South Carolina Episcopalians
Bearing Witness to the Resurrection of Jesus Christ through the Episcopal Church
Not exactly an official site of either diocese in South Carolina
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Welcome to our Home Page
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Scroll down for a summary of current news, then get the full story
on the pages listed on the right...
NEW! Loyal S.C. Episcopalians Urge National Church to Investigate the Diocese of South Carolina, as Bishop Lawrence Responds (September 25, 2010)
In a letter to Church leaders, the Episcopal Forum claims Lawrence has violated his vows and failed to protect Church property
Diocese mushes forward toward illegal Re-Convention Oct. 15th
Loyal Episcopalians in the Diocese of South Carolina this week pleaded with national Church leaders to formally investigate the current efforts of Bishop Mark Lawrence and his Standing Committee to effectively sever ties between the Diocese and the Episcopal Church.
In a dramatic letter to the Church's Executive Council and House of Bishops, the Episcopal Forum of South Carolina claims that Lawrence has abdicated his obligations as bishop in the Church by failing to act against parishes in rebellion, particularly in the case of St. Andrew's. Mt. Pleasant. The organization claims that Lawrence's goal is the “alienation and disassociation of the Diocese of South Carolina from the Episcopal Church."
Earlier this month Lawrence, who maintains the Diocese is “sovereign," asked delegates to last spring's Annual Convention to reconvene on October 15th and ratify six resolutions that effectively repeal the critical “accession” clause in the Diocesan Constitution, a requirement for membership in the Episcopal Church.
Without such a clause, a diocese forfeits it right to own Episcopal Church property and leaves the status of its clergy as Episcopal priests in limbo.
On Friday, Lawrence issued a response to the Forum’s accusations. His comments were more evasive than specific, except that he made clear that he is putting all his marbles on a recent oddball ruling by the S.C. Supreme Court that seemed to deny the legal status of the Episcopal Church as “hierarchical.” Without such status, it is arguable that the national Church can not lay claim to the assets of a diocese of parishes that choose to leave the Church.
Read the full story by clicking here
Bishop Waldo Lifts Sanction Against Linder (August 29, 2010)
Action clears the way for Cathedral leaders in Upper Diocese to consider dismissal
In a letter to the leaders of Trinity Cathedral over the weekend, Bishop Andrew Waldo cleared the way for the lay leadership of Trinity Cathedral in Columbia to dissolve its pastoral relationship with its Dean of eleven years. Read it all
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New Bishop's Handling of High-Profile Dispute at Trinity Cathedral Defines Him (August 14, 2010)
No one's asking "Where's Waldo?" now
Delegates to last December's Diocesan Convention knew the episcopate of Andrew Waldo would likely be a defining moment in the history of the sprawling Diocese of Upper South Carolina. After a jubilant consecration in April, its 28,000 clergy and lay people thought they'd be spending a lazy summer getting to know more about their upbeat and engaging new leader.
Few had any idea just how quickly that would happen.
Waldo's leadership and credibility would be tested almost immediately in the months following his consecration as long simmering antagonisms between the charismatic dean of the 4200-member Trinity Cathedral in Columbia and its high-powered Vestry erupted into a very public spectacle.
All of Waldo's planning for his get-to-know-you first year went out-the window. The people of the Diocese would get to see the kind of leader they had just elected on terms neither they nor their new bishop could possibly have anticipated.
Hostilities at the Cathedral boiled over in the early summer. Parish leaders were incensed that their increasingly independent Dean, Phil Linder, was making key administrative, staffing, and financial decisions that properly belonged to them. In spite of repeated attempts to reel him in, he'd turned a deaf ear to their concerns.
The Vestry's concerns echoed among the congregation. According to one source, "Phil just wouldn't listen to anybody".
Frustrations were running so high by mid-summer that nearly unanimous parish leaders signed off on a resolution calling for a special Vestry meeting to discuss "the dissolution of the pastoral relationship between Dean Linder and the Cathedral." Those signing included all but one current Vestry member, a number of past wardens, and the elected members of the Trinity Cathedral Foundation. Read it all
Exasperated parish leaders turned to Waldo for help. The Bishop's attempt to mediate the situation hit a snag a few days later when Linder violated Waldo's pastoral directive to both sides to refrain from discussing contentious issues between them in public.
According to insiders, Waldo had no choice but to suspend Linder from his position. In spite of the directive, the Dean and his wife continued to speak to parishioners and staff in a way that was characterized as building support for their looming confrontation with the Vestry and, if necessary, Waldo. (Linder's unpaid attorney disagrees with that interpretation of the Linder's actions.)
