Thank you David for this wonderful series. It filled in a few gaps, revived many special memories and reminded me of the courage, wisdom and faith you modeled as a leader. I will forever be thankful for our friendship and God guiding our family to Christ Church.
Very well written- and very enlightening. Thank you for this series- I can see that it is going to really help to “fill in the blanks” for me. And yes- thank you for your steadfastness in our faith. After the recent conclave, I suppose we are lucky, in a way, to have had the choice to split- it must be excruciating to be Catholic in a lot of ways.
Thanks for this, another sobering and uplifting story of God's faithfulness. A decade ago, I felt compelled to break up, too, with a non-denominational group. I did not know where to go for a while. But thanks to your decisions of faith and those you gathered with, I was able to discover an Anglican church that was faithful to the apostolic commission, full of the Holy Spirit, God-centered in worship, and committed to church planting. I tried church planting without worship, and it crushed me.
I was on the Dallas Diocesan Council. Bishop Stanton ruled that a congregation seeking a separation from the Diocese would be like a pastoral irreconcilable difference between a rector and a vestry and that like that case, he and the Standing Committee would seek a pastoral resolve and unlike Bishop Shori and her lawyers, not make it a legal matter for lawyers and courts to decide.
Bishop Stanton’s decision was in retrospect a courageous decision that kept us out of litigation and all the legal expenses, and allowed a pastoral decision to be made. As you acknowledge, a Godly Bishop makes a difference.
A key question about the property was whether a congregation leaving with their property created a situation with no Episcopal presence in that community. So St Francis left Dallas and joined Ft Worth with Bishop Iker. We had two parishes near them so they were granted permission to leave with no financial settlement.
Resurrection, Fr Ted’s former parish, wanted to leave sell there property and move east. That would have left us without a presence in that area. They were not allowed to keep and sell the property. As you noted, they were free to leave. They left with our blessing.
Christ Church presented us with the same situation so we would have no parish in Plano. However since you owed a very large debt on the remodeled parish hall, many members pf the Diocesan leadership could not imagine holding on to the property with the millions of debt. So they agreed to allow you to leave and maintain your property.
Several of us opposed the settlement because we would be left without a parish in one of our most vibrant and growing communities. We were out voted.
The price we paid was that there is still no Episcopal Church in Plano. And with the loss of your assessment, we didn’t have the resources to start a new one. We were forced to use the financial payment to subsidize the diocesan budget for the next four years. The national church had no role in this decision.
Your leaving and having title to the property was a gracious action by Bishop Stanton, and the majority of our leadership who did have the legal right to keep the property but believed it was best for all of us to reach a mutual decision. If only the rest of TEC had acted in such a way.
Like any divorce, it is painful on all sides. I posted this to clarify the Diocesan decision. I am a fan of Christ Church and since I accept the ACNA as Anglicans and hence our brothers and sister, I am glad that Christ Church’s ministry and mission continues. I only regret that we were unable to create an Episcopal Church in Plano to gather the Christ Church members who wished to continue as Episcopalians.
Very good,Kevin. I appreciate the inside story. I didnt know.
A few years after the settlement, as Jim was retiring, I made an appointment with him to thank him for what he had done.
We met for coffee. Hugged the man. I thanked him for what he had done. We parted friends.
I didn’t know about one parish per city policy. That doesn’t sound like anything the diocese had ever thought of before.
And yes, we had a debt. It was large and it would have sunk the diocese. Close to 5 Million as I remember. We managed it and paid it off in five years.
Jim told me he let us go for different reasons than you’ve mentioned. He knew we were a single founder parish. We had bought and paid for everything in a single generation. It should be ours, he reasoned. And whatever the diocese had given to in, exclusive of my salary, he wanted it paid back.
The point of telling the stories is to lay out the truth. And I’m glad to have your perspective.
I echo Brian’s sentiments… reading this reminds me too of your courage, wisdom and faith as our leader. We could see and feel the weight of it all on your shoulders. You led us with confidence, courage and steadfastness… thank you.
I remember those conferences and their impact on my personal relationship with the Episcopal Church. I was on the vestry in Taos, New Mexico and discussed privately leaving the church. A dear friend and cradle Episcopalian convinced me that to impact change, one had to stay inside the church and I believed him and stayed. And it never felt right until we left Taos and came to the Dallas area in 2013 and found Christ Church. Thank you for this difficult history lesson, David.
In my opinion, any church that does not preach and teach in total agreement with the word of God as found in His Word, the Bible, is not a Christian church. The Bible is the supreme source of truth for Christian beliefs and living. It’s inspired by God and is the truth without error. It is the sole authority for life; it is literal and accurate. It sounds like you made a wise and necessary decision to leave the Episcopal denomination.
Thanks for this writing and for taking the steps you did, which helped pave the way for people like me, who, having evangelical roots, longed for more. I was so joyful to find an Anglican Church with the apostolic gospel and ancient worship. Such vitality!
Thank you David for this wonderful series. It filled in a few gaps, revived many special memories and reminded me of the courage, wisdom and faith you modeled as a leader. I will forever be thankful for our friendship and God guiding our family to Christ Church.
