NPR has fun with numbers

Anglicans Discuss Episcopal Divide in U.S.
by Rachel Martin

Morning Edition, February 14, 2007 · As worldwide Anglican leaders gathered in Tanzania Wednesday, a major topic on the agenda is the growing rift among Episcopalians in the United States. The presiding American bishop, Katharine Jefferts Schori, is invited. But her status as the U.S. church's first female leader, and her support for its increasing acceptance of homosexuality, are at odds with many top Anglican leaders.

It’s all here … plus this bit of Valentine's Day number-fudge:

"Duncan represents roughly 300 congregations in the United States that have broken away from the mainstream church. That's about 10 percent of the overall membership of the Episcopal church."

"Roughly"? I'll say. There may be that many congregations in the Network of Anglican Communion Dioceses and Parishes (NACDP), dba the "Anglican Communion Network." (Those are not "scare quotes,", btw; in fact the organization's legal name--so far as I know--is still NACDP. Correct me if I'm wrong, and cite your source, please.)

It's hard to tell, since the numbers and status of "Network" congregations seems to shift--whether by design or accident is also hard to say; we're also told some congregations are "afraid of persecution" from their bishops and refuse to be listed publicly.

But to date the Chapman Memo strategy of "phased withdrawal" has only resulted in about 45 "Network" congregations splintering, and most of those congregations still exist as Episcopal churches with reconstituted leadership.

Comments

[Robert]

Here is one that illustrates your point: On its current website, the ACN lists St. John's Bristol, CT as a Network parish:
http://www.acn-us.org/membership/parishes.html

However, St. John's in Bristol, CT withdrew from the Network in October of 2005:
http://www.episcopalchurch.org/3577_68708_ENG_HTM.htm.

[Brian]

The best "expose'" of the number game played by NACDAP was done in December 2006 by Thinking Anglicans.

The link is: http://www.thinkinganglicans.org.uk/archives/002046.html

Every assertion has a link to its source, except for the comments.