A banner bearing the seal of the Protestant Episcopal Diocese of South Carolina. (PHOTO: SC DIOCESE)
When The Episcopal Church recently released its statistics on membership among its dioceses for 2013, the Episcopal Diocese of South Carolina was listed along with the others.
There is one problem, however: the South Carolina Diocese’s leadership voted to leave the denomination back in 2012, taking most of the members and congregations with them.
Since 2012, the diocese and the denomination have been fighting a legal battle for ownership of the numerous properties presently held by the breakaway leadership.
The minority within the South Carolina Diocese who wanted to remain with the national denomination are known as The Episcopal Church in South Carolina.
The confusion in the reported numbers remains even when one considers the South Carolina Diocese named in the report to be TECSC.
According to the recently released statistics, by 2013 TECSC reported having approximately 28,000 members. Yet in 2010, the diocese, before its leadership opted to leave the national denomination, reported having about 29,000 members; a very similar total.
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SOURCE: MICHAEL GRYBOSKI
CHRISTIAN POST
