Sitting inside the Church of the Holy Cross, the smell of the Episcopal church’s history hangs in the air above the 140-year-old pews. Light pours in through the stained glass windows, illuminating the sanctuary. While the church is filled with history and church relics more than a century old, it is the memories of loyal congregants that truly bring the spirit of the church to life.
Sunday, nearly 140 years after the church was built and consecrated in 1870, Holy Cross will hold its final service. Church vestry voted on May 17 to terminate its status as a parish. Though the decision was difficult for many of the vestry members to make, they deemed it necessary due to the 60-member congregation’s dwindling budget.
Bravo to our own Robroy for taking the time to identify in the article’s comment section the disease that caused this latest parish death.
As such closings are happening with increasing frequency, some code monkey should write a parish-closing-announcement generator where one can check the usual boxes and the news is generated. Shouldn’t be too hard, as so often the story is the same: struggling before 2003, steep decline afterward; liberal diocese; non-full-time priest, liberal if not also gay, graciously provided by the bishop (since no parish would usually call the person); deferred maintenance; conservatives stopped going or giving; no young people to speak of; and so forth.
There’s much denial, in the comments to this article and elsewhere, about the effect of 2003 and afterward on these struggling parishes. But it’s undeniable that SOMETHING happened in 2003, that proved to be a tipping point for this parish and others. When the reply to this observation of Robroy is that he’s a homophobe or a bigot or is hateful, then you know they just can’t bring themselves to admit what deep down they know. There is no other explanation. Gene Robinson may have had a bit of help. But the corruption his consecration represented is what killed this parish, and has killed others, and will kill many more.
In 2007 there were 76 churches in the diocese with Plate & Pledge of less than $150,000. I suspect that similar reports will be forthcoming. Minnesota may be a prosperous State, but the diocese has declined in Members, ASA, and Plate & Pledge since 2002. Statmann
The ACNA won’t close their doors
I find the comment (on the linked story) that trouble lies in all mainline denominations who institute infant baptism to be fascinating. Of all the reasons I’ve heard for the decline of the mainline, this is the first time I’ve heard that one. Of course it’s absurd. The Catholics continue to grow, and the Southern Baptists are in decline, so it doesn’t really hold. The point that the mainline does a poor job of evangelism, though, should be apparent to anyone paying attention. Episcopalians are allergic to evangelism. The very mention of something like the Four Spiritual Laws makes us break out in hives.
The comment that it takes 300 members for a healthy parish is also somewhat amusing. Out West a congregation of 60 in a tiny town like Dundas would be considered a minor miracle. As a friend of mine likes to say, in California we don’t close a church until the last elderly parishioner is wheeled out on a gurney.
#3 David Wilson, let an ACNA congregation take over, and see what would happen within six months.
“the Southern Baptists are in decline”
The Southern Baptists’ membership dropped by 40,000 out of a total of 16 million or down 0.25%. Not enough to call it a “decline” but not growing. Note that they are in crisis mode. In contrast, the TEClub is declining at a rate 10 times that and Ms Schori poo-poo’s it.
Well, Minn. is cold, and we are getting so old…
“In decline” was an overstatement, but I hope you get my point in re infant baptism.
As for the PB, she’s trying to put a good spin on things, to accentuate the positive. The problem with that is obvious. TEC is in freefall, and not only is it not pulling the rip cord, it’s not acknowledging the existence of gravity.