A Look At One Episcopal Parish in East Tennessee

from Stand Firm by Sarah

Some months ago I came across this report from a parish in East Tennessee -- a "Programs Task Force Report" from early 2011. After I perused it, and checked out the [declining] ASA from its church stats, I decided to find out more about what sort of theology the two clergy hold.

Before I get into that, lets look at a few quotes from the report, which acknowledges "a steady decline in attendance over the past 18 months" and "Overall, our participation numbers in children’s choirs has dropped dramatically since 2008, although a slight recovery appears to be underway." I have to wonder if any of the report readers recognize the correlation between program and attendance/involvement. I won't point out those correlations -- I'll just let you view them and hopefully comment.

Let me say, as an aside, that this parish is not unique at all within TEC. All over the US, Episcopal parishes are trying to figure out what on earth is going wrong. Parishes are declining in droves -- and many of them are in death spirals. As I shared with someone recently [edited slightly]:

"I personally believe that TEC will continue to decline rapidly, and most of the "hinterland" parishes will die. That is certainly what is happening within my diocese. We'll end up with some parishes in Greenville, Columbia, Aiken, one in Rock Hill [which is dying] and a couple in Spartanburg -- and that will be it. Our "natural size" now in our diocese is around 12 functional/healthy parishes, with the rest on life support until the older generations die out. And I think that's the level that dioceses of that size will eventually decline to over the next 10-20 years."

Let me also say that I give kudos to any organization trying to be honest about problems and finding solutions, which this parish is obviously trying to do. Plenty of organizations -- not simply religious ones in TEC -- attempt to hide the problems and won't address them, shouting down any "divisive naysayers" in the process.

Those two points being made, here is a part of the report's summary:

The identified challenges are: too few leaders and volunteers to coordinate and implement these programs; burnout by program leaders because there is no one being cultivated and trained to succeed them; no systematic process to identify and plug in volunteers to programs of interest; a lack of enthusiasm among parishioners to step up and get involved; a drop in Sunday morning attendance and pledges to operate the church; Vestry liaisons who see their role as writing reports for monthly meetings but lack the people-power (i.e. committed volunteers) and financial resources to fully implement and fund their respective programs, and finally, clergy and staff who see themselves trying to balance spinning plates in the air rather than being able to use their strengths to undergird and build the spirit- filled community of St. Timothy's.

Here's a look at the Youth Sunday School program -- this is in a parish of around 270 ASA in 2009 [its lowest in a decade].

Youth Sunday School-
Who does the program serve and how many?
The program serves youth from 6th grade through 12th grade. The average attendance for this group is about 12. Within the course of a month, there are 20-25 different youth that will participate in one or more Sunday’s class.
How is the program structured?
The class utilizes a curriculum plan that is planned at the beginning of each Christian Education year. The leaders use a multi-media approach to discuss movies, television shows, music, current events, and other sources of media and then contextualizes the subject into a Christian and Biblical worldview. The goal is to teach the youth to look for the Holy in the world around them. To look for traces of God’s hand in their life and in their world.
What could be improved upon?
Attendance is one area that could be improved. While there is usually enough to have a discussion, the community of young people that is being built at St. Timothy’s could benefit greatly from the discussion in this group. Attempts have been made to change the format and discussion topics to be more attractive to the young people, with little impact on increasing attendance. This is an area that we are especially interested in additional suggestions and assistance.

Here is a look at the Adult Formation program -- recall this example of a sterling summer program from a parish down in Florida if you need a sample of excellence with which to compare:

Adult Christian Formation
Over the past year, a new emphasis has been placed on the Adult Christian Formation program. This is result of the long range planning sessions that took place in 2009 and which called for more opportunities for adults to participate in education programs. Based on those recommendations, and after consultation with the clergy, vestry, and other parish leaders, we initiated a formal Christian Formation program in mid-2010.

