One of West Virginia’s best-known ministers — an activist against the Iraq war and longtime leader of other public causes — has been stripped of his license by the state’s Episcopal bishop.
The Rev. Jim Lewis says his Episcopal credentials were revoked on grounds that he performed too many rites for his former parishioners at St. John’s Church in Charleston.
However, he says, nearly nine years have elapsed since he returned to Charleston in retirement, and his involvement with long-ago church members never caused a problem until now.
Was there any pastoral conversation/warning from the Bp. prior to this?
This strange denomination is now devouring its own – here’s a guy with all the right “causes,” and he gets ground up and served to these little “hierarchs.”
I guess TEC is really serious about boundary crossing.
Hate to point it out, but if you read it all, (and especially the last line in the story), you’ll see the reason behind all of it.. Apparently the original members during his time, don’t much care for the current rector, so………………….. I’d bet on the fact, she complained.
LOL
Grandmother in SC
I have to agree (reluctantly) with the Bishop on this one. When a rector leaves a parish, they should do just that LEAVE!! It makes it almost impossible for a new rector to “establish his authority” if people “run to the old rector” any time they disagree. We had this problem in our parish. The founding rector left and our new rector was installed. The “Junior Warden” was more “in tune” with the old rector. Any time he disagreed with Fr. X he would say, Well Pastor Y always said … or “Y” would not have done it that way. Fortunately, the old rector (who was retired and thus still attended the parish) took a very public stand supporting the new rector. It actually got to the point that the Jr. Warden and his wife were ex-communicated (which is RARE, to say the least.) If the old rector had not refused to be “dragged in”, our parish could have split.
It is common practice, for this very reason, for a former rector to move away. It sounds like the Bishop was right. The current rector may be bad, but that is no reason for her to be under cut by the previous one.
He says he “doesn’t know” what line he crossed. Then:
[blockquote]When former parishioners called me, I almost always urged them to see the current rector instead.[/blockquote]
The careful [i]almost[/i] of course really gives it away. In my years of rectoring I have had I think really excellent relationships with my retired predecessors, and I’ve done my best to celebrate their ministry and to include them as seemed appropriate in parish life. But the key has always been a respectful clarity about boundaries. I’m glad there is no hard-and-fast rule about these things, and I disagree with any notion that retired rectors are under some kind of absolute obligation to sell their homes and uproot their families at the time of retirement. But in the end, no question, the decision about participation needs to be the rector’s, and if the retired rector isn’t willing to abide with that decision, the bishop needs to be absolutely clear about consequences.
Bruce Robison
If the retired rector of a congregation ministers to that flock with the blessing of the current rector, it should be ok. However, since Susan isn’t available for interviews and the bishop is away from the office, one might come to the conclusion that she spoke to the bishop because Jim (who has always had trouble respecting other people’s boundaries, obviously) isn’t all that submissive.
Good for the Bishop. I had a predecessor in one of my parishes that was still taking funerals and weddings for people in the community 20 years after he left. It was one point of a three point parish I served. I complained to the Bishop who, although a nice man, did nothing. Every time I got a call from the area for a funeral I heard this “Hello, I am nnn.nnn. My Mother just died. I called Fr. YYY and he is willing to take the funeral but says we ask you to let him do this”. The parish closed less than 10 years later and I am certain Fr. YYY is still taking services there and wondering why the parish died.
Priests are not free agents. We serve in parishes. Rogue priests undermine the church.
My understanding of policy in the Diocese of Olympia under now-retired Bp. Warner, was (in the early 2000s) was that when a Rector retired the retiree and immediate family were required to transfer their membership to a different parish. The express reason was to prevent members of their former parish from turning to them about things in the parish with which they were unhappy. Not the most generous of policies, but it certainly staved off such problems. To the best of my knowledge that policy remains intact, but only someone knowledgeable about the current policy and still within the Diocese would be able to confirm it.
Pax et bonum,
Keith Töpfer
Speaking as one whose last parish had three (3!) of his predecessors living in it (each with a very different idea about boundaries) and who now has the former rector of 34 years living down the street, I know that there is a fine line to walk in these professional relationships. It is probably too much to ask an experienced priest to completely submit himself sacramentally to his successor upon retirement if he elects to stay put, but I am myself resolved never to inflict my sacerdotal presence on the one who follows me, however tempting our area might be for retirement. Clerical egos are just too subject to self-deception.
I’ve had the same too: excellent relationships with former rectors (one who offered the most helpful advice, another who would most charmingly call and ask “permission” before making his Christmas visits to former parishioners) and, in one parish, a predecessor who really still longed to be parish priest even though called elsewhere. It wasn’t hugely fruitful to hear “I should never have left” (etc.) gossiped around the parish. It’s hard to let go sometimes…
I have known Jim Lewis for over 40 years, since we were both assisting at St. Anne’s, Annapolis, MD. He was ministering to the midshipmen and I was a new deacon. He is a fine priest, and I don’t think much of the behavior of either the bishop or the new rector. Both of them appear to have authority problems.
Martial Artist – clergy cannot transfer to another parish since technically they are not members of a parish, they are on the diocesan rolls. But I can see it from both sides. No rector wants his authority undermined. But then again, when a priest gives his life for a parish and a new rector comes in and undermines the work (surely good in his own eyes), or if those he loves need him, it would be hard to say no.
I may have misstated the policy slightly, for which I stand corrected, but the sense of the requirement was as I stated, [i]i.e.[/i], The former rector was not permitted by the bishop to attend his former parish, with the possible exception of visits by invitation of the current rector.
It all depends upon the relationship between the current and former rectors.
In my opinion, for Fr. Former and Fr. Current to establish a good relationship, two things are absolutely — and equally — necessary: (1) both must be respectful, not pushy or undermining or unwelcoming; and (2) both must be reasonably secure in themselves.
If Current is insecure, then Former could be the single most warm, respectful, and friendly creature on the planet, and Current will still feel threatened. If Former is insecure, he’s likely to see any success by Current as a threat and start undermining, if he hasn’t already. If Former is pushy and/or working to undermine Current, it won’t matter that Current isn’t generally the insecure sort, because his position will be made insecure. If either is rude, unfriendly, and/or unwelcoming, they will create conflict.
In my opinion, insecurity is at the root of a lot of these problems.
This issue is entirely about “Ego” In my parish which has been called by ENS the fastest growing Episcopal Church in the New York Tri-state area, we not only have our current Rector and Assistant Rector, but we have a Deacon, our (former Interm Rector) on staff, with i might add a Presbyterian minister and a retired Roman Catholic Priest all on staff. The matter at hand is about ego. In Christ we are one body. Our goal should not be division but any willing spirit can minister to another and should. Rev. Lewis should have his license restored immediatly and just a note, no Bishop can take away your baptismal ordination in Christ which commands that we do all of us exactly as Rev. Lewis has done!
Diocese of NJ