Anglican Watch

Financial Transparency: An Epic Failing of the Episcopal Church

One of the great truths of non-profit governance is the importance of transparency. As one CPA firm puts it, “Transparency is a trust building tool; the more transparent your organization becomes, the more trustworthy you will be viewed by the public, donors, and regulators. It is important for non-profit organizations to clearly state their mission and communicate the outcomes of their actions to the outside… Read More »

Coming Soon: Parochial Report Results

One of the great traditions of the Episcopal Church is about to again to hit the radars of us governance weenies. In just a few days, the national church will report the results of the annual parochial report, a tradition that dates to the earliest days of the church. Reporting a variety of statistical data that reflects the… Read More »

Episcopal Church Struggles With Eucharistic Theology Amidst Pandemic

During the late twentieth century, The Episcopal Church experienced a sea change as the liturgical renewal movement transformed the Holy Eucharist to the focus of divine worship in the church. The COVID-19 pandemic has, however, upended those changes, and the church is struggling to discern a path forward. Prior to the liturgical renewal movement, many parishes celebrated Holy… Read More »

St. Paul’s Alexandria VA Preschool Initiative Appears Headed for Crisis Amidst Fallout from Pandemic

As Episcopal churches throughout the US struggle to deal with the pandemic, many are seeing reduced income, faltering attendance, and other signs that suggest trouble down the road. But one church, located near this author, may be about to experience big trouble, due to its decision to launch a preschool even as the pandemic was bursting onto the… Read More »

Race and The Episcopal Church: Too Little, Too Late?

With much of the United States in turmoil over the death of African-American subjects in police custody, faith communities need to ask the questions, “What is our responsibility in this? Are we culpable?” In the case of The Episcopal Church, the answers to these questions are not good. Consider: It now has been more than 50 years since… Read More »

Is Church the Most Dangerous Place to be During the Pandemic?

Church. For many, even the unchurched. the word brings to mind comforting, familiar images. Images of Christmases and Easter long gone, glorious colors swirling through stained glass windows, playing out against reassuringly solid walls. Familiar sounds, scents, intermixed with friendly, welcoming faces. But is that image realistic during the pandemic? Or might the comfort many find in church… Read More »

On Death and Resurrection: Easter Reflections on the Future of the Episcopal Church

I loved my grandmother dearly. Like many in my family, she lived well into her 90’s. While she suffered from senile dementia in her later years, even in her final days she could carry on am extended and engaging conversation, despite her failing memory. Throughout 2019, it became clear that her days were drawing to a close. Minor… Read More »

Transparency and Communication During the Pandemic

Let’s face it. Churches generally aren’t good at communication. Nor are they great at transparency. But both are vital in these unprecedented times of pandemic. So why are churches so bad at these things? The answers are myriad, but several come to mind: Clergy trained in homiletics may be great talkers. But they often are lousy listeners and… Read More »

Failure of Episcopal Dioceses and Churches to Adopt Current Policies to Prevent Abuse Disrespects Abuse Survivors

During the 2015 General Convention (GC) of The Episcopal Church, two measures were passed that addressed abuse in the church. Measure 2015-A073 authorized the updating of Model Policies for the Protection of Children, while Measure 2015-A074 called for the update of the Safe Church Training Materials. The work was done by a GC-appointed task farce spearheaded by the eminently capable… Read More »

COVID-19, Love, and Regret

Recently I read an article from a nearby church talking about its reasons for shutting down in-person worship. Much of the content was predictable, but one portion really resonated for me. That was the comment that love requires us to minimize the possibility of regret. The concept of minimizing the possibility of regret is useful as we think… Read More »

Dumb and Dumber: Episcopal Bishops Fumble COVID-19 Response

Here in Virginia, where The Episcopal church spent much of the last decade noisily arguing in court that it is a hierarchy, there’s a not-so-delicious irony afoot. That is that the church’s response to the COVID-19 emergency has been inept, disorganized, and inchoate on multiple levels. In fact, it’s looking like something straight out of a congregational polity.… Read More »

A Note from The Editor

Many apologies for the delays in this weeks’ articles. My hands have been very full the past several weeks, with the death of my grandmother in early January, followed 20 days later by the death of my mother. That said, I am happy to report that I’m regrouping, and hope to be caught up before Monday. By the… Read More »

Exclusive Interview: Benningers Speak Out on Spiritual Abuse

In a recent USA Today article, the newspaper covered the harrowing story of spiritual abuse that Dominique and Megan Benninger and their family experienced when they blew the whistle on pastor Donald Foose, who had been convicted and jailed following charges he sexually molesting an underaged relative. Stripped of his teaching license by state education officials, Foose nonetheless became pastor… Read More »

Pro Publica Database of Credibly Accused Priests Added

Thanks to the generous efforts of non-profit investigative media organization Pro Publica, data on more that 6,000 Catholic priests has now been added to our online database. A few reflections: A data import of this sort is, especially now in the early phases, of necessity clunky. The category field of the existing database therefore has been used to… Read More »

Nine Signs Your Church is Dying

At a time when much of organized Christianity is in decline, many are fearful and anxious about the future. But what does this mean for your parish? How can you tell that your church is in danger? In recent years, I’ve spent a lot of time studying churches, what makes them tick, and how to tell if they… Read More »

Reflections on Spiritually Abusive Church Tenth Presbyterian

Ed: I recently asked Phil Snyder, who is being sued by his former church, Tenth Presbyterian in Philadelphia, about an upcoming hearing in the matter. Below are his thoughts. My conclusion is that the church’s efforts to silence Phil via this lawsuit, as well as its apparent smear campaign, in which it claims that Phil is mentally ill… Read More »

Why Me? The Importance of Sexual Misconduct Prevention and Training

For several years, I served as a diocesan sexual misconduct training and prevention facilitator. The experience was tremendously rewarding, and meeting people throughout the diocese a wonderful opportunity. That said, my sense was that even the most motivated cringed at the prospect of spending the better part of a Saturday in a classroom. And it wasn’t hard to… Read More »

Bethel Church of Redding CA Tried to Raise a Little Girl From the Dead. Guess What Didn’t Happen.

Ed: The following is reprinted with permission from The Wartburg Watch. Note that while I have deep concerns about the church’s conduct, I say that with utter respect for the child’s parents.Check out the references to the church’s Dead Raising Team, too. Seriously creepy. (As of this posting, the autopsy reports have not been made available to the… Read More »

More on Abusive Priest David Nix and the Suicide of Alana Chen

Yesterday, I received an email from Catholic priest David Nix, who is allegedly responsible for the death by suicide of Alana Chen. In Nix’s email (screen cap below), he demanded that I remove a reference to him on the site’s listing of abusive church leaders. That’s not going to happen, and here’s why. Before we go further, let’s… Read More »