[Magdalen] Sharing the JOY!

[Jim Guthrie]

I would say to Ann that such letters are passed on yet, but they have nothing to 
do with Roger's original inquiry these days. And if letters of transfer are 
prevalent, one can be sure that membership is declining, because there are all 
manner of non-cradles elsewhere who discover TEC coming from churches where such 
letters are unknown, or from the RCC, which will not offer one to someone 
leaving for another church.

Chad wrote:

> when a new rector arrives and cleans out the deadwood of "members" who
> haven't darkened the door of the church in years.

The "best" cleanup was  Paul +Moore, who in the process of getting the Diocese 
of New York into having parishes assessed rather than just being financed by 
Trinity Wall Street, got a resolution through Diocesan Convention that decreed 
that parishes would be assessed by the number of members they claimed.

Parishes cleaned house throughout the diocese. Some of the Cardinal parishes in 
Manhattan ended up with as many as 90% of "claimed" members wiped off the books. 
IIRC, St Mary the Virgin went from 6,000 members to 800 in one day.Of course, 
"traditionalists" just tallied the "losses" up to WO and the new proposed BCP.

Ill bet none of the tens of thousands of "members" ever asked for a letter of 
transfer<g>.

Cheers,
Jim