Via Ontario Emperor, I came across this tidbit from the former chaplin of the United States Senate, Dr. Richardson Halverson, when asked where his church is:
"The church where I preach is all over the city. It’s driving buses, serving meals in restaurants, having discussions in the Pentagon, deliberating in the Congress.' He knew exactly where his church was, and he went on and on with his lengthy listing. Then he added, 'Periodically, we get together at a building on Fourth Street, but we don’t spend much time there."
That, to me, is the best description of a church I've heard in a long time. So why is The Episcopal Church (tm) pouring hundreds of thousands into litigation to keep buildings? People may leave, says the The Episcopal Church (tm). They don't seem to care too much about people ("breeders" especially). But a "congregation" must stay. OK, who then is the "congregation"? The rocks and stones themselves?? When there are no more people, does the "congregation" still exist? There are more than a million fewer souls in the US calling themselves Episcopalians than there were 30 years ago, and more than a hundred thousand members have left since 2000 alone. Some entire dioceses are now smaller than your Baptist Church up the street. Is that a growing Church?? You can count all of the "congretations" you want (The Episcopal Church (tm) claims more than 7,000), but if the average congregation is only about 200 members, often elderly and hanging on because of an endowment or financial aid, is that really an accurate picture of our health as a Church?
No, but it makes those who are at the head of this sinking ship feel better. Iceberg? What iceberg?
