A pilot project that pairs retired clergy with small, under-resourced congregations is expanding its program to include five new dioceses, bringing the total number of participating dioceses to 14, according to an Episcopal News Service press release.
The project, “New Dreams-New Visions,” (http://www.episcopalnewdreams.org/) was launched in June 2010 and is a collaborative effort organized by three lead organizations — the Church Pension Group, the Episcopal Church Center, and the Episcopal Church Foundation, working closely with the CREDO Institute and Fresh Start.
The five new participating dioceses are East Tennessee, Indianapolis, Kansas, Massachusetts, and Southern Ohio. They join the dioceses of Atlanta, Eastern Michigan, Iowa, Oklahoma, Southeastern Mexico, Southwest Florida, Spokane, Vermont and Western Massachusetts.
“The dioceses recently added to the pilot project offer us an opportunity to explore a deeper range of both potential clergy availability and parish and diocesan contexts,” said the Rev. Canon Matthew Stockard, canon to the ordinary for the Diocese of East Carolina and member of the NDNV coordinating committee, according to the release. “We’re excited to have the opportunity to add their feedback, wisdom and experience to this pilot, as we seek to find fresh ways to develop and support parish leadership, both lay and clergy.”
The New Dreams-New Visions project address two key issues in the Episcopal Church: A significant number of clergy are poised to retire; and a significant number of congregations will not be able to afford to pay for full-time clergy.
“Thousands of priests will be eligible to retire within the next few years, yet still feel called to minister in new ways,” the press release said. “At the same time, more and more family, or pastoral sized congregations or faith communities, with an average Sunday attendance of 140 or less, are unable to support a full-time priest. This is an opportunity for NDNV to help clergy and congregations explore new models of leadership and ministry.”