The Adult Christian Formation has three main objectives: 1. to provide opportunities for parishioners to enrich their spiritual and religious experience; 2. to provide opportunities for more community building in small group settings; and ( 3. to help increase attendance at Sunday church services, especially the 9 a.m. and 11:00 services.

The program is structured in three parts: 1. Standard weekly Sunday School classes that offer a choice of settings, topics and atmospheres 2. Occasional parish-wide lecture/discussion programs, and 3. Interspersed Sunday School classes to meet special needs, such as classes for newcomers.

To those ends, we now offer the following classes:
9 AM World Religions Class -- This class is designed for those who attend the 8 a.m. service. It mostly features video programs on the major world religions followed by a discussion period. This class has been highly popular and averages about 8 to 10 per week.

Koinonia -- This class is open for all adults, but is mainly designed for younger adults (in their 30s and 40s). It meets in the Parish Hall and is designed with an open "coffee and conversation" format, usually to discuss current topics facing our church, our community, and our shared lives as Episcopalians. The class also has a "social" aspect to it and extends to weekend and special activities in an effort to create a special "community within a community" for the younger adult parishioners. Attendance has been small and sporadic.

Adult Sunday Class -- Informally called the "Do the Right Thing" class, this group provides a forum for discussions on a variety of topics designed to stimulate Christian growth and community learning. For this year, the classes have ranged from the popular "Finding Our Way from Mayberry" series to classes on Christian ethics in today's world, to discussions of the role of science in our religious beliefs. It is averaging 6 to 8 persons per week.

Video Series -- This is a relatively small group that is studying the video series on the Islamic faith. Previously, the group viewed a lengthy video series on religious archeology and in the future it will include other video series. It averages 5 -6 persons per week.

In addition to these regular classes, special classes have been held by the clergy:
Inquirers' Class -- This is designed for persons desiring to be baptized/confirmed into the Episcopal faith, or for those wanting a "refresher course" on the Episcopal faith.

Gifts and Talents -- This is an occasional class that helps parishioners identify their personal talents that they can use in their volunteer lives for the church and the community.

Finally, the parish-wide gatherings -- On a few occasions throughout the year, we provide special speakers/lecturers and gather all classes in the parish hall. For 2010-11, we have had or will have sessions on Church History, the Worldwide Anglican Communion, the New Orleans Mission program, and an "Founders Roundtable." Because of scheduling difficulties as well as budgetary constraints, we have had to scale back the guest lecture series.

Issues and Opportunities -- We realized that this would be a slow-growing project and its success must be measured over the next three to five years, rather in a short period. Attendance has not been great, mainly because this is something that has never been stressed by the Church and is new to most parishioners. Koinonia especially is a concern, and we need to work harder to get better weekly attendance there.

A chart in the report reveals that stewardship numbers are down as well -- in 2008, pledges were at $742,507, and in 2010 at $690,693. The report attributes at least some of that to the condition of the economy -- and I can see that. But coupled with "the steady decline in attendance" I don't think the economy is even half the story.

So what is the theology of the two clergy on staff? The easiest way to figure that out is to simply breeze back through their sermons from The Date that forced clergy to lean one way or the other on the Gospel. You all know which date that was.

Let's take the sermons for the month of August 2003, in order of occurrence.

Here's the sermon from the associate rector on August 3 -- and here's the key quote:

During this past week, the Episcopal Church has been on the CNN headlines because of the deliberations that are being held at General Convention. And you will hear more this week as the media picks up the pace. As in most CNN stories, there is an intentional hype that drives the story, or their ratings would fall. Keep in mind that they are covering the convention only to report on the most controversial issues that titillate the audience. They are ignoring the spiritual faithfulness of the deputies who are gathering everyday in a covenant of unity. CNN is fanning the flames of fear.

There are many in the Episcopal Church who are already fearful that the Church will shatter, be rent asunder by decisions surrounding issues concerning the sexual orientation of its members. But the Church -- created before time in the mind of God, built upon the Word of God -- cannot be destroyed by us. It’s been attempted before – witness the first century persecutions and martyrs, the Crusades, the Inquisition, the Reformation with all its splintered denominations. The Church has always lived in between the tensions and paradoxes of the world – in the world, faithfully struggling to know the mind of God.

