Health Care

The only way to solve

the health care dilemma

is to remove all federal

funding of same.

The only exception shall be

Armed Forces hospitals

treating their wounded

or injured members.

What, you say!

Chaos will reign;

people will die!

Not gonna happen.

Health care will improve,

costs will be reduced,

when states and communities

set standards for providers.

Gone are Medicare,

Medicaid, CHIPS, and

the avatar of inefficiency:

Veterans hospitals.

In their place will be

competition at all levels,

from doctors, clinics,

hospitals, and insurers.

No one will be entitled

to health care, as a

benefit to be paid

from federal taxes.

Even those who are

disabled, on welfare, or

social security, must pay

an appropriate amount.

Most important will be

enhanced recruitment

of doctors, nurses, and

other medical personnel.

Doors will open again

for philanthropy to be

the principal financier

of health care facilities.

Silver Eagles

Silver eagles once perched upon

the shoulders of silver-haired

officers in the Army and Air Force

from the West Point class of 1949.

All of them, of course, are

now retired or gone to another life.

They are remembered now only by

families and a few friends.

As everyone in the services knows,

the silver eagle is the insignia

of a full colonel in the Army,

Air Force, and Marine Corps.

The title, “colonel," is a derivation

of what we would call a column,

meaning a person who leads a

column of troops into battle.

Today, “colonel,” still designates

the highest grade of field command,

leading combat forces and sharing

their blood, mud, sweat, and danger.

These opportunities are unfortunately

limited to a small number of colonels,

so many pursued careers that enhanced

the performance of their service.

They found roles that could be

characterized as managerial, technical,

pioneering, of just doing what was

needed wherever they were posted.

Then the axe fell on each.

after years of faithful service,

they were cast off when the calendar

read thirty years of active duty.

Probably their separation ceremonies

were brief, and seen by few.

Still in their fifties, they faced

years of so-called retirement.

Undaunted, our colonels sought

opportunities for service in fields,

that they had never seen before,

and brought their experience with them.

They found that the principles of

duty, honor, and country that

West Point taught were applicable

to universal needs and problems.

Still serving, and never really retired,

let us sing our reminiscences of

the backbone of our class, those who

ran the full course of active duty.

Slow Train Wreck

St. David's is headed for a slow train wreck.  The pledge drive for
2016 is stalled at 87 units for 164K.  50 units who pledged for 
2015 have not shown up.  A few have departed to other churches,
and a few have departed to a better life.  The rest are unknown and
presumably will be followed up, at least by telephone.

That leaves the 2016 pledges 60K + short of the 225K considered
necessary to operate the organization and compensate a full-time
rector.  The church could tap the unrestricted investments to meet
the shortfall, thus spending dead peoples' money to stay alive.

In accounting parlance, that means the church is no longer a "going
concern."  The leadership of the church has been upfront about the
situation, apparently to scare the present membership into coughing
up more dough.  That is a fatal mistake, making them feel guilty
about the present level of their support.

The church has been without a rector for a year and a half.  The 
interim rector is a pleasant, cheerful, ineffective leader.  Her 
sermons are brief and forgettable.  She has changed the service
to omit confession, creed, and eucharistic prayers prescribed in
The Book of Common Prayer.  It is a combination of New Age
and Unitarianism.  She says the newer members like it.

Meanwhile, the search committee soldiers on, contacting 
candidates for full-time rector.  Apparently, they do not share
the dire financial situation with prospects.  They had someone
in agreement last summer, who bailed out at the last minute,
for reasons unknown or unstated.

From the safety of the end pew, we watch this train wreck as
it materializes.  To add insult to injury, we were not issued 
pledge envelopes for 2016.  Maybe our pledge got lost or 
they are trying to tell us something.  I believe, as always,
that the hand of God is at work, even though we do not yet
know the outcome.

Words at A Wedding

Three of my grandchildren
were married recently,
but I was not asked
to speak at the reception.

If I had been asked, 
I would have passed on
words of wisdom to each
of the happy couples.

First, to the groom:
Two simple words 
will keep the relationship
alive for the rest of your life.

They are simply, "Yes, dear."
Even if you do not agree
or wish to acquiesce,
let it play out her way.

To both the bride and groom,
never say the words
"You never" or "You always"
even if they are true.

You married someone 
whose ways attracted you.
You cannot now say,
"You're perfect, now change!"

