Diocese of Dallas settles amicably with departing parishes
News Analysis
By David W. Virtue
www.virtueonline.org
4/21/2009
In the tangled litigious world of Episcopal Church politics where millions of dollars are being spent on attorneys to retain properties, few bishops have resisted the siren call of ecclesiastical conformity thrust on them by the denizens of 815 2nd Ave., NY to consciously sue parishes and depose priests that choose to flee their imperial clutches.
One bishop who has bucked the trend and successfully allowed parishes to separate from his diocese and "disaffiliate" from the national church without litigation is Central Florida Bishop John W. Howe. Seven rectors, two church planters, and nine senior wardens have departed without a single dollar spent on legal fees. By any definition it has been a major ecclesiastical achievement.
No other bishop in the Episcopal Church has successfully navigated as many departures from The Episcopal Church without litigation. That is not to say, however, that there have not been bumps along the road to separation. But at no time was Howe threatened by Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori nor did he have any discussions about the separations with her chancellor David Booth Beers. "I kept Jefferts Schori apprised and asked her prayers which I believe she offered," Howe told VOL. "We got nothing but encouragement, prayer, and support from her," he told VOL. Furthermore, no one saw the inside of a courtroom and the diocese was mercifully spared dipping into its Trust Funds or asking the national church for money to sue for properties.
Howe, an evangelical bishop, a rare life form in the House of Bishops, is both proud and saddened by his achievement. He is proud that with little rancor parishes have been let go to love and serve the Lord in other Anglican jurisdictions. He is saddened that they have left a diocese that shares his theology and understanding of mission and that, as a result, it has weakened the orthodox witness in The Episcopal Church.
He acknowledges the congregations who left were behind their leaders in their respective decisions, but he has not fought, threatened or cajoled them into staying.
"I share the evangelical outlook of those who have departed. We are all on the same page. This is what is truly sad. The tragedy is that the morals and theology of The Episcopal Church have caused the schism. Apart from the election of Bishop Gene Robinson, I doubt we would be in the mess we are in today."
Howe concedes that his life has been completely consumed by it all and it has left him with a few sleepless nights. "It has taken hundreds of hours of attention by our Chancellors, Butch Wooten and Bill Grimm. There have been extra meetings of the Diocesan Board and Standing Committee, our staff has been pushed to the limit."
Howe's desire throughout it all is to behave as a Christian bishop should - to be pastoral to both those leaving without recrimination and those who desire to stay.
"Our desire and commitment at all times has been to deal with this in as Christlike a manner as possible, and if possible to avoid litigation and any kind of recrimination. I am very pleased to be able to report that we '"signed off'" on agreements with eight of the nine congregations whose clergy came to see us beginning last October," he told VOL.
Howe offers vignettes of the parishes that have left and what transpired between them.
"At St. Anne's, Crystal River, the Rector, Kevin Holsapple, had a complete change of heart. He told me he could not go through with this, even if it cost him his job. I told him I would do everything I could to ensure it would not. His announcement was greeted with great appreciation by most of the congregation, many of whom had not embraced the plan to "disaffiliate" in the first place.
"At St. Edward's, Mount Dora, the Rector, Woody Volland, and a portion of the congregation left as of December 31, 2007. The former Rector, Bob Maurais, who retired in 1996, is back in place as Interim Rector. Some parishioners, who had left in recent months, have begun coming back. "I am happy to report that St. Edward's is making steady progress since its second split in thirty years. From a sad and discouraged remnant following the departure of half of the congregation in December 2007, we have grown in attendance and income through a welcoming spirit to visitors and newcomers each week. We still have a long way to go, but we are gradually returning to normal."
"In Gloria Dei, Cocoa, the congregation was virtually unanimous in wanting to become an independent community church, and the Diocesan Board agreed to rent the facilities to them for the next three years. We will need to reevaluate that at that point. When I met with the Rector, Paul Young, and the Vestry, they said they had lost a lot of their members, and they hoped that in becoming independent some of them might return.
"At Holy Cross, Winter Haven, the Rector, Andy Doan, and a portion of the congregation left after services on January 6, 2008. Fr. John Wright, a retired clergyman from Maryland who has worshipped at Holy Cross this past year, became Interim Rector. Holy Cross later rebounded from the loss of 60% of its members and 40% of its revenues to become healthy enough to call a new Rector, Fr. Richard Bordin, former Assistant at Church of the Messiah in Winter Garden.
