Osler's Razor

I've always been fascinated by (and sometimes been a member of) the Episcopal Church. As part of the Anglican communion, Episcopalians are a fascinating entity: the fairly progressive wing of a modern worldwide church that carries deep traditions along with a striking diversity largely built of England's empire.

In the U.S., the Episcopal denomination (like Roman Catholicism, which is much larger) is made up of churches which vary widely in size. I have had the pleasure of worshipping with the same liturgy in huge, ornate cathedrals and cozy little buildings. Here in Minneapolis, for example, there are a number of small and medium-sized congregations, and also St. Mark's, a cathedral church on the fringe of downtown.

Usually, this diversity is a strength of the denomination: some people want a cathedral, while others prefer a smaller group and more intimate space, which is probably closer to home than the cathedral. Now, though, with services within church buildings canceled for the foreseeable future, there is a problem looming.

It comes down to this: Cathedrals are way better at tech and video presentation than smaller churches. Of course they are-- they have more resources and experience. For example, check out this Easter service presentation from St. John's cathedral in LA:



Wow! Those people know what they are doing. They start with the organ, which is beautiful. The liturgy is read in a pacific garden, perfectly lit. They have a YouTube channel! People who understand media put this together, and it shows.

I thought to contrast this with the video from a much smaller church, and I watched a bunch while preparing this post. I don't that it is fair, though, to single one out here-- clearly, the people making them are doing their best. They just don't have the experience or resources of the bigger churches, though, and have to rely on static shots, awkward musical interludes, bad sound quality, and various technical snafus.

Does it matter?

Yeah, probably. I know a lot of people who usually go to a small church are now watching services from the cathedrals instead. "But, Osler," some people have told me when I talk about this (and don't know my first name), "they will go back to their own churches once this is over."

For the most part, that is very true. Probably 80-90% of the congregants will go back to their home church, very gladly, when this is over. It will be a joy to re-convene.

But 10-20% may choose not to. They might just keep watching the Cathedral's show on the internet instead, or just never get back in the habit of going to church again. And that 10-20% would be a huge loss to a small church, coming all at once after a period of diminished contributions during the pandemic.

What should happen? If the larger body wants to maintain small churches, particularly those in smaller communities, it should consider the following:

1) Financial support to smaller churches may be an imperative in the short term, or programming will be cut so much that the death spiral of lack of content/no reason to go/shrinking membership will accelerate. Church deaths could be significant.

2) In the immediate future, Bishops may want to have an emergency conference (by video, of course) and have the Rectors with good internet presence teach the ones who are struggling. Not all is about resources, after all: consider St. John's simple choice of reading the liturgy in the garden rather than the sanctuary or an office. Establishment of best practices goes a long way. Training is imperative.

3) Develop partnerships between the big churches and the small ones; perhaps the small ones could splice in the musical performances from the cathedrals, while maintaining their own liturgies otherwise.

Just some thoughts from a fairly objective observer, who loves the role of big churches and small...