Most of all, wherever you are,
never let a night pass
without saying "I love you"
before going to sleep.

Then He will keep watch over you,
give his angels charge of you,
as He shields the joyous, and
blesses your union forever.

St. David's Update

At each of the services conducted at St. David's 
the senior warden made a solemn announcement:
The candidate for rector withdrew her
agreement to serve at our church.

There was something peculiar anyway 
in her not being able to join us until Advent.
One would think that by now she had made
her intentions known in her present situation.

One has to suspect that money is the consideration.
There has been no assurance from the vestry
that a full-time rector could be paid entirely
from ongoing sources of income.

Given the budget presented at the annual meeting,
a shortfall would have to be made up by raiding
the Diocesan Investment Trust for this year
and very possibly for years to come.

Then there is the very real problem of 
the high cost of living on Cape Cod,
particularly in the purchase or rental
of housing in a very tight market.

What happens next is up in the air.
There is talk of reconstituting the search 
committee with new members, assuming 
the present members are dispirited.

The congregation reacted calmly to the news.
It is as if they were already suspicious.
We may see a gradual departure of 
members who want permanence in their church.

The interim rector has served almost a year;
the former rector left in June of last year.
The situation calls for a diocesan appointment 
of a priest in charge as soon as possible.

Return of the Little Red Bag

The little red bag has been on many trips.
Carry-on size, easy to stow overhead,
it can be pulled through airplane aisles
and crowded airports without difficulty.

The little red bag made the tour 
to visit the National Parks last year,
and was the carry-on during the cruise
on the Rhine and Danube rivers.

We had three bad days on that expedition, 
the last being the trip home to Boston.
Woke up at 2:30 a.m. to be bussed to the 
Budapest airport for a flight to Amsterdam.

Time for a leisurely lunch in Amsterdam,
then off on the seven hour flight to Boston
First we had to stand in line for a grilling
by Delta reps before boarding.

The little red bag with us, we were treated
to a nonstop conversation by two loud
Eastern Europeans sitting in front of us,
thus ruining any chance for sleep.

Down in Logan Airport in Boston to be
herded in long lines through three 
separate machinations by customs officials,
the little red bag trailing behind.

Finally we were able to get to the baggage area
and retrieve our two large suitcases.
When we tried to exit, we were herded to 
another room for baggage inspection.

With about two hundred passengers lined up,
it looked like we would be another hour.
Suddenly the customs crew decided to wave
everyone out the door without inspection.

Now at this point, we were brain dead.
We had the two large suitcases in a cart.
Barbara was going to pull the little red bag.
I took off like a shot, pushing the cart.

We had been back and forth on the phone
with Ray, our limo driver, who had already
been waiting an hour for us, then called 
him again to say we were on our way out.

At this point, memory is clouded.
All we can say is that when we arrived home,
there was no little red bag in the car.
Ray said he never loaded such an item.

Despair.  Is it gone forever?
Not so;  nine days later, a latino voice
informed us that they (who?) had found
the bag (where?) with no tag (somewhere?).

He said he would send it on to Delta, 
then abruptly hung up, without further explanation.
Meanwhile, we had filed a lost item report 
with Delta, and were awarded a case number. 

A week later, Delta emailed to say they
could not find our little red bag.
A day or so after that, a lady called to 
say they had it in Delta lost and found.

So we asked Ray to pick it up on one of his 
runs to the airport, which he did, delivering 
this precious item right to our front door.
Inside a pocket was Barbara's card, written on.

This is another reason why we have taken an 
oath never to travel outside the country again.
Now we understand why we saw no other 
old people on either of the transatlantic flights.

Viking River Cruise

On our stay in Amsterdam before the cruise
we fulfilled a lifetime objective of 
visiting the restored Rijkes Museum, 
a splendid all-day experience.

The works of the Dutch masters
were displayed in the great hall
in separate enclaves for the most famous,
leaving room for photos of their paintings.

But we have taken an oath
never to travel out of the country again.
The outgoing day was difficult;
the return passage was nearly impossible.

In between were highlights and disappointments.
The promotional literature summoned up seeing
beautiful vistas while slowly gliding down the rivers
with occasional stops at interesting venues.

The reality was an unbroke regimen of 
herding large groups of passengers into buses,
then dropping them off for two hour walks
on cobblestone streets through medieval villages.

