From North Carolina-
An Episcopal priest who served in a local parish but has now found his ministry as a writer and church consultant in New York says it's time mainline denominations "break through the denial" and face declining attendance across the board.
This is no new song for Tom Ehrich. Even when he worked in Durham in a high-tech job, he was fearless in writing how churches and congregations were failing to respond to changes in society and culture. He was eager to share his notions about how congregations might energize and find new direction for ministry.
He sampled some local churches, including Durham's Watts Street Baptist where he stayed for a while and where he preached on occasion. But his creative spirit evidently kept calling, and a few years ago he moved to New York City and has since become a voice for church reformation.
I rediscovered Ehrich via the Presbyterian Outlook, a magazine that targets the Presbyterian Church USA, but does not get support from the denomination and is not an official publication of that church. In a recent column , he says we know why attendance at mainline denominations is dropping.
"We just don't want to see it."
Recently, his Weekly Report online had suggestions on "Turnaround strategies" for struggling churches. He says churches need to "Listen to the marketplace."
More here-
http://www.chapelhillnews.com/2011/03/30/63454/ehrich-churches-must-plug-in-to.html
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