Episcopal church continues alarming decline with loss of nearly 35,000 members in 2016

Membership at The Episcopal Church (TEC) in the U.S. has been in constant decline for the last decade, and last year has been no exception as it has lost nearly 35,000 members, according to figures released by the denomination last week.

The number of active members decreased by 34,179 in 2016, while the number of people attending services on a Sunday fell by 9,327, the figures released on Thursday revealed.

"The 2016 data reflects a continuation of recent trends, although rates of decline in such key figures as Average Sunday Attendance have decreased," said Canon Michael Barlowe, executive officer of TEC's general convention.

He noted that despite the decrease, the "congregational income through pledges and other offerings has remained constant."

The latest figures also suggest that the rate of decline in membership is slowing. In 2015, membership decreased by 37,669, while church attendance on Sundays dropped by more than 20,000.

The average Sunday attendance has decreased by a quarter over the last decade, which prompted the closure of 37 parishes in the last year.

Bishop Maryann Budde, from the Diocese of Washington, acknowledged that most of the parishes on her watch "are in precipitous decline," while other expressions of Christianity are thriving in the area.

"I can't bring myself to count the number of congregations I cannot, in good conscience, recommend to those who are seeking a vibrant expression of Christian community," she stated in a sermon in March.

"There's no doubt in my mind that the Jesus Movement is alive and well in the Diocese of Washington. I cannot say the same about the Episcopal branch of the Jesus Movement in all of its expressions," she added.

Some have blamed the decline on the liberal theological direction of the denomination, including its growing acceptance of homosexuality and gay marriage.

When TEC appointed its first openly gay bishop, the Rev. Gene Robinson, in 2003, scores of congregations decided to leave the denomination.

Splits within TEC and other mainline denominations have caused a surge in property disputes in recent years, and in 2016, it became the top reason why churches ended up in court.

Last month, the South Carolina Supreme Court ordered 35 breakaway parishes to return 29 properties, valued at about $500 million, to the Episcopal Church.

About two-thirds of parishes in the Diocese of South Carolina broke away from TEC in 2012, following years of bitter arguments over issues ranging from scriptural interpretations to governance powers to gay rights.

The breakaway churches have since become part of the Anglican Church in North America, which has been established as a rival Anglican church in the U.S.