The guides spoke nonstop into walking radios
on the local history of governance and disasters
through the centuries, and on the lives and
scandals of the royals and clergy therein.

Naturally, we ignored the lectures and
took pictures constantly inside and out.
Fortunately, the dates of each shot will
help us to remember where we were.

We focussed on the churches,
ranging from lofty cathedrals and
brilliantly decorated rococo chapels
to somber reconstructions of WWII ruins.

Highlights included climbing up to a genuine castle,
walking through a walled town in a modern city,
and a slow tour through Buda and Pest, with
lights ablaze on the major buildings.

At one point, we were so exhausted
that we had to take a day off to remain
on the ship while the hardy tourists 
walked around Bratislava in the rain.

A low point was our transfer from one ship
to another, because the low water level
prevented our first boat from transiting
the locks on the Main River canal.

Although the food was somewhat bizarre, 
we enjoyed sitting with different people
who came from all over the U.S.A. and
as far as Australia and New Zealand.

The ship itself was super clean, with
service provided by bright youngsters
of many nationalities, who smiled constantly
and were anxious to respond to our requests.

Our conclusion is that the Viking River Cruise,
as it is currently operated, is beyond the
capabilities of most elderly people like us,
and should be marketed as such.

Eighty-seven

I am eighty-seven
which by any measure
is an advanced age, 
reached only by a select number.

Despite the debilities of age, 
I can stand upright,
walk and talk too much,
and make sense sometimes.

Two doctors in recent exams
said that I was good for ten more years, 
which begs the question:
When do I stop driving?

When I retired after forty-four years 
of employment in five careers, 
I still had not decided what I was
going to do when I grew up.

So in twenty years of retirement, 
I mastered the computer,
learned how to invest wisely,
hiked and biked all over Cape Cod.

My legacy is the website: "cctrails.org,"
including my book: "Long Walks on Cape Cod."
Now I enjoy the woods just as much
in hour-long strolls on pleasant days.

I changed my academic field to the
study of Christianity and its doctrine,
participating in small study groups, 
leading discussion and guiding leaders.

My children are my pride; not exactly my joy.
Independent of mind, they followed
the advice of their parents, who encouraged
them to make their own way in the world.

The apple truly does not fall far from the tree.
They have met all the statutory requirements: 
Get an education, get a job, get married,
stay married, and live an upright life.

They have raised their children to be upright 
also, attending to their needs and problems
(maybe with a little too much attention), and
encouraging them to follow their stars.

Grandchildren have not figured much in my life.
They are fun when young, going to the beach and such.
But they ignore you in their teens, and you
become simply a silent observer thereafter.

Seven years ago, God presented someone
athwart my path who made my life a joy
by choosing to spend her life with me.
We do indeed live happily ever after.

Still, I do not forget those who left me.
Their pictures greet me every morning.
When I join them someday, 
I will hear:  "What took you so long?"

St. David's Update

Average Sunday Attendance at St. David's Church 
in South Yarmouth, MA, is 110 worshippers, 
including choir, clergy, ushers, children.  That 
compares to 150 in 2013, 

The stewardship drive topped out at 208K in pledges.
The goal of 220K is planned to be reached by public
fundraisers, such as a silent auction and a summer 
barbecue.  Plate offerings in the past averaged 15K.
The thrift shop and rental of Nelson Hall could 
bring in another 15K.

Thus an optimistic income of 250K would be 65K
short of a lean budget of 315K.  And the diocesan
assessment of 25K must be paid in full.  The 
amount needed to compensate a full-time rector, 
according to diocesan requirements, cannot be met
without substantial gifts, and/or significant 
withdrawal from the funds invested in the diocesan
trust.

St, David's suffers from a continuing decline in 
members, with no plan to attract new people.

A Church Downsized

"No, our church didn't go bust,"
said the churchwarden of St. XXXXXX.
"We were slaves to our buildings,
we couldn't afford the upkeep anymore.

"So we decided to sell the property,
and move to rented quarters.
The move worked out pretty well,
but we're having problems with the sale."

"The Episcopal diocese claims the proceeds,
under a church law called the Dennis canon.
They say the diocese has an 'implied trust'
over the property of its member parishes."

"We don't know how that will work out, 
neither does the lawyer we hired.
She does believe our liquid assets are safe,
although the diocese is trying to seize them."

