(Catholics come in second, with an average age of 50.) In the summer of 2021, a group called Myriad, sponsored by the Gregory Centre for Church Multiplication, suggested that saving the Church of England from its precipitous decline would require shifting away from traditional priest-led parish models towards churches planted, and led, by laypersons. Adding to this bleak outlook is the average age of our membership, which is 59, according to the 2019 Cooperative Congressional Election Report. In 2018–2019, marriages in the Church were down 11%, infant baptism fell 6.5%, and the number of adult baptisms decreased by 6.7%. According to the General Convention’s Parochial Reports, membership and attendance were falling even before Covid-19 hit. A cursory survey of recent articles about The Episcopal Church, featuring words such as decay, decline, and disruption, might easily lead one to believe that the Church is, in fact, dying.
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