Clergy inspired by Bishop Salmon
by Ana Watts
When Bishop Edward Salmon set out to transform his struggling Diocese of South Carolina, he knew he had to start at the parish level. Healthy parishes are the foundation of a healthy diocese. An abiding sense of mission, expert leadership training, relationship hygiene, 
stewardship and preaching the Gospel of "Jesus the Risk of God" were also important to the transformation that occurred in South Carolina during his 18-year episcopate.
The now retired Bishop Salmon shared his story with diocesan clergy at their annual conference at Rothesay Netherwood School Aug. 25-27. He précised the same message for a meeting of Diocesan Council with the task force on support of the diocesan budget following the Clergy Conference.
“Transformation is only possible through the grace of God, whose first priority is to bless and empower clergy to bless and empower people for transformation,” he said.
Bishop Salmon came to the attention of the diocese when the stewardship model 10-10-10 was presented to Diocesan Synod in 2007 to replace the long-standing mission and apportionment formula used to calculate parishioner, parish and diocesan financial contributions to the parish, diocese and national church. It calls for parishioners to tithe to the parish, the parish to tithe to the diocese and the diocese to tithe to the national church.
The “10 per cent Solution” as it is sometimes called, was developed in South Carolina during Bishop Salmon’s episcopate. He was credited with transforming the struggling diocese both spiritually and financially.
Although every diocese has to deal with its own issues in the ways that speak to their own situation, he generously shared some of the programs and initiatives that helped his diocese.
“Leadership training (clergy and lay) was essential. We do not represent the ACW, or the acolytes in what we do, we represent God — we represent the Gospel vision. If we want to represent people and the interests of people, we should run for parliament. It is only when we transform the headship that we can transform the body.”
Mission must be at the heart of the church. To illustrate this, Bishop Salmon told the story of one of his professors in seminary. He said by the time he got to that stage in his academic career, it was widely know that this professor would ask each postulant the question: “Your church just burned to the ground, what do you do? The correct answer was to take up an offering for mission work. If you got the right answer, you were ordained. If you got it wrong, you weren’t.
“Whether the roof is leaking or new, we preach the gospel and continue in mission.”
In his diocese a program of “spiritual hygiene” turned a culture of accusation and blame into one of mutual trust and respect; preaching and teaching on God’s generosity and the spiritual power of money profoundly changed the lives of people and parishes; so did placing the care and nurture of a small, struggling parish in the hands of a large and wealthy parish. “It connected the power of critical mass to parishes that needed it,” said Bishop Salmon.
Although his diocese was transformed, the process took many years and “we encountered many failures along the way. Leaders take risks, do mission in good and bad times … “Jesus Christ is the risk of God. If you’re not making mistakes you are not taking any risks. Don’t do stupid things, but stick your neck out where it needs to be stuck out …
“Transformation can occur if we trust the Lord … and I would gladly entrust a new day in this diocese to the people I see sitting here,” he said at the Diocesan Council/finance committee meeting.
Diocesan clergy were inspired by Bishop Salmon’s message, delivered in a friendly and respectful tone and liberally sprinkled with humour and some self-deprecation. There is discussion of a return engagement. In the meantime, his presentations to the Clergy Conference are on-line.