"St. XXXXX is a functioning corporation, 
which has moved to another location.
Whether we own or rent is irrelevant;
we have not missed a Sunday of services."

"Our focus is on our main objectives:
bringing the saving grace to all who worship
with us, and engaging in charitable outreach
to the community around us."

"We employ a full-time pastor, paying her
the prescribed salary and allowances.
We pay the diocesan assessment on time,
which will have to be reduced."

"Our church has had to give up sponsoring
activities that used our former property/
AA groups and the thrift shop are gone.
The daycare operation moved elsewhere."

"We have an active network of 
church groups meeting in homes,
for education, moral support, and
simple fellowship and hospitality."

"All in all, our church regulars
are pleased with the new arrangement,
finding it much easier to invite
new people to meet with us."

"Our expenses are modest, operating
on sort of a pay-as-you-go system.
We don't worry anymore about 
what we can afford doing."

A Church For Sale

Church for Sale

"Both the land and the buildings 
are for sale," said the agent.
"The property just came on the market,
so they're all in pretty good shape."

"The old building in front has some
kind of historical protection, so it
can't be torn down.  If you use it,
it may need some upgrading."

"The church complex is from the
seventies.  They took real good 
care of it.  Put in two ACs to 
protect the organ and cool the crowd!"

"The big building in back is what
they called a parish hall.  It has
a commercial kitchen and storage.
Would be fine for parties and receptions."

"No, the day care outfit has no 
lease on the space they use.
The church didn't charge them
anything; it was all on charity."

"I don't know why the church went bust.
I work for the seller, what they 
call a diocese.  The woman who hired
us is a lawyer for the seller."

"This is not a great location for business,
so we told them to set a realistic price.
You would have to advertise a lot 
to build a clientele here."

"On the other hand, this is a great
place for something that blends
into a historic neighborhood.
Just don't plan on much signage."

"Yes, that is a landscaper next door.
They are grandfathered into the site.
You may have to initiate some legal 
action to get them to remove the pile of dirt."

"The parking lot needs regrading,
better yet, paved with asphalt.
It is plenty big enough to host
capacity crowds for local events."

"Yes, that is a memorial garden.
No one is buried there, in a casket, that is.  
What you see are places where the 
ashes of people are stuck in the ground."

"The seller hasn't said what should
happen to the memorial garden.
Maybe they will just ask people to
remove the ashes, if they want."

"So let me know it you're interested.
I may be able to get someone who
used to go to this church to tell you
a little more about its history."

A Quiet Christmas

This has been the quietest Christmas
that I have ever spent.
Memories of past celebrations
flood the memory banks.

In an unheated stone church in Germany,
built during Charlemagne's reign,
a children's choir in dirndls and lederhosen
sang a touching, "Stille Nacht!"

Eleven o'clock evening services
or thereabouts in eight Episcopal churches;
one in which I began a tradition
of ushers in black tie and dinner jacket.

Then the return to the house for
a midnight repast, mostly alcoholic,
with guests, usually oddball characters
whom we barely knew and promptly forgot.

Early on, Mr. and Mrs Santa Claus
labored into the wee hours.
In later years, a designated slave
assembled the do-it-yourself items.

Ma and Pa staggered down 
the stairs as late as possible
to see the stockings being emptied,
get some stollen in their stomachs.

After the Santa Claus days were over
a strict order of opening presents was imposed.
One by one, each person in turn
selected a gift, and opened it for all to see.

I forget when the standing rib roast tradition began
but it was a welcome change from turkeys.
The only problem was that it took all day to cook
while Pa again failed to master Yorkshire pudding.

Dessert was often a flaming pudding
which was both hazardous and hard to eat.
By late afternoon, chaos had faded to stupor.
The progeny then scattered to various venues.

This year, Barbara and I were alone,
attending a Christmas Eve service at seven.
In bed by ten as usual, we had
a leisurely pancake breakfast next morning.

Our major presents were already in use,
so we took pictures holding the boxes
of a Canon Power Shoot camera for her
and a 40 inch Panasonic Smart TV for me.

God bless you all, have a Happy New Year,
and forgive my lengthy lucubration!

2014 photos

Christmas 2014

Cape Cod's famous hydrangeas, view from the deck of our house

USMA Class of 1949 65th reunion at West Point, alumni in dark blue blazers

North rim of the Grand Canyon, Yellowstone Park (it really blew!)

