Bishops' Office and Foundation Plan Conference on Clergy Divorce
Episcopal News Service. July 28, 1977 [77255]
NEW YORK, N.Y. -- A conference on "Clergy Divorce: Death and/or Resurrection -- A Crisis and Opportunity for the Church," is being planned by the House of Bishops' Office of Pastoral Development and The Episcopal Church Foundation.
The purpose of the meeting, to be held in Louisville, Ky., October 24-26, is twofold: to examine the Church's need to assess current attitudes towards divorce; and to consider how best to help persons, especially clergy, live through such an experience with minimum negative impact and maximum opportunity for personal growth and professional development.
The conference is open to clergy and laity, with attendance limited to 40.
The conference is an outcome of the growing incidence of divorce in recent years and changing attitudes towards divorced persons. Reflecting these developments, Episcopal Church canon law governing marriage and re-marriage has been changed so that divorced persons may marry again after a process which emphasizes pastoral, rather than juridical, concerns.
In announcing the conference, the Rt. Rev. David E. Richards, who is director of the Office of Pastoral Development and is co-convener of the conference planning group with the Rev. William F. Maxwell, said, "The Episcopal Church's interest in and concern for clergy divorce and re-marriage have generally been re-active and not pro-active. The Church has not yet dealt in a consistent way with clergy divorces. The constituency of the Church has not been offered significant help or guidance in understanding what our position is with regard to divorce. The increasing occurrence of divorce among ordained ministers in all three orders is a reality which must be faced.
"Under present circumstances, it is likely that, at least in some areas, very demanding and moralistic stereotypes will be applied to the ordained person. The ordained minister is seen as exemplar, pastor and counselor, and in these roles there will be those who will demand that his or her standards be 'higher' than the accepted standards of society in general."
"Somehow, his or her credentials for ministry may be seriously questioned if divorce occurs. In that particular crisis, judgement may be leveled, rather than support offered. That which is painful then becomes even more so, and, for a period of time, ministerial functioning may be impaired. In some cases, individuals find that divorce actually means giving up the active ministry. The sapping of energies and resulting loss to the Church cannot be ignored. "
Bishop Richards continued, "The proposed conference is not based upon a need or desire to encourage divorce as a major occurrence in our society and the acknowledgment that this reality involves increasing numbers of our own clergy.
"We hope that the Louisville conference will trigger or catalyze working groups that will focus on specific aspects of marital separation, divorce and re-marriage. It will be a 'doing' conference. The expected output will be materials that will be of service to Bishops and Diocesan Commissions on Ministry. "
Members of the conference planning group, in addition to Bishop Richards and the Rev. Dr. Maxwell, are: the Rt. Rev. Morris F. Arnold, the Rt. Rev. Ned Cole, the Rev. Richard W. Daniels, the Rev. Brian P. Hall, Mr. Frederick L. Redpath, the Rev. C. Wesley Shike, the Rev. Natalia Vonnegut and the Rev. James R. Whittemore.
Space is available for a few additional participants. Interested people seeking further information may address inquiries to: Mr. Frederick L. Redpath, Executive Vice President, The Episcopal Church Foundation, 815 Second Avenue, New York, N.Y. 10017.