NewsLocal NewsGrand Rapids

Actions

SHIFTING ATTENDANCE: Episcopal Church sees rebound after steep attendance drop

church
Ame Church-Bicentennial
Black church health
Posted
and last updated

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — "Churches tend to be kind of the last ones to make changes," 41-year ordained minister, Rector David Blank said.

It's an honest assessment of the state of churches as attendance continues to drop— a trend coined the "Great Dechurching" or a mass exodus of sorts in Sunday morning attendance in the U.S.

When I took a look at the numbers coming in from Gallup News, from 2000-2023, church attendance has declined about 12%, accelerated, of course, by the pandemic, leaving only about three in ten adults to attend regularly and begging the question will the trend continue, and what can churches do to bring in more people?

church
St. Patrick's Church in York Town . York is the oldest inland town in Western Australia .

Amid that trent, however, one denomination has seen a big rebound since the pandemic and says maybe their secret is steeped in tradition.

"We came out of an evangelical world," Alex Schultz said. "We were looking for something."

Alex and her husband found it in the episcopal church, namely St. Andrew's Church in Grand Rapids.

"We walked in, and it was this small, just loving community, and we all seemed a little shell-shocked," Schultz said.

The young family traded in the bright lights of a mega-church production for traditional church pews and hymnal books, and it was exactly what the family needed.

The difference for the Schultz family came down to acceptance and outreach, something Rector David Blank has seen change in the church in his four decades in ministry.

"I think there is a real need to reach out, and sometimes churches get on the defense, worried about their existence, so they focus on just staying alive," Rector Blank said. "And so there's not really a lot of time to do a lot of outreach."

church decline

That's not the case for the Episcopal Church in the greater Grand Rapids area. For instance, St. Mark's in the downtown area has opened up their church to hundreds on Saturdays.

"We have between 150 to 200 individuals who may not have a home or living in shelters," Rector Blank said.

That ministry has attracted some newcomers to the denomination, like Alex.

"That was important to us to raise our kids in this environment that truly encompassed Jesus' teaching," Shultz said.

Ame Church-Bicentennial
FILE - Picture of empty church pews. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)

Perhaps that mindset has led to the episcopal church seeing a rebound in attendance since the pandemic, despite preserving a more traditional and liturgical approach.

Nationwide, the Episcopal Church has seen attendance go up nearly 24% since the pandemic outpacing many other denominations during that same period.

West Michigan, specifically, saw numbers jump 10% from 2022 to 2023 alone.

Research done by Gallop says many are fed up with church teachings becoming too politicized and isolating, something Rector Blank says his church strives to stay away from.

"A lot of the folks who are showing up are individuals who may have an LGBTQ member in their family where the community they're going to do not accept that," Rector Blank said. "They don't feel comfortable."

Hope Church

No matter the denomination, finding a balance between reinventing the wheel to attract newcomers, while staying true to traditional teachings will continue to challenge churches for future decades.

For now. Alex is happy her family found a place to call home on Sundays for years to come.

"It's a safe place to land no matter what you're struggling with," Alex said.

Follow FOX 17: Facebook - X (formerly Twitter) - Instagram - YouTube