Christmas 2014

F. Scott Fitzgerald was wrong.  
There are second acts in American lives.
Barbara and I are privileged to enjoy
a second act in very long lives.

I will be 87 in March, God willing;
she just turned 85 in November.
We experience as much good health
as people our age can reasonably expect.

Looking at the picture attached,
you see part of the enormous garden
Barbara has created, in a bank of
Cape Cod's famous hydrangeas.

Every morning and throughout the day
we see a view of marsh and tidal waters,
an ever-changing sea sky to the east,
and the antics of native wildlife.

The reunion at West Point was a
bittersweet occasion for the forty some
classmates who attended, showing the
mental and physical ravages of age.

From Phoenix to Rapid City, SD
we toured eight of the national parks, 
took hundreds of pictures of the sights 
survived long and hectic days.

Barbara made two arduous hops to
attend family reunions, so we were glad
to have two of her daughters here
to celebrate a real family thanksgiving.

Christmas and New Year holidays 
will find us alone again, but with 
numerous cultural events beforehand
to get in the spirit of the season.

Our attention is focussed on saving
the two institutions we follow closely,
the art museum Barbara helped to found,
and our troubled local church.

May you have good health, good times,
and good friends this holiday season, and
the peace which passeth understanding
all throughout the new year 

Conclusion

Conclusion

This is the end of the analysis of the situation of St. David's Episcopal Church 
in South Yarmouth, MA.  The objectives of the Diocese of Massachusetts and
of the current leadership of St. David's have become clear.  As it has for the 
three little churches profiled under "Church Finances" below, the diocese 
recommends that St. David's use as much of its endowment as necessary to 
hire a new rector, probably paying only 3/4 of prescribed compensation.  

There is apparently no limit to how much a parish can withdraw from its 
endowment annually, although a limit of four percent has been the norm.
Thus the diocese finds positions for as many clergy as possible, and the little
churches, including St. David's, keep the doors open for declining congregations.
The diocesan assessment thereupon becomes a transfer of funds from parish 
endowment to the diocese, which was 32K in 2013.

St. David's is now a prisoner of the diocese, which controls the disposition of
part time clergy as well as full time.  If the parish sought to continue with only
part time clergy filling in occasionally, the diocese could stop them.  A full 
time "rector" would have to be fully vetted by the diocese, regardless of how
much that person is paid.  The default to any action taken by the parish that
does not meet diocesan demands will be the seizure and forfeiture of assets
and buildings.

Church Analysis

Church Analysis

Analysis of the spreadsheet, “Church Statistics”

The spreadsheet is a compilation of bar graph charts available at http://pr.dfms.org/study.

The figures contained therein were supplied by each church annually.

All the ten Episcopal churches on Cape Cod have a clergyperson listed as “rector.”

The minimum compensation required for a full-time rector by the Episcopal Diocese of 
Massachusetts is 100K per year, which is composed of salary, health insurance, and pension contribution.  

Therefore, it is doubtful that the three churches at the bottom are paying, or could pay that

amount to their rectors.  Some other arrangement must be in force.

Based on the operating costs of St. David’s, about 180K per year is required for staff,

utilities, and maintenance at most churches. The bottom three are well below.

Churches five through seven have insufficient funds, also, and must rely on withdrawals from
endowed funds to achieve a balanced budget of 280K per year.

Churches one through four should be operating in the black, so long as the annual collections

continue at the 2013 level.

Levels of attendance have held steady for the past five years, with some ups and downs

during periods of transition in leadership. Trends vary for collections.

Reported levels of membership are grossly inflated in the underlying documents.  To be

accurate, they must be pruned of deceased, departed, and disaffected members.