In a letter read to a full house on Sunday morning, the Bishop clearly stated that it was "Philip's behavior" that forced him to act. Waldo subsequently scheduled two pastoral sessions with members of the congregation to explain his actions and encourage them not to let the flap get in the way of their ministry
Parishioners are not optimistic that an outcome will be found that would include Linder's staying on as Dean. Support is running against him, and many feel things have gone to far too be repaired.
Significantly, Waldo actions won him near-universal praise from clergy and lay leaders in the Diocese. "He did what he should have done," said one lifelong Episcopalian in Greenville. "You can't let something like that fester."
This time last year Waldo was a parish priest in a small town in Minnesota. Since his election, he has been careful to gently navigate the Diocese's sometimes volatile politics and personalities.
Among his unique challenges in this instance is that the Dean was himself a candidate for bishop last December. The 50-year-old Linder has been at the Cathedral for nine years, and during that time developed a significant personal following. He widely credited with playing an important role in its recent highly-successful capital campaign.
Vestry members and other parish leaders at the Cathedral are no shrinking violets either. In every way they represent the Episcopal establishment that has anchored the Diocese throughout its history.
In acting as decisively as he did, Waldo has risked ... and apparently won ... a great deal.
(Read additional news coverage by The State)
Struggle at Columbia's Trinity Cathedral Goes Public as Bishop Suspends its Dean (July 17, 2010)
On Friday, Bishop Andrew Waldo suspended the Dean of his Cathedral in Columbia after the Dean violated a direct pastoral directive from the bishop in an ongoing mediation between himself and his Vestry. Apparently Waldo had insisted both Dean Phil Linder and the Vestry to keep their mouths shut about their ongoing conversations, but reportedly that did not sit well with the Dean.
Facing his first high-profile challenge, Bishop Waldo seems to have the full support of diocesan clergy in, what the few we've heard from describe as, differences about "authority" at the venerable Cathedral.
Linder has been highly effective as the leader of the 4,200-member Cathedral over the past ten years, but his independent streak and frequent head butts with lay leaders may be doing him in. Waldo was consecrated only three months ago. full story
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Commentary: Anglican Smack-Down by Diana Butler Bass
(June 9, 2010)
What does the latest missive from the Archbishop of Canterbury mean to us, if anything? Celebrated church historian and commentator breaks it down for the rest of us. full story
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Jubilant Crowd Cheers New Bishop in Upper SC.
Katharine Jefferts Schori presided over the consecration of Andrew Waldo as the new Bishop of the Diocese of Upper South Carolina amid pomp and excitement. With the Cathedral under renovation, the new Bishop rejected plans for a secular setting in favor of Christ Church, Greenville. full story
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Convention Rallies to Bishop's Shadowbox "War"; Financial and Constitutional Challenges Loom (March 25, 2010)
New! Four Reasons Why the Re-Convention is Illegal click here
New! An Objective Explanation of Title IV click here
New! What are Others are Saying about Us click here
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Scroll down for a summary of current news, then get the full story
on the pages listed on the right...
NEW! Loyal S.C. Episcopalians Urge National Church to Investigate the Diocese of South Carolina, as Bishop Lawrence Responds (September 25, 2010)
In a letter to Church leaders, the Episcopal Forum claims Lawrence has violated his vows and failed to protect Church property
Diocese mushes forward toward illegal Re-Convention Oct. 15th
Loyal Episcopalians in the Diocese of South Carolina this week pleaded with national Church leaders to formally investigate the current efforts of Bishop Mark Lawrence and his Standing Committee to effectively sever ties between the Diocese and the Episcopal Church.
In a dramatic letter to the Church's Executive Council and House of Bishops, the Episcopal Forum of South Carolina claims that Lawrence has abdicated his obligations as bishop in the Church by failing to act against parishes in rebellion, particularly in the case of St. Andrew's. Mt. Pleasant. The organization claims that Lawrence's goal is the “alienation and disassociation of the Diocese of South Carolina from the Episcopal Church."
Earlier this month Lawrence, who maintains the Diocese is “sovereign," asked delegates to last spring's Annual Convention to reconvene on October 15th and ratify six resolutions that effectively repeal the critical “accession” clause in the Diocesan Constitution, a requirement for membership in the Episcopal Church.
Without such a clause, a diocese forfeits it right to own Episcopal Church property and leaves the status of its clergy as Episcopal priests in limbo.
On Friday, Lawrence issued a response to the Forum’s accusations. His comments were more evasive than specific, except that he made clear that he is putting all his marbles on a recent oddball ruling by the S.C. Supreme Court that seemed to deny the legal status of the Episcopal Church as “hierarchical.” Without such status, it is arguable that the national Church can not lay claim to the assets of a diocese of parishes that choose to leave the Church.
