IRD: Episcopal Property Ruling a Pyrrhic Victory

Washington
Jan. 11, 2012

Christian Newswire/ -- On January 10, Judge Randy Bellows of the Fairfax County Circuit Court ruled in favor of the Episcopal Diocese of Virginia in a lawsuit against parishes that have departed the U.S.-based church. The court ordered that all property subject to its ruling be turned over to the Episcopal Diocese of Virginia.

A majority of members in the seven Anglican churches in 2006-2007 voted to sever their ties to the Episcopal Church and the diocese following disputes over the redefinition and reinterpretation of Scripture. They included some of the diocese's largest and fastest growing churches.

The Episcopal Diocese of Virginia has drawn from a line of credit to fund litigation, expecting to sell some properties following a favorable court ruling. According to self-reported statistics, the diocese has lost 26 percent of its attendance in the past decade and has ceased planting new churches, despite significant population growth in Virginia.

The 1.9 million-member Episcopal Church is engaged in ongoing litigation against departing parishes and dioceses across the country. Denominational officials maintain that parishes are not free to depart the church and that internal church rules enacted in the 1970s mandate that all local property is held in trust for the diocese and denomination. the rest