Church Statistics

Attendance -- Collections	2009	2010	2011	2012	2013
Holy Spirit, Orleans	250 -- 430K	240 -- 435K	240 -- 485K	230 -- 450K	230 -- 430K
St. Mary's, Barnstable	170 -- 260K	260 -- 240K	160 -- 235K	180 -- 240K	200 -- 310K
St. Chrisopher's, Chatham	220 -- 410K	240-- 440K	230 -- 460K	220 -- 500K	200 -- 480K
St. Barnabas, Falmouth	200 -- 290K	210 -- 275K	210 -- 290K	200 -- 275K	190 -- 280K
St. David's, S. Yarmouth	140 --200K	120 --200K	140 --200K	140 --235K	150 -- 230K
St. John's, Sandwich	240 -- 260K	230 -- 240K	220 -- 230K	180 -- 250K	150 -- 210K
St. Peter's, Osterville	130 -- 240K	160 -- 300K	110 -- 290K	100 -- 270K	100 -- 230K
Christ, Harwich Port	90 -- 115K	110 -- 150K	100 -- 135K	110 -- 140K	100 -- 145K
St. Peter's, Buzzards Bay	75 -- 85K	80 -- 85K	85 -- 90K	90 --100K	100 -- 100K
St. Mary, Provincetown	80 -- 130K	70 -- 135K	75 -- 160K	75 -- 190K	70 -- 170K
.

Four Little Churches

Four Little Churches

Four little churches in a
large Episcopal diocese
are in  transition, searching
for the next rector.

None of them have
sufficient mesns to pay the
compensation for clergy
required by the diocese.

The diocesan consultsants
remommend that each church
withdraw large sums from
endowed funds to cover.

Inasmuch as the attendance and
collections at each church have
been declining for years, there
is little chance of replenishment.

The diocese pursues two aims:
Keep clergy employed while
insuring that the assessments
continue to flow to the diocese.

The consultants have suggested
paying only 3/4 of the prescribed
compensation for clergypersons
but retaining full assessments.

Faced with little prospect
of expanding their congregations,
the little churches will eventually
run out of endowed funds.

When this happens, and the
church closes its doors, the
remaining assets and buildings
revert to the diocese.

Not only does the church vanish,
but the buildings which the
people paid for over the years
are sold on the open market.

Incentives to Decline

Incentives to Decline: Why Some Churches Really Don't Want to Grow

By John Flowers and Karen Vannoy Posted on February 1st, 2010

This article is featured in the New Places for New People (Feb/Mar/Apr 2010) issue of Circuit Rider

Your congregation has been in significant decline for years. Members acknowledge that something must be done to reverse the decline. Plans are discussed and official votes are taken to make church growth a top priority, but with few results. Nothing seems to gain traction. When growth is a priority but nothing happens, low-grade depression and lethargy inevitably follow.

The slow death of certain denominations has been charted by polls, study groups, seminaries, and think tanks. Countless sermons are preached, classes are taught, books are written, and consultants are hired, in order to revitalize congregations. Denominational executives establish committees, task forces and study groups. Conferences are held and encouragement is given lip service, while privately, everyone knows the sad truth: few congregations will ever reverse decline once they are in its grip. The money, time, and effort are better spent on starting new congregations, because the old ones seem incapable of rebirth.

How can this be true for a faith founded on new life? If the gospel can prevail against the gates of hell, why can't it prevail against the massive decline facing our congregations?

No church members want to see their local congregation die. It would seem that their motivation to keep the church alive would be strong enough to overcome any obstacle, yet each year more churches close their doors while lamenting their fate. It is as if there are counterforces at work against the very changes that would bring new life.

We know along with Paul that there is perversity at work in the human heart and believe that same perversity can be at work on an organizational level as well. At an unconscious level, members of dying churches may be influenced by some hidden payoffs in the church's decline. Until we're willing to name and confront the incentives for decline that exist alongside the desire for new life, we may find our churches continuing to not do the thing they want but instead to do the very thing they hate.

Incentives for Decline

The individual member becomes more powerful the smaller the church. Members often hold more than one office in dying churches, their individual financial contributions carry more weight, and their absence has a bigger impact.

The church feels more intimate and familiar as it declines. With fewer people, you can know more about each other. Programs, traditions and experiences are more easily shared. Communication is easier because someone will call you to fill you in on what happened. Also, not as much is happening, so it's easier to stay informed.

The growing sense of familiarity and intimacy also make the church feel more caring. People notice when you aren't there. The pastor knows your name, and you are more likely to get personal pastoral attention.

While youth and children's programs are the first to decline in numbers, fewer children and youth provide for less disruption in worship, less pressure for change, and ease the strain on budgets and volunteers.

Fewer people make assimilation less work. Getting to know people is hard work. It requires an emotional investment in strangers, which gets more difficult as we age. As church growth ceases, the members can spend more time visiting with existing friends, which is more fun and enjoyable anyway. Six to ten new people a year is a manageable number to get to know.

