Matt Kennedy+: Why Pledges Increase as Membership and Attendance figures Decrease

Most congregations choose stasis and death. But in making that (unconscious) decision, those who make up the pledge-base inevitably begin to increase their pledges. Why? While they are unwilling to permit anything more than cosmetic change, they do recognise that the parish is in trouble. They are, literally, throwing money at the problem. The resulting rise in offerings serves to provide some psychological comfort to the core..."So we are smaller than we used to be, but with an income like this we'll be here for a long time..." but since giving at such a high level cannot be maintained interminably and since there will be no replentishing influx of new members, a consistent, year to year, reverse "X" in the graph generally indicates a doomed congregation...
the rest at Stand Firm

2006 TEC Membership Numbers