Dioceses Go Extra Mile in Support of National Church Program
Episcopal News Service. March 5, 1992 [92056]
While a few dioceses have voted to withhold funds from the national church as a means to protest policies of the General Convention, other dioceses are going out of their way to meet their commitments. And a few are going beyond their pledge to make a point about stewardship.
The diocesan council in the Diocese of Rochester, for example, voted unanimously at its February 18 meeting to increase its contribution to the national program by $20,300, or 10 percent higher than the apportionment.
"We are troubled by those dioceses who have decided to reduce their giving to the mission of the national church," the council said in a resolution.
The resolution said it seemed "odd" that some dioceses would reduce their giving "because they were angry at the General Convention" when it is the dioceses themselves that constitute the General Convention.
The resolution also challenged what it called the mentality that "local mission comes first." Instead of dying to self-centeredness to "become part of a new creation in Christ," some dioceses are demonstrating "personal, parochial, or diocesan self-centeredness."
"We increase our pledge because we wish to model to our parishes in this diocese and to their members the importance of giving beyond ourselves," the council said. "We do not wish to teach our people that, when they are angry because of a decision made by a church body, they should resort to financial blackmail, nor do we wish to teach them that when times are tough we at home come first."
Bishop William Burrill of Rochester said in an interview that he was particularly worried that dioceses withholding funds were "teaching some horrendous stewardship principles. We are losing touch with the importance of our offering and why we do it," he added. Burrill is convinced that dioceses withholding funds "could suffer major damage."
According to several council members involved in presenting the resolution, the action stems from a conviction that there is "too much negativism against General Convention and the national church," said Ralph Groskoph. "The mission of the church is outreach -- and if we can't reach out to the national church and beyond we are not doing our Christian mission," he added.
Although the diocese has its own trouble balancing budgets, "We are a national church and responsible for a program that goes beyond our differences," added the Rev. Richard Comegys, rector of St. Stephen's Church in Rochester. "We are wrestling with the same issues as a diocese and a national church -- and we were eager to affirm that connection in mission."
The Diocese of Southern Ohio has decided not to take full advantage of a change in the funding formula approved by the General Convention last summer. While reducing the apportionment formula from 4 percent to 3.75 percent, General Convention also eliminated an assessment on diocesan endowments. In Southern Ohio's case -- with the William Cooper Procter Memorial Fund generating about $1.5 million annually -- the assessments based on the endowments dropped by more than $58,000.
In December, the trustees of the diocese voted unanimously to return $35,000 to the national church as a voluntary gift. While that is nearly $24,000 less than last year, it still represents more than the revised formula had requested.
Said one diocesan official, "It has long been the policy of this diocese to pay its national church pledge -- and when possible to pay more than is asked as a sign of good stewardship."