeah that's it, I am sure. Or maybe the solid theology that has come from the new Presiding Bishop, the new leadership from the Executive Committee, and priests from Olympia to Secaucus, from Los Angeles to Pennsylvania? Yeah, that has to be the answer. I just did not see it.
With that kind of ASA, if we have only a handful of representatives from each of the groups the Bishop lionizes, there's hardly room for anyone else.
I must be theologically inept, since I thought that the historic role of the bishopric was to oversee the clergy, defend and exposit orthodox doctrine, and preach the gospel.
Maybe we should invite the bishop to our church to explain which of these things he thinks is still important and why. I'd love to have him visit our parish, but in several years of being a member of his diocese I have not yet laid eyes on him.
"whether or not you accept this mission, this church is set to self-destruct in 10...9...8...7...CLANG! COO coo! COO coo!
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