I was the priest that led St. Stephen’s Church in Reno,
Nevada through a yearlong discernment process that led the vestry and congregation
to decide to close. St. Stephen’s
Reno was a grace-filled close.
There was no element of the death of a parish, but rather a true
celebration of life. My ministry with the people of St. Stephen’s was my most
exhilarating experience as a priest.
I had the privilege to witness the raw vulnerability, faith, grief,
courage and love of the people of St. Stephen’s. I had the privilege to see a
congregation discover life in new forms.
One of St. Stephen’s greatest successes as a total ministry
congregation was that their members were involved in many ministries throughout
Reno-Sparks, Nevada. Not a single
one of their ministries was dependent on having a church building! This alone is an extraordinary
accomplishment for any congregation. All of St. Stephen’s ministries continue
uninterrupted now two years later.
During the year of discernment with St. Stephen’s we all
felt that we were going through it alone. At the time we looked for resources
like checklists to make sure we were doing everything we could to make
responsible decisions. We had to
create everything ourselves including a statement of congregational dissolution
for the Standing Committee. There
were no examples available in the Canons of The Episcopal Church. Nor could we
find checklists on the manner in which to handle church furnishings and other
assets. We got through it, but it
was a challenge.
After St. Stephen’s closed I discovered that thirty
Episcopal parishes had closed that year. One parish church in Northern California closed the
same day that St. Stephen’s closed. Thirty Episcopal congregations had closed
each year for five years. I also
discovered that the number of parish closings were likely to double and
possibly even triple over the next five years.
In his state of the diocese address this year Bishop
Bennison in the Diocese of Pennsylvania said 60 of the 141 churches are soon to
become non-traditional parishes; that is, unable to sustain a traditional
ministry with a full-time priest, property and program. Bishop Bennison preached that, “having
fewer parish buildings will not diminish, our efforts to fulfill the Gospel,
but rather free us up for ministry.”
The Diocese of Pennsylvania is not alone.
My experience with St. Stephen’s gave me a heart for Episcopal
congregations in transition. I
particularly have a heart and empathy for the people in congregations that
often face these challenges alone with little support from the national church
or local dioceses. Don’t get me
wrong, there is a lot of good work being done by organizations like the
Episcopal Church Building Fund (ECBF) as they help at risk congregations recast
their building assets for congregational vitality and viability, but more
congregations are left to struggle alone.
If every congregation that could leverage ECBF called them they would
not have adequate people resources to match the huge congregational needs
across the country.
Today it is all too easy for the people and congregations to
fall off the radar in dioceses as they struggle alone. Among the St. Stephen’s members 95%
were shepherded to one of three area Episcopal churches due in large part to
the generous welcome of these area rectors and their vestries.
The part of the transformational change needed is through
neighboring congregations. In Reno-Sparks, Trinity, St. Paul’s and St.
Catherine’s churches are each moving away from the dominant Episcopal culture
where parishes compete against one another for members. The rectors of these three Episcopal
Churches collegially work together.
People freely attend worship in all three congregations from time to
time and participate in the fullness of the three parishes’ offerings and their
opportunities to gather.
I am writing a book for dioceses and at risk congregations
of The Episcopal Church because I want Episcopalians to know that they are not
alone and that there is abundant hope.
Review drafts will be ready in a few weeks in time for General
Convention. Later this summer I
will self-publish the first edition. The idea behind the book is to offer to
congregations at risk resources to help them become more vital and viable.
In the last few months I have learned so much about
congregational vitality and viability.
One of the things I have learned is that very few of our church’s
bishops, clergy or laypersons welcome open, transparent, engaged and passionate
conversations about viability.
There is much fear, shame and denial about at risk congregations. Who among us is not more pleased to
talk about life than death? It is far too easy for us to lean on our Episcopal
polity and let congregations make even unhealthy decisions. Yet as Christians
death brings the hope of resurrection and for at risk congregations the
possibility of new forms of life.
I am working to connect vitality to viability to help
congregations discover new life in Christ and reenergize their baptismal
ministries. In some cases
congregations’ only choice will be to close, but I hope that when and if they
do that they will close in the transparent and grace-filled ways that St. St.
Stephen’s closed. St. Stephen’s
closing led to new life for all.
Today in the second reading we heard, “We have a building
from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens.” This house referred to in the second reading
is the Church. The church is the
people of God. The church is where
two or three are gathered. All of
us have come to more often associate church with place, such as with this
beautiful building overlooking Lake Tahoe.
Looking back over the history of Christ’s public ministry,
the church was mobile and fluid.
The church was dispersed and moved from place to place. So the second reading reminds us to
hold our treasure of Episcopal Church buildings more lightly so that our energy
and passion is directed to the eternal church that is always vital and viable
due to Christ’s gift to us. We are
Christ’s own forever. We are not beloved on a conditional basis while we are
members of a vital and viable local church.
Many Episcopal congregations throughout the nation are
discovering their identity as a dispersed church. Even here in the Diocese of Nevada two congregations meet in
other than their own church buildings.
In both these cases these congregations want their own church
building. In other dioceses
throughout the country, some congregations that meet in alternate space have
absolutely no desire for their own building. These congregations celebrate the privilege of using their
pledge resources exclusively for mission.
In the Gospel we heard, “If a house is divided against
itself, that house will not be able to stand.” In the research I have conducted
for the book I am writing I have learned the primary cause for congregations in
decline. The primary cause is not
what you might think. It is not
the cause I would have first named.
Of course there are old buildings to maintain. Some parishes are in decline due to declining pledges not
matching operating costs. Other
parishes where fewer people come to church cause it to be in decline.
These are all reasons that contribute to churches in
decline, but the primary reason is unresolved conflict in congregations. Grudges held against one another that
are never addressed in ways that lead to deep reconciliation. Unresolved conflict is the most
difficult challenge any congregation faces and often congregations refuse to do
the work. The cost is high, as
when conflict is not openly addressed, congregations inevitably close.
We also heard in the Gospel, "Who are my mother and my
brothers?" Jesus said, "Here are my mother and my brothers! Whoever
does the will of God is my brother and sister and mother."
These Gospel words invite us to reflect on our identity as
an Episcopal congregation before God.
As we reflect on what it means to be the church, the Gospel reminds us
to place our focus on the mission of God.
Our primary work is to focus on doing the will of God, the ministries of
God. Remember the words of Micah –
Do justice, love mercy and walk humbly with your God. The Good News today is that we the people of God are freed
to be church through our lives of Micah-like ministries.
By freed I mean that there are no liens or prerequisites for
being or doing church. Last week
at Yale Divinity School there was a meeting to share some new congregational
findings about parishes throughout The Episcopal Church. The researchers found that the vitality
of Episcopal congregations is directly related to the spiritual maturity of its
individual members.
Spiritual maturity begins with a prayer life
and participation in the liturgy of the church, but there is more. Spiritual maturity is the way we encounter conflict and passionately pursue reconciliation.
Spiritual maturity is the way we do church and live out our baptismal promises.
This morning around the nation some Episcopalians are doing church in gem churches such as this one and others are in very nontraditional spaces. Where we gather really is far less important than what we do between the Sundays we meet. We are all held together through our faith, baptism, common worship and commitment to be ministers in the world through our day-to-day lives.
In this way today’s readings return all the congregations of The Episcopal Church’s focus to the fundamentals of being church. These readings bring welcomed humility and grace to free up Episcopal congregations for the work of God increasingly unburdened by the temporal responsibilities of keeping the lights on.
The Episcopal Church is alive!
We need only find our way from anxiously doing all to keep the lights on to passionately serve as ministers of Word and sacrament in our communities every day.
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