Clergy and lay leaders from Southern Maryland gathered at St. Paul’s, Waldorf on March 19 to begin a difficult conversation about the future and start to work on a way forward.

The 21 predominantly small, historic parishes in the diocese’s Region 6 are facing a slow decline in pledging units and a more dramatic drop in attendance, canon to the ordinary Paul Cooney said. The cost of clergy and staff has increased, due in part to burgeoning health insurance rates, and the buildings and membership are aging.

A 2010 gathering of the region’s lay leaders concluded with the “collective realization that the way we were doing business had to change if we were to be the church of the future,” said regional convener Anne Ridenour. “We have a shared story in the challenges we face.”

Bishop John Bryson Chane, who called the meeting, described the diocese’s efforts to come to grips with parish health during his episcopacy. When he arrived in 2002, he said, “a third of the diocese’s churches were not only not growing, but were beginning to face a challenge. That third was like the beginning of the emerging earthquake of the 21^st century in terms of denominational growth.”

Another third of the diocese’s congregations were stable, but seeing no growth – also a warning sign. “We began to talk about these issues with the Diocesan Council and began to work on this. Paul Cooney and I decided we needed to engage our clergy in this in a more direct way.”

The topic of congregational health has been raised at clergy conferences and at the Diocesan Convention, which Chane sought to transform into a forum that raises up the major issues of the day.

For three years, the diocese worked with Percept – a company that provides information-based planning tools to churches and religious organizations in the United States. Demographic data was gathered, trends were analyzed, and the diocese began “looking at where [it] was in terms of population base” and at the placement of its churches.

“Our job as diocesan leaders is to support the work of the congregations,” Cooney said, noting that the goal is not to close churches but to help them thrive. But while the issues facing Region 6 are complex and must be solved over time, he said, “hope is not a strategy.”

The first step, he said,  is to “build relationships and understand our common challenge. I would especially urge us to think of strategies by which we can collaborate.”

Parish leaders formed small groups with others from their congregation for a brainstorming session, in which they were asked to identify their parish’s main strengths and weaknesses. The responses were then gathered, consolidated and posted for the whole group to see.

“At first glance, our strengths are all over the place,” Ridenour said, pointing to the sprawling list taped to the wall in sections. “But when we got to the weaknesses, everybody had the same story. For me, it’s how do we get to the place to find those transforming experiences that will drive the church in the future?”

The small groups reconvened to discuss the following topics: “What can we do as congregations?” and “What can the bishop and staff do to help?”

Suggestions about what parishes could do were wide-ranging and included: partnering with other churches, inviting young people to participate, exploring video conferencing, sharing Sunday school resources, refocusing on mission and re-introducing “what being an Episcopalian means.”

From the bishop and staff, participants wanted help to learn how and where to apply for grants available for historic buildings from the state, have them continue to serve as a catalyst for regional gatherings, help facilitate change, provide resources on stewardship, annual audits and vestry retreats and serve as a clearinghouse for diocesan youth events, among other things.

They asked for a format or timetable for further conversations, “so we have a sense of moving forward.”

“I think the best thing we can do is carry the fire home with us and not lose it,” Ridenour said.