Preface
to the Year 2000
Yearbook of American and Canadian Churches
by
The Rev. Dr. Eileen W. Lindner, Editor
The
Year 2000 Yearbook of American and Canadian Churches, like its predecessors,
is the result of the labors
of hundreds of individuals who gather, review and transmit data of all types
to our offices. From statistical data related to benevolence giving and church
membership to corrected copy for directories and the chapter on the Electronic
Church, the Yearbook would not be possible without them.
Among them, Sylvia and John Ronsvalle of the empty tomb, inc. once again gave generously of their time and considerable knowledge as we secured and analyzed giving trends. Nancy Merrill of the
Association of Theological Schools; Mark Duffey, Episcopal Church Archivist; Will Krieger of Ecumenical Books in San Antonio, Texas, and Ric Justice of Wylie, Texas, have each contributed to specific sections of the Yearbook and deserve the thanks of both ourselves and our readers.
Features
of the 2000 Yearbook
| At
the dawn of a new millennium we have chosen to focus on the growing religious
pluralism in North America. Few persons today offer keener insight into
the challenges and potential implicit in such growing pluralism as does
Professor Diana L. Eck of Harvard University. Her guest editorial provides
the backdrop for several treatments of this year’s theme. |
| Owing
both to a generous re-development grant awarded to the Yearbook
by the Lilly Endowment and to an advance in computer technology, this
edition of the Yearbook has returned to the use of graphics to
interpret the demographic patterns of seminary enrollments. |
| The
maps printed inside the front and back covers are drawn from The New
Historical Atlas of Religion in America by Edwin Scott Gaustad and
Philip L. Barlow, soon to be published by Oxford Press. These illustrations
graphically demonstrate the growing religious pluralism of the United
States. |
| The
2000 Yearbook includes an annotated listing of contacts for non-Christian
religious groups within the United States in keeping with our theme of
religious pluralism. These much sought after contacts will be updated
regularly and published within our religious research sources section
in subsequent years. |
| The Lilly grant has also enabled the expansion of the "Sources of Religion Related Research" section, which is of high utility to scholars and religious newswriters alike. |
At millennium’s close it is not only a shift in religious pluralism that can be observed. The very processes for preparing a manuscript and the extent of the data reported in this Yearbook are appreciably altered by the technological resources now available to us and to the church agencies from which we collect data. Furthermore, in the months to come we plan to enlarge the Web site and move toward the production of an electronic as well as a hardcopy addition of the Yearbook.
To our many colleagues who share with us data and updated information we extend our thanks. To our readers we pledge our continued diligence in providing the most accurate, timely and broadest possible data available at the date of publication.
Eileen W. Lindner, Editor
The Yearbook's Editor, Eileen W. Lindner, Ph.D. is an American church historian and Presbyterian pastor.
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