News: Two Major
Research Reports Released
by Charles N. Fulton III
October 2001

(FACT) Faith Communities Today:
A Report on Religion in the United States Today

Faith Communities Today (FACT) is a study of religious life in the America. It is the largest survey of religious institutions ever conducted in this country, involving 14,301 congregations in 41 different faith groups. Coordinated by Hartford Seminary and funded by the Lilly Foundation and participating faith communities, this study is intended to provide a public profile of the organizational backbone of religion in American – congregations.

1,100 randomly selected Episcopal churches received ques-tionnaires. The questions covered six broad areas – worship and identity, location and facilities, internal and mission-oriented programs, leadership and organizational dynamics, and finances. Reports are now available on both the ecumenical picture and results specific to Episcopal congregations.

What we learned from the larger ecumenical study:
• Half of congregations have fewer than 100 regularly participating adults.
• Half of the faith communities see themselves as growing in membership, especially those using or blending contemporary forms of worship and those located in newer suburbs.
• The geographic locus of new congregations is shifting. Congregational development in the West surpassed the South in the last decade.
• There is a downturn in mainline Protestantism and Roman Catholic/Orthodox congregations, and a rise in Evangelical Protestantism, Baha‘i, Muslim, and Mormon congregations.
• Congregations that enact their faith without explicit expectations for members experience less vitality and more conflict.
• Clergy with a seminary education are no more likely, and in many cases less likely, to report that their congregations are well-organized, vital and alive, growing in participants, openly dealing with conflict, and scoring high on a clear sense of purpose.
• Faith communities with solid financial support are more open to change, experience few conflicts, and are more prepared to adapt to new conditions.

What we learned about the Episcopal church:
• 52% of Episcopal churches reported that a “sense of God’s presence characterizes their worship “very well.” Only 7% reported that being “innovative” characterizes their worship “very well.”
• Outreach is part of most every congregation. Almost all congregations (96%) provide some sort of food assistance to the needy in their communities.
• A quarter of respondents describes the current financial health of their congregation as excellent, another third as good. Only 5% say they are “in serious difficulty.”
• It is harder for a congregation to admit decline than growth. The FACT survey responses reflect a more optimistic picture than Parochial Report data indicates. More congregations reported being stable and fewer reported their decline than Parochial Reports reveal.

Descriptors which a majority of Episcopal
clergy says fit them very well include:
• Hard worker, cares about people, has a close relationship with God.

Descriptors which Episcopal clergy say fit them least well are:
• Charismatic leader, evangelistic, and effective administrator.

Growing Episcopal churches:
• Have less worship, educational, and fellowship space then they need (they grow even with inadequate space)
• Have fewer life-long Episcopalians
• Have young adult members (21%-60% fosters growth; more or less hurts growth)
• Have members (not just clergy) involved in recruitment of new members
• Have joyful worship and are more likely to use drums

To learn more about the results of this survey you can:
1. Order the full report “Faith Communities Today: A Report on Religion in the United States Today” through Episcopal Parish Services at 1-800-903-5544 (67 pp., $15.00).
2. Log on to the web site http://fact.hartsem.edu to find an interactive FACT workbook and overall and faith group specific findings.
3. Log on to the web site www.episcopalchurch.org/congdev to find the FACT questionnaire and responses of Episcopal congregations.
4. Call the Office of Congregational Development at 800- 334-7626 to receive a free copy of “Understanding Episcopal Congregations: Results from the 2000 Faith Communities Today Survey” (4 p.).

NEW CHURCH DEVELOPMENT:
A Research Report*

The Episcopal Church participated with other mainline Protestant denominations in a study of new church development. Funded by the Lilly Foundation and the participating denominations, the goal of the study was to learn the characteristics and growth patterns of new congregations, characteristics of their leaders, and what it takes to successfully plant a new church. Questionnaires were sent to the founding clergy, the current clergy, and five lay leaders who were knowledgeable about the founding of the new congregation. ‘Success’ was defined as a congregation that grew large enough to achieve self-sufficiency within seven years. An average Sunday attendance of 250 or more was determined by the ecumenical partners to be the benchmark for determining successful self-sufficiency.

The first important result of the survey was learning that the Episcopal Church had very limited records about our new churches. In the future Parochial Reports will track new churches.

What we learned about New Church Development in the Episcopal Church:
• During the 16-year period between 1980 and 1996 the Episcopal Church planted 337 new churches nationwide.
• 14 of those congregations reached an average Sunday attendance of 250 or more by their 7 th year.
• The strongest correlate of new church success was the initial size of the congregation. Congregations that had 75+ in worship attendance at the outset (by the third month) grew to be the largest and strongest. Those that began with few than 40 remained small.
• Researching the demographics to inform site selection increased the likelihood of success. Knowing the community demographics did not ensure success, but unorganized placement almost assured failure.

• Clergy who continue their focus on those not yet members grow larger congregations than those whose focus turns inward toward institutional and programmatic maintenance.
• The new starts that are now the largest and strongest reported that they had a strategy and systematic effort to track visitors and prospects.

• Founding clergy driven by a clear purpose, not a need to please people, grew larger congregations.
• A common vision shared by the clergy and membership was a key correlate for the largest and strongest congregations.
• Trained lay leaders made a difference. The most suc-cessful new congregations had lay leaders with some intentional training and experience in practical evangelism, outreach development, and conflict resolution.
• Clergy that are the best at starting groups ‘from scratch’ grew the largest congregations.
• The greatest number of large and strong congregations had young founding clergy (age 24-35).

The founding clergy of the new churches that have reached an average attendance of 250 or more have been invited to participate in ecumenical focus groups with other successful new church developers to deepen the understanding of what it takes to grow a new congregation.

To learn more about the results of this survey you can:
1. Order the report “New Church Development: A Research Report” through Episcopal Parish Services at 1-800-903- 5544 (38 pp., $10.00).
2. Visit the web site www.episcopalchurch.org/congdev to download the report.

* Report prepared by C. Kirk Hadaway, Research Services, United Church of Christ, and Penny Marler, Samford University.

The following was released
on July 26, 2001
announcing the staffing
for 20/20 initiative…

In response to the energy throughout our Church for healthy and thriving congregations and a number of emerging missional initiatives, and also in anticipation of the 20/20 Task Force report to Executive Council in October and Executive Council’s response, I am announcing today that I have asked the Reverend Charles N. Fulton III, the new Director of Congregational Development, to organize and coordinate the work of the Presiding Bishop’s staff in implementing the action of Executive Council in response to this initiative.

I am tremendously excited about this opportunity to expand the capacity of congregations in our Church for mission and evangelization. Here you may remember that at my investiture as your Presiding Bishop, I invited you to hear the words of Christ to St. Francis, “Rebuild my Church,” as a call to us all as members of Christ’s risen body, and as part of this household of faith we call the Episcopal Church. I believe that the passion, creativity and faithfulness I am encountering everywhere are indeed a response to that call.

Charles will continue as President of the Episcopal Church Building Fund whose work and mission, “Helping Build the Church and Helping the Church to Build” are complementary to this initiative.

The Most Rev. Frank T. Griswold
Presiding Bishop and Primate
Episcopal Church, USA