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By Lucy Chumbley
Washington Window
Vol. 74, No. 2, January 2006

The Diocesan Council identified three priorities for the diocese - developing a plan for congregational development, building stronger networks and defining an overarching diocesan strategy - at its Dec. 13 meeting.

Council members chose these areas as their top concerns after reviewing the Three Years Out report - a "state of the diocese" study commissioned last year by Bishop John Chane.

Other suggestions from council members for diocesan improvements included making the bishop more accessible to the parishes; instilling parishes with a sense of mission; defining a diocesan identity that would guide decisions on mission and ministry; offering parishes stewardship training and assistance; offering improved clerical and lay training; educating leadership about church growth and evangelism; strengthening the existing ministry to Latinos; developing a strategy to address the needs of black congregations; ensuring diocesan processes are clear and well-communicated (ordination, deployment, etc.); developing strategies to address the needs of the poor; and actively developing new funding sources.

As the next step in this process, the council will present its recommendations for action to the 111th Diocesan Convention, set for Jan. 27-28 at Washington National Cathedral.

While congregational development has been clearly identified as a diocesan priority, the diocese's new Working Group on Congregational Development is still unclear about its task. The group's chairman, council member Atron Rowe, asked council members to clarify its charge and the direction it should take.

The panel has been asked to develop a congregational development action plan before the 2007 Diocesan Convention, Rowe said, but after its initial Nov. 4 meeting and brainstorming session, members realized they had more questions than answers.

"So many questions came up," he said. "What is a 'developed' congregation? What does it look like? Who does it serve? The diocese? Congregations? Leaders in congregations? We were all over the map with our brainstorming."

Rowe asked if the group should focus its attention on finding new locations for churches, seeking ways to strengthen existing congregations or working to help troubled parishes.

"What I would like to see this committee do is be the group that develops a strategic plan for building up congregations, helping congregations," said council moderator the Rev. Karla Woggon.

The Rev. Richard Downing said he thought the task of searching for new sites for congregations was beyond the capacity of "a group of busy volunteers." Other members agreed that the group should focus its attention on existing congregations.

"I would think the group would do some data collection from successful churches, like St. Columba's," Rose Longmire said. "Somehow, some way, they are getting it right."

The Rev. Steve Huber, of St. Columba's, said it would beneficial if the diocese paid for group members to attend some congregational development training seminars, "to sort of experience first-hand some of the excitement that can come from some of these areas."

Woggon suggested that the diocese pay for a consultant to work with the group, as it has been charged with a difficult task. Council member George Ziener said it would be better to wait until the group was clearer about what it wanted to accomplish before engaging a consultant. And Longmire said that instead of hiring a consultant, the group should work with the congregational development expert on the diocesan staff.

The group plans to meet with Bishop Chane to further clarify its charge, and will continue to meet for a year while it carries out its work.

In other matters the council:

Adopted a proposed budget of $4.5 million for 2006.
Heard a report from the Working Group on the Use of Soper Funds.
The group presented several options for the future use of funds from the earnings of the Ruth Gregory Soper Memorial Trust, and asked the council for its input.
Council members voted to reduce the Soper income in the annual budget beginning in 2008, by either $100,000 or an amount commensurate with increases in income from congregational giving or other sources. Under this plan, a baseline of 50 percent of the Soper income would remain in the budget, while the transferred money would be earmarked for special projects to strengthen congregations in the diocese.
The group will return in January with draft policy guidelines for the council's approval.
Learned from Bishop John B. Chane that the Church of the Nativity, Camp Springs, has decided to close, and plans to hold its final service on May 22.
"I want you to know that that's a decision this vestry made," Chane said. "It was a difficult decision, and they'd been mulling it over for a year and a half. At some point after the Christmas holidays, the parish will begin the intense process of planning its closure."
Appointed John Pontius to be its liaison with Episcopal Senior Ministries.

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