Episcopal Press and News
Sense of Urgency Reflected in Third Clear Vision Conference
Episcopal News Service. November 30, 2000 [2000-213]
Carol Barnwell , Communications Coordinator for the Diocese of Texas
(ENS) More than 300 representatives, including 28 bishops, from 39 dioceses attended the third "A Clear Vision of One Church" conference hosted by the Diocese of Texas at Camp Allen, November 19-21. "We want to create a synergy for bishops and their staffs to begin to move their dioceses from maintenance to mission," the Rt. Rev. Claude E. Payne, bishop of Texas, said. "It is very gratifying to have this kind of response to our efforts and our vision for three years in a row," he added. He likened the process of change in the church as "turning a battleship around."
Evidence of large gatherings in the dioceses of Alaska, Louisiana and elsewhere suggests that focusing on mission is working to help the church grow. Modeled on the Diocese of Texas 1995 Gathering, in which all 160 "missionary outposts" (as congregations are now known) joined for three days of leadership training and program workshops, these "Episcopal tent meetings" are designed to infuse congregations with energy around a diocesan vision for growth and evangelism. All have reported tremendous response.
Bishop Charles Jenkins of Louisiana delivered a rousing presentation on Tuesday to close the three-day conference. Despite Louisiana's declining population and a 43% decline in the average Sunday attendance between 1990 and 1998, Jenkins is positive about the church's ability to grow and thrive in Louisiana.
"We [must] make the status quo seem more dangerous than launching into the unknown," he said, explaining that a sense of urgency is critical in changing a maintenance culture.
"Stealing the vision" from the Diocese of Texas, Jenkins and his staff planned a diocesan rally to jumpstart a return to being a mission-oriented diocese. "We needed to convince 75 percent of our diocesan leaders that life as usual was unacceptable," he said. Jenkins was warned to cancel the rally event by people afraid of a low turnout. He said members of his diocese believed that "decline was inevitable."
"Well, there was no way I could cancel. We'd already ordered the box lunches!" he said.
Jenkins admitted being in a bad mood the day of the rally until he recognized church members waving at him from a "long line of buses" he passed on the highway. The ultimately successful event attracted more than 1200 persons, and the diocese now "celebrates the risk takers," he said.
The diocesan slogan has become "Fail forward." "If we're going to fail, we'll do it in the right direction," Jenkins laughed.
The bishop emphasized recruitment of lay leadership, training and an emphasis on college ministry to develop young and future leadership as the focus of their current work. "We want to attract the brightest and the best," he said. "Educating the next generation of lay and clergy leadership is the role of college chaplaincies," he said. "They are not chaplains to the Episcopal students; they are missionaries to college communities."
After attending last year's conference, Bishop Mark McDonald of Alaska held a rally to which Alaska's Episcopalians came in canoes and on sleds. The all-day event attracted hundreds who committed to redouble efforts to grow the church in Alaska.
A similar voice rose from last summer's General Convention in the form of a resolution calling for the church to double membership by the year 2020. The idea, called "20/20: A Clear Vision," has its roots in the first Vision conference held in Texas in 1998.
"This has been so energizing," said one participant. "I can't wait to get home and go to work. I've gotten so many good ideas!"
"Our vision is serving us well," Bishop Payne said. "We want others to benefit from what we have learned for the health of the whole church."
This year's conference was co-sponsored by the dioceses of Virginia, Maryland and Tennessee.