How Has the Episcopal Church Been Supported?

The Pledge/Commitment Card has not always been the staple of Fall Stewardship Campaigns. Here is a look back of how the Episcopal Church has funded its Mission and Ministry.

The Colonial Period

Funding from the Crown

1788 - 1929

Pew Rentals

The Revolutionary War and

Aftermath

Wealthy Individuals

1920 - Present

Use of Pledge Cards

The Colonial Period

Like all Church of England churches, funding came from the King, through the Bishop of London. While it did not cover all the expenses, it did cover the salary of the Clergy. The Clergy were required to swear allegiance to the King of England. (Photo of Charles the III on the left)

The Revolutionary War and Aftermath

Once independence from England was declared, the funding from the crown was no longer forthcoming. Since the clergy were not getting paid from the Crown, as well as having a strong allegiance to the Church of England, many of them returned to England or settled in Canada. Because of our church had been so closely tied to the Church of England, many people stopped attending the Episcopal Church. Fortunately, wealthy individuals, stepped in the keep many churches open to continue our mission and ministry. Samuel Seabury traveled to Aberdeen, Scotland to be Consecrated the first American Bishop, and the formation of the Episcopal Church began.

1788 - 1920

The funding of each parish came from renting the pews to the members of the Congregation. It may of the beginning of proportional giving in the church. The more money that was given to the parish, the closer you sat to the front of the nave. Perhaps dwelling on our instincts to seen as better givers motivated the givers to perhaps give a little bit more each year to reach the next row on the quest for gaining celebrated first row. Visitors to the parish were assigned to a row in the middle of the church. Behind the visitors were the "non-pledgers" and causal givers.

1920 - Present

At the General Convention around 1920, the Episcopal Church, changed how the funding of the church to annual commitment drives from all the members of the church communities. Members of the parish, still continued to give as they had given in the past, however it did not always result in getting a certain pew. The legacy of the commitment to the church from the Pew Rental continued in the generation that learned how to fund the parish during the remaining years of the Pew Rental funding.

	Following World War II, shrewder methods of raising revenues were employed to increase giving to the church communities. This was the first generation that knew only the necessity of the Pledge Cards, and the focus of Stewardship was still on raising revenues for the operations of the church.
	In recent years the focus of Stewardship has started to change from the "fund raising" to the importance of Scripture and the "mind of Jesus" as we explored importance of our relationship with Jesus as well as our Parish community.

The Rev. Dr. Mark Anschutz leads an Adult Forum on the history of funding of the Episcopal Church. This excerpt was the prologue to his presentation on the importance of our exploring our relationship with God and our community as we discern our commitment to the church for the following year.

| | Share