Covid 19 and Episcopal 21: A Survey of the Lasting Effects of Covid on the Episcopal Church

TryTank Experimental Lab, a joint project of Virginia Theological Seminary in Alexandria, VA, and the General Theological Seminary in New York, in collaboration with York St. John University in York, England, launched a survey on June 4, 2021, to study the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the Episcopal Church.

We at the FaithX Project are pleased to have been chosen to provide data analysis and opportunity assessment and recommendations for this project.

The survey is seeking to understand how clergy and churchgoers of the Episcopal Church in the United States have coped with the COVID-19 pandemic and to solicit their opinions about how this may affect the Church’s future. The survey can be found online at www.EpiscopalPulse.org.

“There is no doubt that we have all been affected by COVID-19 and this includes the church,” said the Rev. Lorenzo Lebrija, director of the TryTank. “The question then becomes: how deep and where is the impact most felt. And are there opportunities there as well?”

York St. John University already carried out a similar survey in the midst of the pandemic in England and is now gathering and analyzing the results to measure the lasting impact there. The U.S. results will also allow for a comparison of the two sides of the Atlantic.

The survey will continue until the fall. The results are expected to be released later in the year. 

TryTank Experimental Laboratory for Church Growth and Innovation is a joint project between Virginia Theological Seminary and the General Theological Seminary. TryTank offers inventive approaches to the challenges facing the Episcopal Church. Working in partnership across the Episcopal Church, TryTank works to understand the forces threatening the church in order to identify creative ways to equip future leaders to reinvigorate the church. FaithX focuses on ways to turn those threats into opportunities.