No idea, but we had better pay attention. Frankly, the whole section on adherents is depressing and should scare the bejeebers out of anyone in the United Church.

Just read it and to me it just reflects or reconfirms what I have concluded from my personal experiences.

I liked how the survey pointed out the deep committment to community.  But then went on to call a section that is diplomatically understated  "A Slight Shadow of Exclusionary" that members place a low value of accepting  those who are different in "their" community.

The next point lays out the problems of having a system of goverence where particpation in decisions by members is key. By diplomatically understating that "not evryone feels comfortable or is active in decision making" and that by a group that is actually comfortable enough to participate in a survey that asks them their views.

the report writers agree with me and do say (again diplomatically and more understated than I would)  that there is work to do. 

4. A slight shadow of exclusionary attitudes

The ideal of becoming a community that celebrates and promotes diversity is among the lowest of respondents’ priorities, when they are asked to rank importance of several church attributes

And there is work to do if a complete sense of belonging requires full involvement in guiding the direction of the church – not everyone feels comfortable or is active in decision-making

Attitudes of intolerance are also demonstrated in cascading numbers of people who are “very” comfortable with ministers who are perceived to be increasingly “different”

The problem with younger people joining is they are more likely to be openly different,(they are also just different due to be younger, but as well, younger people are less stimitised by being openly different, and reject attitudes like those found in churches which says evryone must ne the same, and follow the same rules)  Including the different is the lowest priority of the church members surveyed.

Hopefully some church leaders and membrs will understand that the ability to accept that those who are different, is tied to the ability of the church to exist. 

My experience with most churches in Ottawa, is that they would rather close than include those who are different.  Even to the point of traveling every Sunday to churches in communities where there are no people like them, just to ensure that no one different than them can join the churches in their communities.

A median age of 65 matches the look of the local UC congregation.  I know some are into their 90's.  The Anglican congregation is much the same (maybe a bit older).

This holds true for Anglicans and United, but not other churches as much.

The question is a what came first, the chicken or the egg" question?  Do younger people avoid church because they feel it is not for them because things are geared towards just one type, or are things made just for one type of person, because others will not come no matter what?

The study says that disabled people are less likely to be a UCC member. Is that because they are uninterested or because of barriers in churches? It is a relevant question particularly because the older one gets, the more likely one is to be disabed, or differently disabled. Yet even through there are more older membrs, there are less disabled members as a percent of the entire population.

EO,

was that larger percentage people who had joined or people who were attending?

ONe of the problems with theses discussions is that "joining" the church has a variety of meanings

I am not sure.  I was not closely involved with church life.  I attended, but felt something of an outsider.   I was not from Ottawa, and had no family ties in the church.  I was an outsider, I suppose, having been brought up as an atheist.

Part of what i like about my current congregation is that it does not make me feel like an outsider.  I think that is cultural: eastern Europeans tend to be more expressive and open than Anglo's and Celts.

Well actually the clergy is aging as well. Few become a minister before they are 40, and I believe the average age is something like 60. I believ those who are retired are not dependant on the church for their pensions, I believ there is an independant fund which pays there pension.  

Howevr the trends are just genral trends. Churches, like mine, that do things to include people, including  the different are growing. Those churches that are dieing in the city have already decided that they would rather die, than include the different.  To enable them to stay alive downtown can rent space to the hilt a building that sits on lands, that often is worth millions.

These churches sell space and parking making milliomns for there own use,  while refusing to admit the Christians that do live in the neighbourhood of the church.  Because those in the neighbourhood, are too young, too gay, too poor, or too progressive. And they are afraid, that if they included others, they would no longer be at the centre of attention. For them it is better to be a big fish in a small pond, than a small fish in a large one.

Howevr to me they are just thieves, because they are stealing resources from the community, they are stealing a church, and they are stealing it's property for there own needs.

A) the average age of active UCCan clergy is 52

B) the pension plan is actuarily rated as solvent for decades to come (although it is feeling the pinch from economics currently) and it is a standalone defined benefit plan, paid into by members (at 4% of Pensionalbe Earnings) and employers (at 7% of PE)

Mendalla;

Stealing from tomorrow doesn't have to be restricted to the old. The young can do that just as well (although often having fewer resources, they may have fewer choices in that department).  The young, however, can steal (or waste) their time just as well as the old can steal (or waste) their finances.

I suspect it comes down to the human instinct to be part of the herd, where the ability to identify with that herd (and the herd with that human) depends on a large degree of sameness.  Young people will congregate where there are young people; families will do so where there are families; and clarinet lovers where there are clarinets. Once the ball is dropped (eg. the young are made to feel unwelcomed, so they leave and there is no attempt made to encourage them to return), it takes a Herculean effort to reverse the trend. And that's not just restricted to religious observance.