After 15 months of sharing a priest, a music minister and parish administrator, as well as alternating weekend services between the city and Adams, the members of St. John’s Episcopal Church in North Adams and St. Mark’s Episcopal Church in Adams have voted to consolidate the two entities into a single congregation — All Saints Episcopal Church.
The new congregation will continue to alternate its weekend Mass services between the two church buildings, with hopes of eventually building a new, smaller church, senior wardens Susan Walker and JoAnn Gagne said in an interview on Monday.
“We’ve been headed in this direction for some time,” Walker, of North Adams, said. “The decision to consolidate has mostly been driven by the financial crisis of 2008, which has negatively impacted all of the churches in this area. We were trying to figure out a way to survive, when the idea of consolidating was first posed about 112 years ago. Neither church is very big, so it made sense to explore the idea. We’ve received a lot of support from our diocese — the Dioceses of the Western Massachusetts Protestant Episcopal Church.”
Even if the Episcopal Church were not in a theological nosedive, the parishes of the Berkshires would have had a rough time. They were built during the heady days of northern manufacturing dominance, and as industry pulled out, the population declined and money was harder to come by. Add that to a no-Gospel “gospel” and you have a recipe for decline. Of the approximately 70 congregations in WMass, 20 will probably fold, or merge at best, over the next ten years.
“It’s a little harder for people to hold the same beliefs,” she said. “It’s a challenge to our creativity, our good will and our faith. We need to figure out how to be relevant in this day and age and how to provide a different experience than that of the past. As a society, we need to learn how to slow down again. As a church, we can offer people a quiet place to get in touch with themselves and with God.”
——– Let’s see, might as well close both of them.
This merger sure makes sense. And I concur that more should consider the same. In 2009, 32 of its 66 churches had ASA of 66 or less and 50 of the 66 had Plate & Pledge of less than $150K. This merger has the potential of All saints having ASA of about 110 and Plaate & Pledge of about $140K. And both present churches are too large with 250 seats at St. Mark and 480 at St. John. But selling both buildings and building a new smaller one may be complex. Statmann
Statman…this may be slightly off-topic (for which I throw myself at the mercy of the elves), but where does the 150K figure come from? You seem to use that number consistently as a standard for congregational viability, and I don’t really question that. I’m just wondering if the number is based on other, objective figures, or if it is simply your own (or someone else’s) best estimate as to the number of dollars it takes to have a viable ongoing ministry?
Thanks.
Good question Kevin. I was wondering the same thing.
Kevin and Evan: Can’t remember (I’m 80) if I thought of it as a reasonable estimate or read it in someone’s comment. (It is a very common pracice for stat types to use other people’s data.) The $150K figure is reasonable and helps to make comparative statements. BUT, one size does fit all so it is too high for some States and too low for others. Most reader have found it acceptable so I will use it until factors such as inflation make a change necessary. Thank you for your interest. Statmann
Statmann,
Thanks for the explanation and thanks for all of the great information you make available on T19.
A lot of us have used that number ($150,000) for a couple of years now as a ballpark number for a parish to function with a full time priest (at or slightly above the average diocesan minimum, plus family medical, plus pension) and a couple of very part-time lay staff (perhaps a 15-hour a week secretary, an organist at very minimum compensation, some janitorial help), plus a tad of maintenance and repair (though insufficient), utilities, insurances, office supplies, basic Sunday School materials, etc. Not to mention the diocesan assessment and at least a gesture at local and/or world mission and service. In a few regions of the country you might be able to get all this for $125K, especially if there is a rectory to factor in with the compensation package for the rector–but in many even $150K would be too low. But generally speaking, a parish with less than about $150K disposable income is either going to need to move to a different model of ministry (part-time retired or bivocational clergy) or will require subsidy. So I wouldn’t see it as an absolute number, but I think it makes as much sense as any other you could select to try to gauge whether a parish has the material wherewithal to sustain a traditional pastoral ministry over the long haul.
Bruce Robison
Bruce: My sincerest “Thank you” for your excellent defense of the $150K figure. Statmann
In my part of the world, The Diocese of Springfield (Southern and Central Illinois), the cost of living is among the lowest in the country, and I would certainly endorse the 150K figure as being appropriate here.
To Statmann and BMR,
Just left a “viable” parish and $150 was indeed the budget. It would seem to be a good number, even in expensive NE.
Ditto and echo thank yous to Statmann for all of his data. You make sense of what might otherwise be anecdotal information. Very helpful and gratefully received.