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Bishop Waldo Lifts Sanction Against Linder (August 29, 2010)
Action clears the way for Cathedral leaders in Upper Diocese to consider dismissal
In a letter to the leaders of Trinity Cathedral over the weekend, Bishop Andrew Waldo cleared the way for the lay leadership of Trinity Cathedral in Columbia to dissolve its pastoral relationship with its Dean of eleven years. Read it all
__________
New Bishop's Handling of High-Profile Dispute at Trinity Cathedral Defines Him (August 14, 2010)
No one's asking "Where's Waldo?" now
Delegates to last December's Diocesan Convention knew the episcopate of Andrew Waldo would likely be a defining moment in the history of the sprawling Diocese of Upper South Carolina. After a jubilant consecration in April, its 28,000 clergy and lay people thought they'd be spending a lazy summer getting to know more about their upbeat and engaging new leader.
Few had any idea just how quickly that would happen.
Waldo's leadership and credibility would be tested almost immediately in the months following his consecration as long simmering antagonisms between the charismatic dean of the 4200-member Trinity Cathedral in Columbia and its high-powered Vestry erupted into a very public spectacle.
All of Waldo's planning for his get-to-know-you first year went out-the window. The people of the Diocese would get to see the kind of leader they had just elected on terms neither they nor their new bishop could possibly have anticipated.
Hostilities at the Cathedral boiled over in the early summer. Parish leaders were incensed that their increasingly independent Dean, Phil Linder, was making key administrative, staffing, and financial decisions that properly belonged to them. In spite of repeated attempts to reel him in, he'd turned a deaf ear to their concerns.
The Vestry's concerns echoed among the congregation. According to one source, "Phil just wouldn't listen to anybody".
Frustrations were running so high by mid-summer that nearly unanimous parish leaders signed off on a resolution calling for a special Vestry meeting to discuss "the dissolution of the pastoral relationship between Dean Linder and the Cathedral." Those signing included all but one current Vestry member, a number of past wardens, and the elected members of the Trinity Cathedral Foundation. Read it all
Exasperated parish leaders turned to Waldo for help. The Bishop's attempt to mediate the situation hit a snag a few days later when Linder violated Waldo's pastoral directive to both sides to refrain from discussing contentious issues between them in public.
According to insiders, Waldo had no choice but to suspend Linder from his position. In spite of the directive, the Dean and his wife continued to speak to parishioners and staff in a way that was characterized as building support for their looming confrontation with the Vestry and, if necessary, Waldo. (Linder's unpaid attorney disagrees with that interpretation of the Linder's actions.)
In a letter read to a full house on Sunday morning, the Bishop clearly stated that it was "Philip's behavior" that forced him to act. Waldo subsequently scheduled two pastoral sessions with members of the congregation to explain his actions and encourage them not to let the flap get in the way of their ministry
Parishioners are not optimistic that an outcome will be found that would include Linder's staying on as Dean. Support is running against him, and many feel things have gone to far too be repaired.
Significantly, Waldo actions won him near-universal praise from clergy and lay leaders in the Diocese. "He did what he should have done," said one lifelong Episcopalian in Greenville. "You can't let something like that fester."
This time last year Waldo was a parish priest in a small town in Minnesota. Since his election, he has been careful to gently navigate the Diocese's sometimes volatile politics and personalities.
Among his unique challenges in this instance is that the Dean was himself a candidate for bishop last December. The 50-year-old Linder has been at the Cathedral for nine years, and during that time developed a significant personal following. He widely credited with playing an important role in its recent highly-successful capital campaign.
Vestry members and other parish leaders at the Cathedral are no shrinking violets either. In every way they represent the Episcopal establishment that has anchored the Diocese throughout its history.
In acting as decisively as he did, Waldo has risked ... and apparently won ... a great deal.
(Read additional news coverage by The State)
_______________
Struggle at Columbia's Trinity Cathedral Goes Public as Bishop Suspends its Dean (July 17, 2010)
On Friday, Bishop Andrew Waldo suspended the Dean of his Cathedral in Columbia after the Dean violated a direct pastoral directive from the bishop in an ongoing mediation between himself and his Vestry. Apparently Waldo had insisted both Dean Phil Linder and the Vestry to keep their mouths shut about their ongoing conversations, but reportedly that did not sit well with the Dean.
Facing his first high-profile challenge, Bishop Waldo seems to have the full support of diocesan clergy in, what the few we've heard from describe as, differences about "authority" at the venerable Cathedral.
