Episcopal Diocese of Upper South Carolina: The Shift From a Conservative to a Progressive Diocese in Ten Years

The results of a recent survey of clergy and laity from the Episcopal Diocese of Upper South Carolina (EDUSC) done as part of a search for a new bishop to succeed Bishop Waldo are in, and if one compares the findings with those obtained eleven years ago (prior to the bishop search that landed us with Waldo), two things are evident,

1. The 2009 search committee asked hard questions, and the results were that EDUSC was a conservative diocese. I posted the results at the time here. 

2. The 2020 survey however asked softball questions and avoided "divisive" issues. The results show that although the aging, lily white, highly educated, upper to upper middle class membership is pretty homogeneous now that EDUSC has lost many conservative voices (Average Sunday attendance dropped from 8,300 to 6,500 during Waldo's tenure), the remnants still consider themselves to be highly diverse politically and socially, and with a couple of exceptions, they seem to want another Bishop or Bishopess Waldo. 

For comparison, read some questions and responses from 2009 followed by examples from 2020's survey.

First, from 2009, 

Our current Bishop and the diocese, in convention, have affirmed that we are a Windsor Diocese. In that light, I believe our next bishop should be supportive of the Windsor Report and the ongoing Windsor process.

48 % Strongly Agree 
20 % Somewhat Agree 
26 % No Opinion 
4 % Somewhat Disagree 
2 % Strongly Disagree

I support the blessing of civil unions (as opposed to marriage) between gay and lesbian persons in the Episcopal Church.

26 % Strongly Agree 

19 % Somewhat Agree 

8 % No Opinion 

10 % Somewhat Disagree 

37 % Strongly Disagree

I support the ordination of partnered gay and lesbian persons in the Episcopal Church.

21 % Strongly Agree 
12 % Somewhat Agree 
7 % No Opinion 
12 % Somewhat Disagree 
48 % Strongly Disagree

I believe the Holy Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments to be the Word of God, and to contain all things necessary for salvation.

62 % Strongly Agree 
24 % Somewhat Agree 
4 % No Opinion 

7 % Somewhat Disagree 

3 % Strongly Disagree

 I support the marriage of gay and lesbian persons in the Episcopal Church.

17 % Strongly Agree 

11 % Somewhat Agree 

7 % No Opinion 

12 % Somewhat Disagree 

53 % Strongly Disagree

All persons should be welcome to receive Holy Communion regardless of whether or not they have been baptized.

24 % Strongly Agree 

17 % Somewhat Agree 

6 % No Opinion 

23 % Somewhat Disagree 

30 % Strongly Disagree

Being divorced and remarried should be a consideration in the selection of our next bishop.

16 % Strongly Agree 
23 % Somewhat Agree 
17 % No Opinion
19 % Somewhat Disagree 
25 % Strongly Disagree

Our next bishop should always stand on Christian principles, even if he stands alone.

70 % Strongly Agree 

21 % Somewhat Agree 

6 % No Opinion 

2 % Somewhat Disagree 

1 % Strongly Disagree

In spite of all that, we wound up with Bishop Waldo who was divorced and remarried, who has permitted communion of the unbaptized, who did not support the Windsor process, who supported the blessing of civil same sex marriages, who supports the ordination of partnered gay and lesbian persons, and who, by virtue of the above, in my opinion abandoned Christian principles and joined the crowd of Episcopal bishops who ignore or revise the parts of the Bible that do not agree with the Spirit of the Age. 

2020 survey (results are here) asked the following,

• How would you describe your gender?*
• Please self-identify or state 'Prefer not to respond' if applicable
• Are you a member of the LGBTQIA+ community?*
• What qualities do you think are most important in the next Bishop of the Diocese of Upper South Carolina?*
  
• What do you believe God is calling our diocese to be now and in the future?*
• What do you believe to be most important for a candidate considering a call to serve as bishop of our diocese to know about us?*
• Is there anything else you want the Nominating Committee to know as we move forward in the search for our new bishop?*

The question "What qualities are most important in our next bishop?" gave the following options,

Kind

Spiritual

Experience at parish level

Open

Relationship Builder

Personable

Creative Problem Solver

Pastor

Get things done

Liturgical

Teacher

Culturally Responsive

Practical

Preacher

Manager

Experience at the diocesan/national levels

Social and/or Political Activist 38% VI or I. 20% NI

Prophet 29% VI or I

Spanish Speaking

No toughies there. 

The lay people (majority female) responded that "Kindness" was most important. 95% said this was very important or important, but what is most worrisome is that 38% listed "Social and/or Political Activist" as a very important or important quality in a bishop, while only 20% said it was not important. 

I am stunned that 29% considered "Prophet" as a very important or important qualification. What do they want, another Gene Robinson or John Shelby Spong?

The clergy, as one might expect, were even more progressive, 

44% thought being a social activist was a very important or important quality in a bishop, and a head slapping 54% thought being a prophet was very important or important.

Since the lay delegates to a bishop election are usually groomed by their priests, I cannot see any chance for a moderate (there will be no conservative candidate) to win. EDUSC will probably wind up with something further left than Bishop Waldo.