It has been a trip down memory lane AND very therapeutic to remember and write these stories. I’ve love it!
Very well written- and very enlightening. Thank you for this series- I can see that it is going to really help to “fill in the blanks” for me. And yes- thank you for your steadfastness in our faith. After the recent conclave, I suppose we are lucky, in a way, to have had the choice to split- it must be excruciating to be Catholic in a lot of ways.
These stories are hearty food for thought and timely with being almost 20 years on from 2006. Thank you.
Thanks for this, another sobering and uplifting story of God's faithfulness. A decade ago, I felt compelled to break up, too, with a non-denominational group. I did not know where to go for a while. But thanks to your decisions of faith and those you gathered with, I was able to discover an Anglican church that was faithful to the apostolic commission, full of the Holy Spirit, God-centered in worship, and committed to church planting. I tried church planting without worship, and it crushed me.
I was on the Dallas Diocesan Council. Bishop Stanton ruled that a congregation seeking a separation from the Diocese would be like a pastoral irreconcilable difference between a rector and a vestry and that like that case, he and the Standing Committee would seek a pastoral resolve and unlike Bishop Shori and her lawyers, not make it a legal matter for lawyers and courts to decide.
Bishop Stanton’s decision was in retrospect a courageous decision that kept us out of litigation and all the legal expenses, and allowed a pastoral decision to be made. As you acknowledge, a Godly Bishop makes a difference.
A key question about the property was whether a congregation leaving with their property created a situation with no Episcopal presence in that community. So St Francis left Dallas and joined Ft Worth with Bishop Iker. We had two parishes near them so they were granted permission to leave with no financial settlement.
Resurrection, Fr Ted’s former parish, wanted to leave sell there property and move east. That would have left us without a presence in that area. They were not allowed to keep and sell the property. As you noted, they were free to leave. They left with our blessing.
Christ Church presented us with the same situation so we would have no parish in Plano. However since you owed a very large debt on the remodeled parish hall, many members pf the Diocesan leadership could not imagine holding on to the property with the millions of debt. So they agreed to allow you to leave and maintain your property.
Several of us opposed the settlement because we would be left without a parish in one of our most vibrant and growing communities. We were out voted.
The price we paid was that there is still no Episcopal Church in Plano. And with the loss of your assessment, we didn’t have the resources to start a new one. We were forced to use the financial payment to subsidize the diocesan budget for the next four years. The national church had no role in this decision.
Your leaving and having title to the property was a gracious action by Bishop Stanton, and the majority of our leadership who did have the legal right to keep the property but believed it was best for all of us to reach a mutual decision. If only the rest of TEC had acted in such a way.
Like any divorce, it is painful on all sides. I posted this to clarify the Diocesan decision. I am a fan of Christ Church and since I accept the ACNA as Anglicans and hence our brothers and sister, I am glad that Christ Church’s ministry and mission continues. I only regret that we were unable to create an Episcopal Church in Plano to gather the Christ Church members who wished to continue as Episcopalians.
Very good,Kevin. I appreciate the inside story. I didnt know.
A few years after the settlement, as Jim was retiring, I made an appointment with him to thank him for what he had done.
We met for coffee. Hugged the man. I thanked him for what he had done. We parted friends.
I didn’t know about one parish per city policy. That doesn’t sound like anything the diocese had ever thought of before.
And yes, we had a debt. It was large and it would have sunk the diocese. Close to 5 Million as I remember. We managed it and paid it off in five years.
Jim told me he let us go for different reasons than you’ve mentioned. He knew we were a single founder parish. We had bought and paid for everything in a single generation. It should be ours, he reasoned. And whatever the diocese had given to in, exclusive of my salary, he wanted it paid back.
The point of telling the stories is to lay out the truth. And I’m glad to have your perspective.
Keep commenting.
D
I echo Brian’s sentiments… reading this reminds me too of your courage, wisdom and faith as our leader. We could see and feel the weight of it all on your shoulders. You led us with confidence, courage and steadfastness… thank you.
Now if only I could lead a trip to the Holy Land!!!!
Thanks.
Let us know if you do lead a group to thr Holy Land! I would love to go back!
I remember those conferences and their impact on my personal relationship with the Episcopal Church. I was on the vestry in Taos, New Mexico and discussed privately leaving the church. A dear friend and cradle Episcopalian convinced me that to impact change, one had to stay inside the church and I believed him and stayed. And it never felt right until we left Taos and came to the Dallas area in 2013 and found Christ Church. Thank you for this difficult history lesson, David.
Thank you for sharing this very personal story. So important for us to see how the Lord led you and the church through these trying times.
In my opinion, any church that does not preach and teach in total agreement with the word of God as found in His Word, the Bible, is not a Christian church. The Bible is the supreme source of truth for Christian beliefs and living. It’s inspired by God and is the truth without error. It is the sole authority for life; it is literal and accurate. It sounds like you made a wise and necessary decision to leave the Episcopal denomination.
Thanks for this writing and for taking the steps you did, which helped pave the way for people like me, who, having evangelical roots, longed for more. I was so joyful to find an Anglican Church with the apostolic gospel and ancient worship. Such vitality!