Linder has been highly effective as the leader of the 4,200-member Cathedral over the past ten years, but his independent streak and frequent head butts with lay leaders may be doing him in. Waldo was consecrated only three months ago. full story
_________________
Commentary: Anglican Smack-Down by Diana Butler Bass
(June 9, 2010)
What does the latest missive from the Archbishop of Canterbury mean to us, if anything? Celebrated church historian and commentator breaks it down for the rest of us. full story
__________________
Katharine Jefferts Schori presided over the consecration of Andrew Waldo as the new Bishop of the Diocese of Upper South Carolina amid pomp and excitement. With the Cathedral under renovation, the new Bishop rejected plans for a secular setting in favor of Christ Church, Greenville. full story
_________________
To no one's surprise, St.
Andrew's in Mount Pleasant formally voted on Sunday to sever its ties
with the Episcopal Church. In preparation last summer, the congregation took legal steps to try to take its property with them. The parish's theology and politics have not
been particularly "Episcopal" or "Anglican" for years. full story
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Lawrence Sandbags Church Leaders over Rebel Parishes;
Postpones 2010 Diocesan Convention (February 12, 2010)
Postpones 2010 Diocesan Convention (February 12, 2010)
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S.C. Parishes Trying to Separate from the Episcopal Church (December 21, 2009) full story
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Minnesota Priest elected Bishop of Upper South Carolina;
Candidates with Ties to Lawrence Rejected (December 12, 2009)
full story
Candidates with Ties to Lawrence Rejected (December 12, 2009)
full story
The Diocese of Upper
South Carolina has elected Andrew Waldo, the 56-year-old rector of a small
parish in Minnesota, as the eighth bishop of the
28,000-member diocese. The Alabama native and Sewanee
graduate emerged as a consensus candidate among delegates hoping
to continue the moderate course set by retiring Bishop Dorsey
Henderson. The election was a blow to critics of the leadership of
the Episcopal Church, hoping to pull the diocese to the right.
Diocese is on Its Own after Special Diocesan Convention
in Mt. Pleasant (October 24, 2009) full story
in Mt. Pleasant (October 24, 2009) full story
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On the following pages are commentaries on the Episcopal Church, especially in its two very different dioceses in South Carolina. They are intended as alternate points of view, and not presented with any malicious or disrespectful purpose. Our view is that all of us in the Episcopal Church are trying to fulfill our call to ministry and service in ways we believe God has intended.
You can access the following pages by clicking on the menu in the right column or just clicking on the links below.
The Church Dishonest
How careless rhetoric has taken the Diocese of South Carolina down a dangerous and unnecessary path. read moreThe Anglican Communion
Relevant commentary from Anglicans around the world including a great essay "The Imagined Community of the Anglican Communion" by Frank M. Turner. read more
Relevant commentary from Anglicans around the world including a great essay "The Imagined Community of the Anglican Communion" by Frank M. Turner. read more
News from Diocese of South Carolina
Learn more about the challenges facing the Diocese as three large parishes consider leaving the Church. read more
News from the Diocese of Upper South Carolina
Formed in 1922, learn more about this Diocese which has taken a very different path from its "parent" and neighbor. read more
Other SC News
News briefs from around the Dioceses of South Carolina & Upper South Carolina read more
The 2009 Special Convention
Delegates put Diocese of South Carolina on increasingly slippery slope, as Bishop assures Special Convention that we are not leaving the Church. read more
Learn more about the challenges facing the Diocese as three large parishes consider leaving the Church. read more
News from the Diocese of Upper South Carolina
Formed in 1922, learn more about this Diocese which has taken a very different path from its "parent" and neighbor. read more
Other SC News
News briefs from around the Dioceses of South Carolina & Upper South Carolina read more
The 2009 Special Convention
Delegates put Diocese of South Carolina on increasingly slippery slope, as Bishop assures Special Convention that we are not leaving the Church. read more
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NEW! Diocesan History Lesson. Bishop Lawrence is not the first Bishop of South Carolina to encounter the so-called Theology of Indiscriminant Inclusion. click
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The site content is edited by Steve Skardon in Mount Pleasant. Anyone with an interest in offering any comments, criticisms, questions of accuracy, or other perspectives is welcome to submit them to scepiscopalians@aol.com
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SC Episcopalians is not affiliated with any group or organization. However, you are encouraged to join the Episcopal Forum of South Carolina and visit its website. www.episcopalforumofsc.org
You can learn more about the work of the Diocese of South Carolina by visiting its website at www.dioceseofsc.org.