The Church as a place of safety becomes primary over the risk of following Jesus. Just as some people live in a gated community to keep the world out, some church members feel safer with a symbolic gate around the church too. Laypersons with a high priority on safety and security issues are likely drawn to a church in decline. As churches decline, it becomes easier to exercise control and to minimize activities. Church growth brings increased vulnerability for a local congregation.

Finally, members with limited gifts and graces for leadership now find themselves in leadership positions. As the church declines and gifted leaders die off or leave, the remaining members are called upon to fill vacancies even if they don't possess the necessary gifts. Sometimes they are asked to fill multiple offices, and feel indispensable. The ill-suited leaders can become resistant to losing this recognition and power.

We can't begin the process of change without a frank discussion of the behaviors that feed the decline. Some individuals, like some congregations, will never get there. But healthy processes can be built while incentives are phased out.

Addressing the Incentives

Limit everyone to one office. This will meet with resistance and may need to be implemented over a 2-3 year period. In all likelihood, some offices will be left vacant. Begin by eliminating at large committee members and use the minimum number required. Name coordinators for broad ministry areas—witness, outreach and nurture—without naming committee members. Coordinators can recruit volunteers as needed. The Leadership Committee must train for a new kind of leadership that focuses on uncovering new ministries and allowing existing programs to “maintain” themselves.

To counterbalance the disruption that comes from growth, lay a new groundwork to meet the members' need for intimacy. Develop a lay-led system for caring for the membership that doesn't place you at the center. (Some members will undoubtedly feel this is “your job.” Lead Bible studies, write articles, and preach on Acts 6:1-7 until the membership understands and values the practice of caring for one another.) As you develop the network, make sure that caring for newcomers takes place as well. They aren't as easily missed as longtime members are, so save your oversight to make sure they don't fall through the cracks.

Change the focus of what it means to lead. Most dying churches are already organized into small groups for existing members through Sunday school, UMW, and informal friendship networks. It isn't the job of leadership to maintain these groups; celebrate that these groups are self-sufficient. The job of leadership is to develop new small groups for new people to connect. When you can identify twenty people who attend worship but aren't connected anywhere else, it's time for a new group to form. Solicit one or two longtime members to help you lead the new group, with the idea of taking over the leadership from you. If no one steps forward, start a new group anyway, knowing God will provide!

New people will neither know nor value the church's history as much as longtime members do. Let the established members channel their energy into writing both a detailed history and a brief history of your congregation. (By brief, we mean no more than one page). Use the brief history with newcomers. When too much emphasis is placed on a church's history, we communicate that our best days are behind us, not ahead. Who wants to join a church whose best days are gone?

With growth comes difficulties in communication. Develop the idea that members can't know everything that's happening by modeling it yourself. We hope for the day when our church is so active that we can't know everything going on at the church. Hallelujah when something happens without our knowing it! Instill new methods of communicating while constantly reinforcing the idea that no individual can know everything that's happening in the church. Make sure that websites, online newsletters, e-mail, prayer groups, telephone trees, and bulletin boards are up-to-date. If information is readily available, communication complaints tend to be about control issues.

Nothing can change the enjoyment received from visiting with old friends, so it is important to intentionally recruit and train people whose sole job each Sunday is to connect with newcomers. Surf the websites of growing congregations to see how they welcome newcomers. (Letting visitors know what to expect is especially important.) Select the people who seem naturally outgoing and friendly with a heart for the gospel, and place them near the doors. Check in each week for their contacts, how their conversations went, and what they learned. Maintain a list of the information, and every 4-6 weeks contact the new people to see if they are becoming connected to your congregation (if they aren't, it's time to start a new group). When the numbers get too big for you to handle, you'll know it's time to turn this task over to your lay leadership!

If you have limited children or youth, accept that this will take a while to grow and begin to look for possible seeds. Who in your congregation has a passion for ministry with children or youth? Which schools and childcare facilities are closest to your location? What needs might your church meet for those families? After-school care? Drama, arts, or singing groups? What about the grandchildren of your members? Are there children in your neighborhood? Your assets are that you have a big, empty building! Host birthday parties, Saturday playtimes, “Friday Night Out” babysitting services. Whatever you do, make sure you are tying these families in with your congregation, not just with a service you are providing.

