Dear Beloved of God,

A parish church is a unique kind of organization. It is not like other non-profit organizations and it is neither a private residence nor a business. It does, however, have rules for the conducting of business within it. Episcopalians call these guidelines the Constitution & Canons Together with The Rules of Order For the governance of the Protestant Episcopal Church in the United States of America otherwise known as The Episcopal Church.  You can find these online at Constitution & Canons (generalconvention.org)

We are always learning from our faith about the difference between ownership and stewardship. From a faith perspective, we don’t own anything. All of it has been gifted to us by God. We are, in fact, more stewards than owners of everything we have. This is even more true of our beloved St. Margaret’s Church—its property and its buildings and all its physical contents. I have copied and reprinted here some of what our national canons say about this.

“Title I, Canon 7: Of Business Methods in Church Affairs
Sec. 3. No Vestry, Trustee, or other Body, authorized by Civil or Canon law to hold, manage, or administer real property for any Parish, Mission, Congregation, or Institution, shall encumber or alienate the same or any part thereof without the written consent of the Bishop and Standing Committee of the Diocese of which the Parish, Mission, Congregation, or Institution is a part, except under such regulations as may be prescribed by Canon of the Diocese.

“Sec. 4. All real and personal property held by or for the benefit of any Parish, Mission or Congregation is held in trust for this Church and the Diocese thereof in which such Parish, Mission or Congregation is located. The existence of this trust, however, shall in no way limit the power and authority of the Parish, Mission or Congregation otherwise existing over such property so long as the particular Parish, Mission or Congregation remains a part of, and subject to, this Church and its Constitution and Canons. 

“Title III, Canon 9, Section 6a part 2
2. For the purposes of the office and for the full and free discharge of all functions and duties pertaining thereto, the Rector or Priest-in-Charge shall at all times be entitled to the use and control of the Church and Parish buildings together with all appurtenances and furniture, and to access to all records and registers maintained by or on behalf of the congregation.”

What this means is that we are fully responsible for the well-being of both the congregation (people), and its physical property while having ownership of neither. One of the responsibilities of the rector is to ensure that we do this work together.

In other words,
1. we are to respect the dignity of every human being and,
2. nothing can be lent out, sold or given away without consultation with the rector, and for some things, without consultation with the vestry, and in other cases, without the permission of the bishop and standing committee of the Episcopal Diocese of Maine.