Episcopal split related to core beliefs
By Warren Musselman
Saturday March 24, 2007

There are key points that need to be made, which were not included in the article that appeared in the Press & Sun-Bulletin on March 19 regarding the parishes of Good Shepherd in Binghamton and St. Andrew's in Vestal.

First, both orthodox and liberal Episcopal Churches have seen their membership dwindle since the General Convention 2003. The implicit suggestion in the article, that it is just orthodox parishes, is incorrect. Good Shepherd, in fact, has grown in attendance and membership since 2003, not shrunk as your articles suggested. Loss of members is accelerating, with orthodox parishes showing smaller losses on average and in some cases, like Good Shepherd, even showing growth.

According to the Episcopal Church's own statistics, the net loss of members was 8,200 in 2002, 35,988 members in 2003, 36,414 in 2004 and 42,443 in 2005. Though more recent official Episcopal Church numbers are not available, some estimates for 2006 are in the ball park of 70,000.

Secondly, the issue of same-sex blessings and the consecration of an openly non-celibate gay bishop, to be sure, are critical issues. However, both are symptoms of a much deeper problem, one that has been growing for a few decades.

Don't miss this! the rest