And God has always provided for the Church, just as God provided for the Israelites and the 5000 – with abundance, more than they wanted, beyond their expectations. With grace-filled love God has given us what we have needed as the Body of Christ in the world. God only asks that we believe enough to keep following Christ and proclaiming his Good News of love -- that no matter what happens in the next few weeks, we trust in God’s hope for us. That we gather in unity of love, seeking God’s truth together on our journey of faith in this Body of Christ – the Church, which is God’s gracious gift to us, and who are we to refuse this gift?

Note the subtle conflation of one organization -- a Protestant Episcopal denomination founded in the 1700s -- with "the Church" and the proclamation that "the Church . . . cannot be destroyed by us."

Note the breezy dismissal of the idea that the denomination "will shatter, be rent asunder by decisions surrounding issues concerning the sexual orientation of its members." In fact, there is nothing so true about the past eight years than that, yes, The Episcopal Church shattered and was indeed rent assunder by the actions of the General Convention of 2003.

Note too that she equates the concern that many had over the public, formal, official, national, legal acts of a church body choosing to violate Holy Scripture, tradition, and reason, with "fear."

So what happens next Sunday? Here's the rector's sermon from August 10, 2003:

The debates that took place at General Convention are now over up there; however, the ramifications of the debates of General Convention are continuing on the congregational level everywhere – including down here. Congregations just like ours all over the United States are challenged with their own feelings about human sexuality, primarily homosexuality. Personally, I believe that General Convention has given us a great gift. We can now talk with one another in the manner that Episcopalians do converse. That means that we can talk with one another with grace and respect. We can give one another time to figure things out for ourselves. That is Episcopalian ethos - we do not force uniformity; we encourage diversity. Diversity, however, is hard work and takes more time than uniformity. . . .

Today’s text from Deuteronomy is about wandering. We are now in a similar place as a denomination. We, like the Israelites, are in a time of wandering. Wandering is difficult, but it is a good thing. Wandering means that we have to move out of our familiar and comfortable place. Wandering means that we have to live in a type of holy tension as people who do not all believe the same thing but who have committed to staying together as we wander. This kind of wandering is part and parcel of the beauty of the Episcopal Church. It is part and parcel of what is right with the Episcopal Church.

I am a priest within the Episcopal Church. As a priest within the church I love and serve, I believe in the mind of the Church that was reflected in the vote regarding Canon Gene Robinson. I believe that the Holy Spirit has informed the mind of the Church through this process. Every once in a great while, we see the prophetic enter into a set process and lead us to wander into new territory. That is what happened at General Convention. The mind of the Church is for full inclusion in all orders of ministry from lay persons to bishops.

Note the cheery approval of the actions of the Convention. Note, too, the incredible declaration that wandering in the desert is a great thing -- despite the fact that the Israelites wandering in the desert was a judgement by God for their disobedience!

You can hardly caricature his sermon better than by simply using his actual words. He closes by enjoining his flock to wander together.

The sermon from August 17 by the associate rector strikes a rather more ominous tone. Rather than breezy dismissals of concerns, or cheery approval, we have a sermon about the horrors of "division."

Indeed, the Church became divided over these issues. And ironically, this division is totally counter to the intent of Holy Eucharist. In maintaining contentious division over issues, the Church denies God’s invitation to the mystery of this gift of God for the People of God.

The sacrament of Holy Eucharist is a sign of our union with God in Christ, but it is also the means by which God unites us. “Take this in remembrance that Christ died for you.” Yes, the “you” is each one of us individually, but more than that, the “you” is the Church. All of us together -- in communion -- with all the challenges of our diversity, all the issues that are poised and threaten to divide us. We are invited to come together in Eucharist (which means “thanksgiving”) to celebrate the gift of Jesus Christ which unites us as he abides in us and we in him.

