By the Rev. Canon Michael Durning
Canon to the Ordinary

Economics in Florida can be like riding an old wooden roller coaster. We creak up to thrilling heights soon to plummet and thunder at the street level, and the cycle continues.

Likewise, Florida fortunes plunged as the state dealt with yellow fever, war with the Seminole and staggering debt following the War Between the States. Road construction, booming agriculture and the invention of air conditioning led to unprecedented growth and wealth, and the cycle continues.

The Florida roller coaster hit a new low when the real estate market imploded. The gravity of this crash was so great that it caused President Obama to visit Lee County soon after his inauguration. Cape Coral had the unfortunate distinction of leading the nation in foreclosed homes. During his visit the President observed, “… when we say that Lee County has seen its unemployment rate go from 3.5 percent to nearly 10 percent in less than two years; when we talk about the plummeting home prices and soaring foreclosure rates that have plagued this area, and layoffs at companies like Kraft Construction and Chico’s — companies that have sustained this community for years — well, we’re not just talking about faceless numbers. We’re talking about families you probably know.”

Some of these families are Episcopalians. Church of the Epiphany in Cape Coral and St. John’s Church on Pine Island are close to the most affected area. Epiphany was looking at the prospects of a $100,000 operating deficit. The retirement of their priest in charge led them to prepare for a transition. St. John’s was fatigued by the prospect of attempting to fund a full-time position. As both congregations were in the search process at the same time, discussions began to determine whether one priest in charge could adequately serve both churches.

Sharing ministry is not as easy as it looks. The presumption of exclusive access to a seminary-trained priest is normal. But the new economy has redefined this, and the people of Epiphany and St. John’s were well aware that another approach was in order.

A history of shared ministry
Providentially, Lee County has a track record in the sharing of ministry. St. Joseph’s Episcopal Church and Lamb of God Lutheran Church used a “joint venture corporation” approach by agreeing to be members of a third corporation, Lamb of God Lutheran/Episcopal Church. Could this approach be used less formally in order to allow two Episcopal congregations to band together?

The shared ministry between Epiphany and St. John’s began with a series of conversations. One conversation was historical, noting that all the congregations of Lee County were started because people were willing to share ministry. Epiphany enjoyed the distinction of being the “mother” congregation of St. John’s while Epiphany was a still a mission.

A second conversation had to do with assisting priests and the role of deacons. Part of this conversation centered on two books of Joseph Cushman, A Goodly Heritage and The Sound of Bells. It was learned that several of our congregations ,including Christ Church in Bradenton and St. Andrew’s in Tampa, had their beginnings due to the efforts of church-planting deacons.

A third conversation dealt with logistics — how to handle Sunday mornings, collections, hospital calls, etc. Two points governed these conversations:

1. What temptations are in the way when it came to competing vs. cooperating? and
2. What benefits are there to be realized in the sharing ministry?

The name “TLC” (Together-in-Ministry Lee County) was chosen for the unincorporated body that would facilitate the sharing. The name “TLC” underscored the need for pastoral care of people drastically affected by economic collapse while negotiating a delicate transition in church life.

Both congregations agreed to combine under the umbrella of TLC for the purpose of calling a full-time priest. This priest would be the priest in charge of Epiphany as well as the vicar of St. John’s. Assisting priests or deacons would be assigned to TLC. Neither congregation would have an exclusive claim to any member of the clergy. Both congregations would retain their unique identity and name. The diocese was part of this sharing agreement and pledged its confidence to TLC with a three-year commitment of assistance.

Once assembled, it was time for TLC to find their priest. This process demanded the active participation of the bishop in order to recruit a priest who felt called to manage the risks as well as the unique rewards of a large turnaround. TLC called the Rev. Ryan Wright to serve in April of 2009.

It’s working
TLC is reporting a number of blessings. People are experiencing congregational vitality while living within an austere budget. Opportunities for fellowship are expanding. There is a wide diversity of voices from the pulpit. While still in its first year, TLC is showing great signs of life.
More opportunities for sharing are coming about. A pair of Lee County missions, Church of the Good Shepherd in LaBelle and All Souls’ Church in North Fort Myers, is sharing the ministry of the Rev. Alan Kelmereit. It is reported that attendance at All Souls’ has grown by 10 percent in a short period of time. Ash Wednesday services were notably larger.

The diocese is now completing its third shared ministry agreement of the year, this time between two parishes — a first. St. Martin’s Church in Hudson and St. Stephen’s Church in New Port Richey have formed Shared Ministry Pasco to call the Rev. Walcott Hunter to serve as their priest. He will begin in March.

While none of these efforts has reached maturity, there is a movement of the Spirit here that allows people to do more than merely have the ministry they can afford.

New forms of gathering are coming about, new friendships are being formed and new ways of pastoring have emerged. We are in the process of rediscovering an old way of doing Church in a new century.