Virginia Episcopalians ready for a ‘new dawn’ after prolonged legal battle

From The Washington Post-

May the members of a congregation leave a hierarchical denomination and take the church property with them?

At great cost in time, effort, money and friendship — on both sides — the answer for the Episcopal Church in Virginia is no.

Many have followed this case and shared their opinions, both supporting and criticizing our effort to return Episcopal properties to the mission of the Episcopal Church. It’s tempting for this dispute to be about property, or politics, or just plain money. But the essence of the dispute is about theology itself.

Many denominations have a governance (“polity”) that allows for congregational self-determination. For hierarchical bodies, such as the Episcopal, Roman Catholic, Lutheran, United Methodist and Presbyterian churches, it is quite a different matter. In these churches, local congregations represent and witness to the larger structure. Our polity has been established and codified for almost 2,000 years and is the result of a theological view of what the Church is and how it should be governed.

More here-

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