We can’t know if the decisions we make as Church are right or wrong, even when they are made in prayerful discernment. We can, however, know God’s will – that is, to stay together as we journey through the effects of these decisions, all of us held in God’s hands. God wants us to accept the invitation to communion with him and each other. For it is in the mystery of eating bread and wine together, Jesus body and blood, that we are following God’s will. There, something new happens to us. We are transformed by the mystery of the sacrament. And it is just possible that the only way we might discover the mystery of the Eucharist, is by staying when all our instincts and common sense tell us to divide and leave.

Note that there is a lot less smug assurance, and a lot more chatter about the evils of "maintaining contentious division over issues." Because you know -- when revisionists win on their pet issues, folks not wanting to stick around are "maintaining contentious division over issues." But when revisionists constantly pursue their pet issues -- that's not "maintaining contentious division over issues." So all those who believe that pursuing another gospel from the Gospel is a bad idea should stay anyway, "when all our instincts and common sense tell us to divide and leave."

In the sermon for August 23, the rector hauls out the full court press. Clearly alarm bells have been ringing since his cheery joy of August 3.

This is an interesting time to be an Episcopalian. This is an exciting time to be an Episcopalian. This is a hard time to be an Episcopalian. If we look at today’s gospel text, a similar thing is going on. Many people have been following Jesus and things are going along fairly easy. Then Jesus begins that long discourse that we have been reading over the last three weeks about eating his flesh and drinking his blood – obvious Eucharistic references. Some of his followers express, This teaching is difficult; who can accept it? They begin to realize that following Jesus would not always be easy. If would, from time to time, be difficult. They were having a hard time accepting that. Does this have a familiar ring to it? I’m so glad that people in the Bible struggled with their faith as we are currently struggling with ours.

I know that many of you are hurting right now. I know that there are some of you who are asking the words that Peter asked of Jesus, Lord, to whom can we go? I ask you to hang in there with the Episcopal Church. In other words, don’t go. Stay. Even if you do not agree with the decisions of General Convention, don’t go. Stay. I believe the struggle to stay will be worth it.

We Episcopalians may not be used to seeing our church on the television and in the newspaper, but we are a Christian people who are used to working through our differences with dignity, grace, and respect. We will prayerfully work through this together. We will continue to worship side by side. We will gather around the table as members of one diverse family. We can do that.

Even though there is pain no matter where we are on the issue of human sexuality; even though there is pain on whether or not a bishop can be openly gay, we must work through the pain in the manner that Episcopalians do. Kathryn and I are here to be with you in this. We are not going to highlight differences. We will not take sides. We will continue to be your clergy no matter where you are, no matter who you are.

Note the navel-gazing. Note the laughable comparison between Jesus's disciples struggling with their faith, and traditional Episcopalians who love the Gospel struggling with the legal, formal, national, official decisions of their highest church body to ignore Holy Scripture, tradition, and reason. Note his conflation of following Jesus with the decisions of the 2003 General Convention to pursue another false gospel. Note the craven begging.

And finally, note the falsehood of his stating that he "will not take sides" -- when he clearly took sides back on August 3.

Obviously, August 2003 was not a high point of leadership -- or of Gospel preaching -- at this parish.

Ironically, 2003 was the high point of the decade for this parish in ASA, reaching around 330.

Business people speak often about "opportunity costs" -- the measurement not of visible losses, but of the invisible losses that take place when a certain course of action was pursued over an alternative course. Here's wiki's definition:

Opportunity cost is the cost of any activity measured in terms of the best alternative forgone. It is the sacrifice related to the second best choice available to someone who has picked among several mutually exclusive choices.

St. Timothy's Signal Mountain did not pick up vast hordes of inclusive progressives longing to breathe free, post General Convention 2003. They lost people, too. But that's the visible cost.

The leaders also made another sacrifice -- the "sacrifice related to the second best choice" of preaching another and false gospel. And their parish is paying that opportunity cost in spades.