The Episcopal Cathedral of St. John — which began as King’s Church in 1722 and is the Diocese of Rhode Island’s fourth oldest church — is shutting down, with a final service set for April 22.
Read it all and you may also find a video report to watch there.
How sad – lovely church.
Over at Mary’s place, the Pewster has been crunching the numbers. The ASA of St John’s has declined from 210 to 120 in the 9 years since the consecration of Gene Robinson in 2003. Rhode Island is not the looniest diocese as far as I know, but the pattern we have seen with the Episcopal Church generally seems to have been working itself out there as well. Granted some of the parishioners may have left involuntarily, to halve your congregation in 9 years is pretty remarkable.
I certainly get the sense that with the loss of parishioners and parishes in the last few years that the decline in TEC is accelerating at an accelerating rate. The real situation is almost certainly much much worse than anybody is admitting or any of us can imagine – I suspect the tipping point is well past. This is the second cathedral lost in the last few months [Delaware being the other] and given the shennanigans of its bishop, Pittsburgh may not be far behind. Endowments have been drawn down, parishioners and their plate and pledge alienated, and the brand made toxic by the antics of a leadership whose sole interest seems to be in holding gay weddings, persecuting the remaining Christians, preaching Millenium Development Goals [peace and blessings be upon them], shovelling TEC’s remaining funds into the busting bellies of the partners of Goodwin Proctor and bringing infamy on Anglicans everywhere – in short being stubbornly determined to be a church unfit for purpose.
There is a simple answer: return to preaching the Gospel; replace Christ at the head of His church; remember the things your parents and grandparents preached and taught you, and turn again to the hard but joyful narrow road, the road which leads to salvation.
We have an example of just such a turn-around here – HTB’s first plant outside London at St Peter’s Brighton which I have been following with interest from a distance. From redundancy, in just three years this monster cathedral-sized church has been turned round to an attendance of 500 to 700 depending on the event. Worship started off in the chancel [huge in itself] because the roof of the nave was unsafe; the nave is now being repaired, and all the signs are that the growth is not slowing.
It doesn’t need to be like this in TEC, but it will mean taking the blinkers off and looking around at what you have become, and what you might yet be! Praying about this might be a good thing to do in Lent – I will certainly pray for TEC.
For anyone who does want to turn their church or diocese around, why not give HTB, Alpha, All Souls and their outreach or Langham or John Stott Ministries a ring? It is not rocket science.
[blockquote]and the brand made toxic[/blockquote]
A Mad Ave perspective, but true on a Kingdom level, as well. It is so obvious that it hurts to think there are people blind to it. As well, the solution is as you state: return to the Gospel and to Christ and to the faith once given. I just don’t see it happening and that hurts the worst.
The term “Zombie Church” comes to mind, and includes others like PCUSA, ELCA, and the UMC. Uh-oh, am I being intolerant and not inclusive by using a term that could be taken as a slur against Voodoo religions?
In most TEC diocese, Alpha, or anyone associated with HTB or John Stott, would be persona non grata. I recall that some TEC diocese or parishes were trying to start a revisionist alternative to Alpha at one point, though I don’t hear much about it these days. But apparently, people exposed to such influences kept converting to Christianity and then troubling TEC about it to the point they had to be encouraged to leave.
How does one close a Cathedral? The bishop’s seat has to be somewhere, or it is not properly a Diocese.
[blockquote]The bishop’s seat has to be somewhere…[/blockquote]
It being the first day of Lent, I shall not succumb to the temptation.
Not all dioceses have cathedrals.
#3 and #5
Yes, it is unlikely that TEC will turn back to God, but much as the CofE was humbled recently at St Paul’s, TEC is being humbled, but it is a stubborn and hard-hearted people. Consider the commissioning of Ezekiel in Ezekiel 2:4-8
[blockquote]4 The people to whom I am sending you are obstinate and stubborn. Say to them, ‘This is what the Sovereign LORD says.’ 5 And whether they listen or fail to listen—for they are a rebellious people—they will know that a prophet has been among them. 6 And you, son of man, do not be afraid of them or their words. Do not be afraid, though briers and thorns are all around you and you live among scorpions. Do not be afraid of what they say or be terrified by them, though they are a rebellious people. 7 You must speak my words to them, whether they listen or fail to listen, for they are rebellious. 8 But you, son of man, listen to what I say to you. Do not rebel like that rebellious people; open your mouth and eat what I give you.”[/blockquote]
The way out of this for TEC is also not rocket science – 2 Chronicles 7:14-15
[blockquote]14 if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land. 15 Now my eyes will be open and my ears attentive to the prayers offered in this place.[/blockquote]
The reading for today, Ash Wednesday, is Luke 15:11-32, the return of the prodigal son. There is always the possibility of restoration for TEC, but there is going to have to be humility and repentence, and it may be that things will have to get worse before the arrogance and the stubborness will be turned. I will certainly pray for that.
Now time for me to take my own medicine and head off to be ashed.
Quite simply, the cathedral went bankrupt. And the Dio of RI may find it impossible to undo the long term damage that has taken place during 2002 through 2010 with the loss of 43 percent of Infant Baptisms and 66 percent of Marraiges. The diocese has lost much more than a cathedral. Statmann
Thanks to Statmann, among others, for pointing to the larger story. Not least, thanks to PM for posting the counter-story of how HTB in London is spearheading a dramatic recovery of a growing number of churches in its Alpha network within the CoE. Likewise, the growth of many biblically faithful congregations in more conservative denominations shows that decline is optional, not universal.
Yes, there is such a thing as critical mass. Once you cross a certain threshold, the slope of decline turns into a virtual cliff and you end up in free fall. Much of TEC is closer to institutional implosion than most people realize.
And this sad demise of a once great and flourishing diocese has taken place despite the fact that Rhode Island is blessed with the most conservative bishop in New England, and the most conservative woman bishop in TEC, the widely-respected Geralyn Wolff.
David Handy+
Fr. Handy,
I too mourn this unhappy event. I oppose WO, but +Wolff, whatever faults she may have, seems to be a sincere and compassionate person who genuinely attempts to serve the Lord to the best of her understanding.
Indeed, the decline is not expected to be linear, but rather in a sharply arcing line downward. I left in 2010 and a relation is just now leaving; 2 different states, far apart, but the result will eat away at what remains. I was asked by my parish priest to “not poison the well” when I left. That is the pastoral care given to me, an episcopalian by birth. That is what has been given to most that I know. I left and never said a single word. It was pointless.
I must concur that a TEC rebirth is unlikely in Prrovidence which has the same population that it had in 1970. The population is now less rhan 40 percent White (non-Kispanic) and much of the 40 percent are of Italian background. Also, Providence has 8 other TEC churches: 2 are vital, 2 are “flat”, and 4 are dying. Statmann
It is a beautiful building. Very sad.