Bishop Is Focused on Reversing BCA’s Membership Fall

Other Priorities Include Ongoing Shortage of Ministers, Reaching Dharma Forward’s Goal

The BCA Office of the Bishop is prioritizing its membership decline and initiating several programs aimed at growing churches, temples and Sanghas “so that there is another 125 years of BCA history and Jodo Shinshu in this country.”

In his Bishop’s report at the National Board Meeting on June 7, Bishop Rev. Marvin Harada detailed the ways the office is taking the lead on efforts to increase membership.

“Effective websites, Buddhist education programs, marketing our BCA and local temples better and initiating meditation or other new programs are all ways to begin to grow our temples,” he stated.

And Rev. Harada emphasized: “The main point is for each of our local churches and temples to begin to initiate something that might add to the growth of their membership.”

Rev. Harada singled out two other major concerns — the ongoing shortage of ministers and the conclusion of the BCA’s Dharma Forward campaign at the end of the year.

He said the BCA will continue to have a shortage of ministers “for a few more years,” but noted that the current situation isn’t as dire and alarming as it was during the pandemic — when all ministerial training and certification was suspended for a few years by the Hongwanji-ha in Kyoto.

“We do have ministers in the pipeline,” he said, adding that several individuals have received Kyoshi certification this year. Some, he said, will begin to serve later this year and another individual will hopefully serve next year.

In addition, he said the BCA has five ministerial candidates who will be receiving Tokudo training in October. Of the five, two have aspirations to serve as Kaikyoshi ministers “and one might be a volunteer or part-time minister someday,” he said. 

“So, we will eventually begin to fill the void of our shortage of ministers and hopefully will be able to keep up with the rate of ministers retiring,” he said. “But we are going to have to make do for another few years.”

Rev. Harada also mentioned the Dharma Forward campaign, which, to date, has reached approximately 85% of its goal of $15 million. 

“We’re almost there, but it’s going to take all of us, all of you leaders to pass the word on at the local and district level for us to complete this last 15 percent,” he said. 

“It (the Dharma Forward campaign) will be to the benefit to all the BCA and all of our temples and new programs like the Task Force on Buddhism and Spiritual, Psychological Well-Being,” Rev. Harada said.

The new task force is chaired by Gregg Krech of the Todo Institute in Vermont.

“We want to connect Buddhism to mental health issues and to create programs at the local, district and national level,” he said. 

Rev. Harada also pointed out the accomplishments of another new BCA committee — the BCA Film and Video Committee — chaired by Glen Tao. 

The committee has completed a number of projects that include: creating several videos for the 125th anniversary; a video of all the BCA churches and temples; and a video of the message of Rev. Yoshiki Sonoda, the great-grandson of the first BCA minister, Rev. Shuye Sonoda, in Japanese with English subtitles.