2019 Parochial Report Summary – Corrected
Dear Sister and Brother Clergy,
As I mentioned back in 2019, we were in for a serious decline in membership and other statistics as a Diocese. Below is a tabulation from Bob Weathers of the parochial reports. The decline is major—27% in membership (1704 in 2018 to 1246 in 2019) and a drop of 101 in Average Sunday Attendance. A separate email is going to you compiled by Aaron Zook which shows change between 2018 and 2019 for individual parishes. Most congregations were steady. St. John’s Sparta and Grace Church in Rice Lake had considerable declines, but the Cathedral’s change is the greatest. The good news is we now have accurate figures from which to go forward. While the numbers are discouraging, you and I know there is much vitality in our diocese. I still believe we have a good future before us.
Jay
PS With the corona virus limiting in-building attendance in so many churches throughout the nation I’m uncertain how the Episcopal Church will work with numbers regarding membership and attendance for 2020 Parochial Reports.
Dear Sister and Brother Clergy,
When a parish inflates membership and average Sunday attendance numbers, it is natural to ask, “Why was this done?” There can be many reasons. Below are a few:
1. There were members that joined but long ago stopped being a part of the congregation. With nothing done the names remained on the rolls.
2. A good priest will have some people that look to him or her as their chaplain. The priest responded when out of the blue someone contacted in an emergency. Those in need never forgot. As a result they became members and contributed to the congregation but seldom if ever attended. It is right that they be on the rolls. After several years the priest left the congregation. The family the priest helped ended its relationship with the Church. Still, these members remain on the rolls.
Obviously there are more reasons than these two. I want to share with you some of the rationale behind the Cathedral’s inflated numbers. This is mostly an old story but with one new piece. Back in 2014 Bob Hoekstra had a vibrant congregation at Chippewa Manor. I visited there several times. Attendance was always in the 75 to 85 range. It was a very conservative congregation that was not affiliated anywhere. Meanwhile, every Sunday service was from the Book of Common Prayer. I felt it right, if Bob agreed, that those numbers should be counted somewhere in the Diocesan rolls. Bob and I thought the Cathedral was the right place. Accordingly, the Cathedral’s membership increased by about 100.
A year later Bob contacted me and said it was best that the congregation not be counted with the Cathedral and that I shouldn’t visit there anymore. I asked why. He said that there were many people that didn’t want to be connected to the Episcopal Church including some of the leaders. I accepted this and informed the Cathedral that the numbers from Chippewa Manor should no longer be included. This turned out to be a missed communication. I had said this, but it wasn’t heard, and the numbers from Chippewa Manor, unknown to me, continued to be included.
In 2019 Bob Hoekstra left Chippewa Manor to become rector of a parish in Jamestown, North Dakota. In his leaving I asked Bob what had happened at Chippewa Manor that I was not welcome to return and the membership was to be dropped from the Cathedral’s rolls. He said that when I last preached there I said something that was thought to be too liberal. He didn’t say to me what it was, and I didn’t ask. It’s easy for me to be interpreted as too liberal or two conservative. It could have been combined with something the House of Bishops did. I don’t know, but more than anyone I am to blame for the loss of the membership of Chippewa Manor. By the way, since Bob left, the Chippewa Manor congregation has had its own decline. I can understand because Bob is a very good preacher, pastor, and leader. They miss him..
I want you to know that there is no one currently connected with the Cathedral that had any responsibility for the inflated numbers. I refuse to put the blame on the previous Dean, Mike Greene. If you want to blame someone, look to me. Until 2019 I neglected to pay close attention to the numbers of any parish in the Diocese. For this lack of oversight I am responsible.
The most important point in all this is that we need accurate numbers. They give us a context of what is the truth. The numbers can still bring forth different interpretations, but at least we are working from the same accurate baseline. It is from truthful numbers that we can establish a foundation on which to craft a vision that is realistic and guided by God’s partnering with us. Finally, let us always remember that God is the Senior Partner, and we are the Junior. With my love and best wishes, I am,
Your Brother in Christ,
Jay
