Episcopal Press and News
Zacchaeus Survey Confirms a Church Energy Source -- Its Congregations
Episcopal News Service. June 30, 1999 [99-086]
(ENS) What does it mean to be an Episcopalian at the end of the second Millennium?
The report of an ambitious survey of church members has found that Episcopalians are committed to worship and the Anglican tradition that binds them; that many of the church's local congregations are characterized by a healthy sense of vitality and common mission, and that many congregations share a commitment to be inclusive.
At the same time, Episcopalians seem to yearn for more support from and a better relationship with the church's diocesan and national structures, which, some church members said, have not adapted well to the increasing role of laity in the church over recent decades.
The report, copies of which were mailed in late June to every parish in the Episcopal Church, is an important step in the Zacchaeus Project, which was commissioned by the Episcopal Church Foundation as a gift to the church to mark the foundation's 50th anniversary this year. The research was conducted by Cornerstone, a ministry of the foundation.
The project actually began last year with detailed interviews of some 2,000 Episcopalians in nine dioceses selected to reflect the diversity of the whole church. Parishes churchwide are now being asked to discuss the report, which will be the focus of a Trinity Institute teleconference in September. More churchwide teleconferences will be held through May 2000.
The Zacchaeus Project "is a work in progress," foundation president George Fowlkes said in a letter accompanying the report. He emphasized that the report, while presenting the answers gathered in many interviews, has drawn no definitive conclusions. The project, he said, is an "overall effort to stage a national conversation about our life together."
The project was launched with the encouragement and support of Presiding Bishop Frank T. Griswold, who noted in a statement, "The report bears out what I have observed myself over these last months: parishes are healthy and grounded in their worship. Thus grounded, we are moving out from our church communities and into our neighborhoods to respond to the needs as we find them. Our relationship with the Risen Christ has called us into relationship with all of God's people."
He also acknowledged, "The report challenges our national structures, and indeed diocesan structures, to make plain our imperative of supporting the ministry and mission of congregations to increase their capacity for ministry by building networks and providing resources for education, leadership, and faith formation."
The report notes that the Zacchaeus Project was commissioned last year, the first year of Griswold's nine-year term as presiding bishop and a point at the end of one millennium and the beginning of another. The project was named for the biblical character, described in Luke 19, who climbed a sycamore tree to gain a better look at Jesus.
The research was directed by an Episcopal lay person and sociologist, Thomas P. Holland of the University of Georgia, and a parish priest and historian, William L. Sachs, rector of St. Matthew's Church in Wilton, Connecticut.
Five interviewers spoke with about 2,000 Episcopalians in 250 individual or focus group meetings representing nearly 5 percent of Episcopal congregations. Dioceses chosen for the research included Central Florida, Massachusetts, North Carolina, Texas, West Missouri, Kansas, Minnesota, Nevada and Los Angeles.
In addition to speaking with lay people in those dioceses, the interviewers met with focus groups of seminarians, clergy, young adults and residents of an Episcopal retirement community.
The interview process focused on lay people in local congregations, the report said, explaining that studies of Episcopal identity typically have looked at the church through the eyes of theologians and bishops, who often mingled their ideals of church life with only select references to data drawn from actual church life.
The interviewers wanted to hear directly from the vast majority of those in the church; its lay members.
At the core of Episcopal identity, the report said, are the Book of Common Prayer and the liturgy. "Over 95 percent of respondents in both independent surveys and interviews agreed that the Eucharist, liturgy, and the Prayer Book were central to the lives of their congregations," the report emphasized.
"The Episcopal Church has a long history and many rich traditions that shape our liturgy," said one parishioner. "That is our common ground. Also, it doesn't discourage thinking, facing your doubts, and struggling with them. I believe that is a major attraction. It certainly has been a major part of my growth."
Spiritual growth, and the sense of being on a spiritual journey together, were important to many congregants, the report said.
"At a time when many Americans define themselves as spiritual seekers," it commented, "one of the Episcopal Church's attractions may be the extent of its openness to such a quest."
Not everyone agreed. "In a few sites," the report said, "participants voiced dismay over the Episcopal Church's tolerance for what they saw as too wide a range of views and beliefs. Some stances, such as denying the resurrection or advocating acceptance of homosexuality, fall outside the boundaries of the historic Christian faith, they stress, and Episcopal leadership has substituted political correctness for biblical truths."
Whether they feel they are sharing a spiritual journey or not, most Episcopalians in local congregations share a "profound sense of community [that] exists not for its own sake, and certainly not for the sake of institutional loyalty alone. Their calling to follow Christ together inspires a sense of shared mission," according to the report.
"We really listen to one another," said one church member, "respect our differences, and come to conclusions much easier than I ever expect. We hang in there together and work through difficult problems. There's a deep sense of connectedness among us."
This "connectedness" is the product of hard work, many conceded, but it helped congregations through losses, challenges and changes, and often these painful periods served to deepen the sense of community.
Further, most respondents see their spiritual growth as leading to ministry and outreach, the report stated. From soup kitchens to schools to building a clinic in a remote South American village, Episcopalians have found many forms of service.
Leadership in these congregations is often seen as a responsibility shared by the clergy and the laity -- an indication to the interviewers that "there has been a decisive shift in the Episcopal Church's life over the past half-century," according to the report. The place of ordained leaders -- many congregants praised the work the clergy had done in their congregations -- and of other bodies such as vestries remains intact, the report said, but "a broad and rather informal view of leadership has taken hold."
Even as they expressed their enthusiasm about their parish life, Episcopalians acknowledged that the demands of the current social environment are pressuring laity to increase their skills in leadership, pastoral care and mission, and they are looking to wider church structures for resources to meet these demands.
At this point, many noted their concerns about the capability of programs sponsored by diocesan and national offices to respond effectively.
One respondent said with despair, "The diocese isn't doing anything about outreach, about Christian education, about the seminaries, or anything else I can see. And neither are the national offices. I'm afraid we're becoming congregationalist in our approach, and losing our rich Anglican heritage. But when there's nothing going on at the top, who's left to do the work?"
The report added later, however, "Despite obvious ambivalence about the church's hierarchy, many of our respondents hoped to find ways to draw their locality into better partnership with it. The resilience of this hope should be a major source of encouragement for the Episcopal Church's professional leadership."
Copies of the 61-page report are available from Cornerstone at a cost of $5 each. Requests may be made by phone (901) 527-1450, by fax (901) 523-8952 or by email cstone@mmem.net. The report is online at the Episcopal Church Foundation's Web site: www.episcopalfoundation.org.