For your perusal....
In the Blue Book of General Convention 2003, inside the report of the Liturgy & Music Commission (page 211 - link requires Adobe Acrobat Reader) there is printed the result of a congregational survey done over the last 2 years.
The findings are not surprising but are interesting.
Here are some of them.
•Most Episcopal Churches are small congregations.
•Most do not have Morning or Evening Prayer as public services.
•Most have two Eucharists on Sunday, one without music and one with music.
•Rite II (modern language) is most generally used for both Eucharists.
•Services usually last one hour with 10 mins or so of preaching.
•Use of the 1979 prayer book is virtually universal, supplemented by "Enriching our Worship" in some places
•Use of 1982 Hymnal is virtually universal and the organ primary instrument to make music
•Generally people stand for the opening rite, kneel for most of the Eucharistic Prayer and stand for the dismissal.
•Prayers are almost always "Prayers of the People" from 1979 prayer book.
•Most clergy wear eucharistic vestments and celebrate facing the people.
•Lay people take part in planning and conducting the Eucharist.
•Most people dress casually or semi-casually for worship services.
•The passing of the peace is almost universal as a major part of the services.
This means that those who still have Morning Prayer (with sermon) as a major service, who use Rite I [traditional language rites] of the 1979 book or who use the 1928 BCP for MP or Holy C., who use the 1940 Hymnal, and where the priest faces East for the Eucharistic Prayer are in a minority.
It also means that those who are way out to the left using experimental liturgies dominated by inclusive language are also in a minority - though vocal.
The majority of ECUSA congregations have popular eucharistic worship using the 1970s rites of the 1979 prayer book and with minimal time given to biblical exposition in preaching. This means that they are open to the absorption of modern ideas of God, salvation and sexuality because of the nature and content of these services with their openness to human rights, self-expansion and realisation.
From an evangelical, reformed catholic, biblical standpoint, it is very difficult to see how genuine revival can begin in majority of churches of the ECUSA since there is little or no sure foundation being provided in the average type of worship that comes with a popular type of modern celebratory eucharist, where there is little or no emphasis upon human sin before God and on the holiness and majesty of the Father Almighty.
The Rev'd Dr. Peter Toon M.A., D.Phil. (Oxon.)
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