[ken5050]

Many of these dioceses with minimal, unsustainable ASAs occupy churches that are much larger than they require. It is depressing to enter each Sunday a church built to hold several hundred, that today has a few dozen at best in the pews. It also explains why it's harder to attract new, younger families. If you're a couple, with say, two kids, under 10, looking for a new church, are you realistically goign to join a parish where at best, there may be only 1 or 2 families with kids your age?

One more point. The majority of these larger, and OLDER churches, and the cathedrals, have had NO maintenance done for years, in some cases decades, because there is no money. We're talking roofs, heating and plumbing systems..these buildings can't be repaired...even if the $$ was there, which it isn't, you can't justify spending that $$ on a building that houses a few dozen each Sunday.

Virtue talks about 4000 dying, and 2000 being born each year. Those who die LEAVE immediately, and take their pledges with them. A`newborn this year won't be a FINANCIALLY viable member of the church for 2 decades..

I remember well all the talk when Vicki was ordained..how TEC would grow, and become "vibrant" attracting gays the tens of thousands.....

[Cronos]

how TEC would grow, and become "vibrant" attracting gays the tens of thousands.....

The roots probably are in that 50s distorted psychological report that said that 20% of people are gay (or something like that)when in reality the practitioners of this are just about 2% of the population at large and most are those "experimenting" (think Anne Heche)