Another Way Report Key Indicator of Working Together for 'Good Future'

The 69th Synod of the Diocese of Edmonton was tasked with interpreting the findings of the Listening in Spirit | Shaping Our Future Together Phase 1 Report, produced by Another Way Consulting. 

Over the spring and early summer of 2024, Anna Bubel, principal consultant at Another Way, gathered quantitative data (2017 to 2023) from the Synod Office and conducted online surveys of parish membership (members, priests, and lay leaders), one-on-one interviews, 46 parish engagement sessions, and a Synod leadership session.

Bubel shared the key findings of this comprehensive environmental scan at the 69th Synod of the Diocese of Edmonton:

• Two-thirds of parishes are located in the greater Edmonton area; one-third are in smaller communities;
• In 2023, an average of 52 people attended Sunday services, and one-third of parishes had fewer than 25 attendees;
• Between 2017 and 2023, the average number of children in Sunday school declined by 42 percent;
• Forty percent of parishes have a full-time priest;
• There are an average of two formal lay leaders per parish;
• The total insurance replacement value of property held by the Synod of the Diocese of Edmonton (except for a few parishes that own their property), is $125,866,162;
• In two-thirds of parishes, fewer than 50 people use the church building outside of Sunday each week;
• Staff costs account for 50 percent of all parish expenses, with building costs accounting for more than 20 percent (not including insurance);
• In 2023, members gave an average of $2,463 to their parish.

And she made the following observations: 

• Urban and rural parishes have more in common than not;
• Love of, and dedication to, God is palpable;
• Overall, a lack of intergenerational turnover, not a lack of financial resources, is the existential threat to the future of churches in the Diocese of Edmonton;
• Clear-headedness prevails;
• There is a tension between parish self-direction and Synod leadership warranting attention

Three years ago, when the Rt. Rev. Stephen London became Bishop of Edmonton, he was advised the diocese was facing major financial challenges. In 2022, parishes had emerged from the COVID pandemic with roughly half the number of in-person attendees than they had in 2019. 

But, as said in his Bishop’s Charge on Friday evening, at All Saints’ Cathedral, “It is not just us (Mainline churches, in general, are aging and decreasing in numbers). We have two choices: we can either let events happen as nature takes its course, or we can make intentional decisions that allow us to stabilize to do our mission as followers of Jesus Christ. 

“I do believe that God loves our church, even as we are struggling God meets us there. God walks with us and guides us forward. This is not the first time the church has struggled. The Synod in Our Lord 500000 will have a different set of conversations than the Synod in the Year of Our Lord 2024. We are just getting started, really, as the church. This is our moment. This is our time. God is with us. Emmanuel."

Recognizing that the words strategic plan mean different things to different people, Bishop Stephen said he hopes that as a means of laying the groundwork for a good future, the strategic plan is a clear articulation of our “commitment to concrete decisions and actions that we will make over the next two years to hit our goal (by the next diocesan Synod) of creating a sustainable diocesan community that enables us to live out our calling (proclaim the Gospel, make disciples, further the Kingdom through a commitment to the Five Marks of Mission of the Anglican Communion) in a way that is healthy and vibrant, and not marked by fear and anxiety for the future.”

He asked members of Synod to identify in their table groups the key implications of the Phase 1 report by assessing six asset categories: discipleship, diversity and physical, social, financial and human resources.

“We have to interpret the report and highlight the things important for us to work on. We do not have the capacity or resources to do everything. We must choose what is priority, relevant, actionable, and pragmatically possible,” he said. 

The key implications recorded by each table group will be compiled and presented to Executive Council for its work on the strategic plan. 

“This big work is something we must do together,” Bishop London said. “If you will walk, I will walk. We will walk together.”

Read the Listening in Spirit Phase 1 Report and view Anna Bubel’s Presentation to Synod