So I finally got around to opening up my latest copy of "Christianity Today", and I was reading the little news bits when this one struck me: Denominations Join Episcopalian Diocese in Fight Over Church Property.;)
Image: Manhattan Sign by The Impression That I Get at FlickrThe story explains that 16 other denominational bodies are putting their noses into the business between the Episcopal Church in America and their more conservative defectors, the Convocation of Anglicans in North America. If you don't know what this is all about, it centers around the Episcopal Church's choice to "ok" an openly practicing homosexual bishop and a few other things.Those who were at odds with what had been pretty much the only Episcopalian church in America said "we're out of here" and formed their own churches, predominantly calling themselves "Anglicans" as opposed to "Episcopalian" (the two terms used to mean the same thing).There is a church here in Tallahassee, St. Peter's Anglican, that split away from St. John's Episcopal. It was a messy split and lots of feelings were hurt on both sides. Since there were two factions within the church, it makes sense that one side had to go and find property someplace else. St. Peter's Anglican found some property and is doing quite well.However, what happens when your entire congregation votes to leave the church body that you were at least formerly a part of? A lot of it depends on who holds the deed to your congregation's physical place and stuff (endowment funds, projectors and electronics, etc). 11 churches in Virginia are using an old Virginia law to say, "it's our [expletive] church, and we'll do with it as we [expletive] please." 16 denominations don't agree, including a Lutheran body - the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America.I know that in the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA), they probably are siding with the Episcopalians and not the Anglicans for two distinct reasons:a.) they have established altar and pulpit fellowship with the Episcopalian Church in Americab.) they, in effect, "hold the deeds" to their churches - if any church of the ELCA leaves, it leaves the property of that church in the hands of the ELCA.I would be interested in how many of the 16 denominations that agreed with the Episcopalians in this case also hold the deeds to their member churches....hmnnn...p.s. By way of contrast, another Lutheran church body (mine), the Lutheran Church Missouri Synod (LCMS), allows its member churches to hold their own community/congregational property. In most cases, if a church felt led to leave the LCMS, they would also take the church property with them. This is not a random choice, but something that deals directly with how church communities/parishes etc are viewed in Lutheran Church Missouri Synod theology and ecclesiology (how the church is put together). The LCMS, as a body, views itself as many congregations who are bound together as a confederacy around certain principles. The local congregation, however, is autonomous and can make any decision it wishes to - including the decision to stop "walking with" the LCMS on certain issues.For example, if a congregation suddenly felt led to ordain an openly practicing homosexual pastor (clearly against the norms of the LCMS because of the LCMS view of Scripture), it could do so and still consider itself a congregation. However, they would no longer consider themselves a congregation of the LCMS, because they were not united behind the same principles as their brother and sister congregations. Additionally, the administration of the LCMS is not considered to be a part of the "Church", but rather as something para-church that stands outside of this gathered confederacy to give it structure and form.Confusing? You bet, but in times when individual communities are making hard choices about allegiances, it's good to know.Some questions:+ Do you think churches should hold property rights, or church bodies and denominations? (some convincing arguments can be made both ways) What are your reasons?+ If your church suddenly lost all of its property (buildings, electronics, books, etc) and had to start from scratch, what kinds of issues do you think you would have to start facing first? How would you solve those problems?