Diocese of Fond du Lac: Seven area churches mull regional ministry options

By Nick Paulson
Central Wisconsin Sunday
July 11, 2010

Facing an uncertain future, seven Episcopal parishes in central Wisconsin are exploring a regional approach to ministry designed to provide stability for each congregation.

All seven congregations are staring at aging and shrinking memberships and declining financial resources. Only two have full-time priests.

Many of the specifics haven't even been discussed yet. But the regional ministry would afford each congregation more access to a priest -- parishioners in some of the smaller ones now receive the Eucharist only two or three times a month -- with churches sharing a priest and making more use of retired clergy in the area. The regional ministry also could pool financial and human resources, which could help save money in the long run.

"Looking at the future, we have to ask ourselves if the model of one priest per congregation is going to be sustainable and viable," said the Rev. David Klutterman, rector of the Episcopal Church of St. John the Baptist in Wausau, who has helped organize the initial meetings among leaders of the various congregations. "What we've discovered is there seems to be an energy to try and create a new model for how we do church." the rest