"At Good Shepherd, Maitland, the Rector, John Nyhan, and a portion of the congregation left. They elected a vestry, wardens and other officers. Fr. Robbie Robison, Interim Rector later wrote, "As I reflect on Good Shepherd's progress during the past year...I am amazed at how relatively 'normal' it is. Following the divisions early in the year, we have, with tremendous encouragement from too many people to name, completed 2008 with increased attendance, a small budget surplus, and the confidence that the 125 year history of Good Shepherd is continuing."
"Grace Church, Ocala, hosts and sponsors a school by the same name. The school has been expanding and was recently given a fifty-acre plot of land three miles away. The plan is for the school to become independent but still Christian. The Rector, Don Curran, and a portion of the congregation left and built a new community church on the school property. The Assistant Rector, Jonathan French, became Interim Rector. Curran was President of the Standing Committee. I will personally miss him."
Fr. French later noted that the "difficult divorce" saw average Sunday attendance at Grace Church drop from about 450 to 114, and its budget shrink from one million dollars to just under three hundred thousand. "As serious as those numbers are, they are actually much healthier than we expected as more people stayed than was anticipated and are now giving at a level well above the national average."
Howe said the diocese had two "Church Plants" that began just last year: St. Philips, Lake Nona, and St. Nicholas, Poinciana. Neither of them had grown to the stage of becoming "Organized Missions," so, technically neither of them was actually "affiliated" with the Diocese. The "Church Planters," Paul Jagoe and Geoff Boland, and the members of those two congregations left the diocese. St. Philips gave the Diocese a $10,000 "tithe" of their start-up money, and St. Nicholas plans to return the $25,000 given by the Diocese during 2007.
The most disturbing departure was that of the Rev. Lorne Coyle at Trinity, Vero Beach, one of the dioceses largest congregations, and one that has a magnificent physical plant, with a new state-of-the-art new main church building completed within the past couple of years. Soon after Coyle, all his staff, and a large portion of the congregation chose to "disaffiliate", allegations of sexual infidelity erupted and Coyle, now a member of the Anglican Province of Uganda, resigned. His new bishop the Rt. Rev John Guernsey immediately suspended Coyle.
"He's a friend. He remains a friend and I am very sorry for what happened. We are praying for him and his wife," Howe told VOL.
At Howe's invitation, Dean Rick Lobs, retired from the Cathedral in Orlando, and agreed to serve as Interim Rector at Trinity, Vero. He writes that Trinity was "reborn on July 1, 2008. At the time of that beginning, Trinity consisted of a handful of worshippers and a choir of one imported singer. Over the last five months, Trinity has blossomed into a visible witness to the grace of God. The worshipping congregation now averages 250, and the choir is well stocked with folks singing their hearts out to the glory of God. "We have a children's ministry and significant outreach. The greatest challenge remains the financial requirements and concern for a campus that is far too large for us.... the bottom line? Trinity is alive, growing, and that with contented parishioners who labor under extraordinary financial pressures."
Reflecting on the situation, Howe said there are those who simply have to leave The Episcopal Church for conscience sake. "I understand that. I don't agree, but I don't believe we should punish them. We shouldn't sue them. We shouldn't depose the clergy. Our brokenness is a tragedy. The litigation that is going on in so many places is a travesty."
Howe told VOL that he wanted to be fair-minded and generous than any policy that could possibly be established. "I have proven that."
In the midst of it all, Corpus Christi, (the Body of Christ), the diocese's newest congregation was born. "We are going to continue to grow, evangelize, disciple, and plant churches."
On his own future, Howe is dogmatic that he will stay in TEC, but there is a note of reticence and hesitation as he watches while whole dioceses disappear and tens of thousands of Episcopalians walk away from churches that many of them grew up in. "I am no happier than those who are departing about some of the recent decisions of The Episcopal Church. But I am committed to staying the course for as long as it is possible to remain both an Episcopalian and an Anglican. And the Archbishop of Canterbury has given me, personally, and all the world, those assurances."