Some members will never be positive about the work of growing the local church. As leaders, we need to listen to their concerns, measure the effect of those concerns on others, and yet stay focused on the vision that God calls all churches to make new disciples. In his book Hope Within History, Walter Brueggemann points out the importance of naming our pain. Only when we do that can we begin to dream again.



Karen Vannoy and John Flowers are co-pastors of First United Methodist Church in Phoenix, Arizona, and coauthors of Not Just a One-Night Stand: Ministry with the Homeless. 

Church Finances

Church Finances

October 7, 2014

(Excerpts from the Parish Profiles of three churches seeking new rectors, as
published on the website of the Episcopal Diocese of Massachusetts.)

Trinity Episcopal Church, Marshfield, MA

OUR FINANCES, like the finances of many churches today continue to present

challenges to our community. Although our 2013 budgeted expenses exceeded our

actual income, we ended the year better than expected. Our actual income in 2013

was $215,335 with expenses of $226,717. The 2013 income included a $36,944

draw from our endowment funds. This draw from our endowment fund is just $9,000

over the recommended 4% draw. Our church is fortunate enough to have two

endowment funds, worth a combined total of $669,161 at the end of 2013 that gives

us the ability to present a balanced budget. In 2013, income from pledges

accounted for 43% of our revenue with additional plate offerings accounting for an

additional 5%. 

Our budgeted expenses for 2014 presents essentially the same picture with

expected expenditures of $223,377 and our income continues to reflect an expected

draw from our endowments, now targeted to be $73,062. Our pledges for this year

represent 39% of our budget and other Sunday collections account for

approximately 4% of the budget. As of May 30, 2014, our endowment funds totaled

$691,863, which included a withdrawal this year of $34,795. As a congregation we

know that it is not prudent to continue to rely upon our endowments to balance our

operating budget. It is our hope that our new ¾ time Rector is willing and able to

motivate and energize our congregation in a new way which will lead to greater

visibly and involvement in the community and create an environment in which

people will want to join our Trinity family. We, as a congregation, are making every

effort to balance our finances and minimize our draw from our endowment.

(Trinity Church attendance has declined from about 75 to 60 persons.)

St. John's Church, Westwood, MA

Through the support of our congregation and partnership with our diocese, 
St. John’s will thrive for the next 50 years and beyond. St. John’s Vestry has 
managed its budget, successfully raised additional funds through the Together 
Now Capital Campaign and sustained its annual Stewardship Campaign to meet 
capital and operational commitments.

(St. John’s has had a Priest-in-Charge for the past three years.  Plate and pledge 
collection has declined from $180K to $150K in that time.  Average Sunday 
attendance is holding at about 70.)

The annual Stewardship drive funds the operating needs of the church each fiscal 
year. Over the last 3 years, parishioner contributions have been steady but the total 
contributions have been flat, year over year. Contributions from long time families 
and individuals represent the majority of the contributors, so greater contributions 
from newer parishioners and families will be needed. An additional source of income 
is rental of the nursery school wing to St. John’s Nursery School. The rectory is 
currently being rented to a parishioner but is an option for the living quarters of our 
new Rector. 

St. James Church, Amesbury, MA

St. James has consistently operated in the black, with the recent exception of 2011, a

year in which St. James spent nearly $100,000 on building improvements, some of

which was spent in advance of insurance reimbursements received in 2012. With an

annual operating budget of ~$145,000, St. James is well capitalized with over

$100,000 of investment assets as a backstop to the current year’s working capital.

That said, St. James has been the beneficiary of a single large annual gift for several

years. This generous gift has represented 30% to 40% of our annual income for nearly

a decade, and replacing this income with the pledges of new members is the number

one priority of our vestry and stewardship committee.

In 2006, when the new Priest-in-Charge was assigned to St. James, the finances of the

church were in disarray. Having had one rector in place for 20 years, standards and

procedures had become lax. Our Priest-in-Charge put in place a series of best

practices for bookkeeping, audit, and financial oversight that have been integrated into

the daily operations of the parish, and significantly improved the transparency of St.

James’ finances.

The decision of St. James to fund the increased cost of a new “3/4 time” rector is

calculated to support the growth required to achieve a growth in membership and

thereby achieve financial self-sufficiency by 2018. The vestry of St. James has

approved the proposed deficit spending, to be financed in the near term with savings,

and in the long term with increased pledge revenues.

(St. James has declined in attendance from 100 to 70 persons.)