And there is no indication it will turn around any time soon, if ever.

Average Sunday attendance for 2006 was reported at 804,688, down 2.6%, or 21,856, from 826,544 in 2005. That's approximately 420 active dues-paying parishioners or the equivalent of six parishes (average size 70) closing across the United States each week.

Executive Council members discussed what they called "the reality" that all mainline denominations nationwide are experiencing a multi-year overall downturn in Sunday-morning attendance -- owing in part to declining birth rates, aging membership, and weekend work and scheduling patterns.

No mention was made of tens of thousands of fleeing Episcopalians who no longer believe the Episcopal Church is a safe place for heterosexual families raising children in an environment of sexual experimentation and a push towards lesbigay behavior.

Four overseas dioceses -- Colombia, Dominican Republic, Micronesia, and Puerto Rico -- posted growth in membership and average Sunday attendance in 2006, Hadaway said.

Of the 100 dioceses in the Episcopal Church, only 11: Alaska, Central Pennsylvania, Eastern Oregon, Eau Claire, Kansas, Mississippi, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Upper South Carolina and The Navajoland Area Mission reported growth. Hadaway noted that the rate of compliance of congregations within those dioceses was 93.7% for domestic congregations and nearly 91.1% non-domestic.

The largest decline in the Episcopal Church's nine Provinces, as reported in 2006, came from Province 3 which saw a 15,554-member drop owing to the flight of some 15 congregations from the Diocese of Virginia - the largest single drop in modern Episcopal history.

The seven Latin American and Caribbean dioceses of the Episcopal Church's Province 9 posted a 1,741-person gain in membership in 2006 for a 72,084 total, according to the aggregated Parochial Report data reported by Hadaway.

By contrast, Pentecostalism in Latin America has zoomed. The Catholic Church's own surveys show that every hour 400 Latin Americans convert to Pentecostalism or other fundamentalist or evangelical churches. One-eighth of the region's 481 million people belong to fundamentalist or evangelical churches, and in some countries, such as Guatemala, it is estimated that half the population will have switched into those churches by the end of the century. Not since the mass baptisms of Latin American Indians by the conquering Spanish in the 16th century has Latin America witnessed a religious conversion of such magnitude.

One noted upturn was a 2.5% increase in plate and pledge offerings churchwide to more than $1.3 billion in 2006 in domestic dioceses, with the average parishioner's pledge increasing to $2,088 from $1,979. The value of total investments of all domestic congregations also climbed to nearly $4.2 billion in 2006, up from more than $3.9 billion in 2005.

IN OTHER news it is reported that some $1.8 million will be trimmed from the 2008 budget when the national Executive Council meets in Quito, Ecuador, next February.

The deficit, which includes up to $550,000 in additional expenses for staff reorganization, was discussed during meetings of Executive Council's Administration and Finance Committee. Council met Oct. 26-28 in Dearborn, Mich.

The majority of the deficit is due to an updated forecast of revenue about 2 percent less than the $50.4 million approved in the budget by the 75th General Convention in 2006. The remainder is due to additional estimated expenses of $444,000 attributed to the Church Center staff reorganization.

Treasurer Kurt Barnes said some of the lower-than-expected revenue would be offset by applying money available from lower-than-budgeted expenses this year. He expects similar savings on expenses in 2008, but that amount is set by General Convention until expenses are realized.

Expenses tied to the reorganization would be ongoing to fund the regional satellite offices and staff salary increases commensurate with greater managerial responsibilities at the regional centers. During the Administration and Finance Committee meetings, Mr. Barnes and Linda Watt, chief operating officer, said the reorganization would update Church Center management structures previously unchanged for decades and ultimately result in significant savings.

According to a question by a church reporter, Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori said New York City's relatively high cost of living can be turned to The Episcopal Church's advantage by reassigning staff to areas of the country where the cost of living is lower, and perhaps leasing more floor space at its Manhattan headquarters, prime real estate near the United Nations.

Los Angeles Bishop J. Jon Bruno supported the regional satellite office concept. This will enable headquarters to extend its reach beyond Wall Street, he said during debate in the closing plenary on Sunday.

All of the Episcopal Church's 110 dioceses reported in 2006, "for the first time in probably 25 years."

END