"He has said that any Diocese compliant with Windsor Report and the requests made by the Primates of the Anglican Communion remains clearly in communion with Canterbury and the mainstream of the Communion, whatever may be the longer-term result for others in The Episcopal Church."
In his Advent Letter, Howe reiterated his commitment to developing an "Anglican Covenant" that will further spell out what it means for a Province or a Diocese to continue in full constituent membership in the Communion. But there is a note of uncertainty and doubt even as he looks to the future. "I don't honestly know whether that will be enough to hold the Communion together, but I believe that is the only possible hope we have of doing so."
Howe recently attended a meeting put on by the Anglican Communion Institute in Houston where he heard former Archbishop George Carey say that TEC would likely "clean out" conservatives, and that ordaining Gene Robinson, against the strong advice of the Archbishop of Canterbury, the moral authority of Lambeth '98, the appeals of the primates' meeting, led the Anglican Communion into the worst crisis it has ever faced, and from which it is unlikely to recover.
How does Howe feel about Carey's words? "If there are those who want to throw us out, they may have their way, but until that happens I am committed to being a witness to the power and joy of the Lord who has moved so mightily in Anglican history."
Looking over the last two years, Howe said, "In all of these situations I am very pleased we have been able to avoid litigation or acrimony. We are very conscious of the fact that we remain brothers and sisters in Christ with those who have felt the need to leave The Episcopal Church. This is a sad time, in many ways, as we part company with folks with whom we have worked and worshipped. But we bid them Godspeed, and I would like to ask all of us to think of this as a time of new beginnings rather than endings."
As the present and future unfolds, Howe had this to say, "We are a stronger Diocese than we have ever been in the twenty years of my episcopacy. We mourn the losses of those who have left, but we are committed to taking Central Florida for Christ."
*****
THE Diocese of Dallas, an orthodox diocese under the Rt. Rev. James Stanton, has also experienced a number of departures but has weathered the storms of separation, according to The Rev. Canon Dr. Neal O. Michell, Canon to the Ordinary.
"The Diocese of Dallas has a Canon that governs the process by which churches can leave the diocese with their property (Canon 20). The canon calls for a vote of 2/3's of the congregation before separation is considered," he told VOL.
Michell gave a rundown of the churches that have requested to leave under this canon:
Christ Church, Plano. This was the largest parish in The Episcopal Church and a huge loss for both the diocese and TEC. They paid the diocese $1 million for the property, a pittance by an any standard.
St. Matthias, Dallas left with its property.
Faith, Allen - left without its property. An agreement was drawn up over the division of proceeds if the property is sold within five years.
Holy Trinity, Garland - left without its property. There was a division of funds.
At Resurrection in Dallas, the church left without its property. There was a division of funds.
One other church, St. Francis, Dallas, had been under an agreement that allowed Bishop Jack Iker of Ft. Worth to provide oversight to that congregation. However when that diocese left TEC, they requested an end to that agreement and voted to leave the diocese. They have entered into an agreement that allows them to pay rent in the amount of half their previous diocese assessment. They did not invoke Canon 20, as an agreement was worked out amicably, said Michell.
Two clergy--the rectors of St. Nick's, Flower Mound, and St. Luke's, Dallas-- left the Episcopal Church with a number of parishioners departing at the same time. Neither of these congregations invoked Canon 20. "There was no civil litigation in any of these cases."
Michell acknowledged that of the five churches that have left: Christ Church, Plano; St. Matthias, Dallas; Faith, Allen; Holy Trinity, Garland; and Resurrection, Dallas, all are continuing congregations. Several have different names.
According to independent eye witness reports, none of them has the average Sunday attendance that they had at the point of their departure; that is, all have decreased in attendance.
Michell noted that those who complained that being in The Episcopal Church impeded their evangelism efforts have not realized the growth they were expecting.
"It has been the bishop's policy that these clergy and their congregations departed as friends and with God's blessing. I think it is fair to say that this has been true in all but one instance."
END
FOOTNOTE: Dioceses run by liberal and revisionist bishops including Florida, Colorado, Virginia, Missouri, San Joaquin, Pittsburgh, Quincy, Ft. Worth, Los Angeles, Northern California, San Diego, Pennsylvania, Massachusetts and Connecticut have spent millions of dollars litigating against orthodox parishes and their priests.
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