You may or may not know that Holy Cross, Daniel Island is preparing to launch as an independent and autonomous church within the Anglican Diocese of South Carolina. Here’s an overview of what we are doing, why we are doing it, and where we are up to.
Why are we launching?
In the spring of 2024 the Holy Cross Daniel Island campus will launch as its own church within the Anglican Diocese of South Carolina. Over a period of six months in 2022 it was prayerfully discerned by the leadership of our church on both campuses that this was God’s call to us. But why do we believe this is right? Becoming an independent church will allow us to:
#1 Grow Up
The Daniel Island campus is somewhat like the child that never leaves home, and as a result is never challenged to begin its own family, remaining in a state of constant childhood, stunted in our growth. Being launched out will stretch us in ways that would not happen otherwise – time, talents and treasure – but also in raising up leaders and becoming a people who pray and who grow in their faith. With no ‘mother church’ to provide for us we will have to use our own resources to thrive.
#2 Grow Out
With autonomy will come more flexibility to plant churches, expand our current buildings and to reach beyond our current location through local cultural adaptation and outreach, both national and international.
In short, we want to ‘grow and go’!
How will we do this?
There are three phases to this process:
#1 Ready!
A launch committee was formed in October of 2022 (David Rogers, Lisa Barrington, Marlo Greene, Carl Wist, Chris Hamlin, Eddie Schroder, Rusty Seymour, and the Rev., Jonathan Bennett) to shepherd this process and to get us ready to launch, handling areas such as budgets and finance, separating our pre-school, vision and values, governance (vestry and by-laws), staffing, and possible building expansion. This team then formed sub-committees to draw in more lay people to help make the launch a reality.
#2 Set!
By fall of 2023, we intend to be get set and move into the final preparations for launch as an independent church within the Anglican Diocese of South Carolina. This phase will include finalizing our first budget, finalizing our by-laws, electing our first vestry, establishing our staff team, and sharing our vision and values.
#3 Launch!
At the beginning of 2024 we will be launched as an independent church and received into the Anglican Diocese of South Carolina as an autonomous Parish. While we will share some administrative functions with Sullivan’s Island, we will be separate, and, God-willing, the Reverend Jonathan Bennett will be installed as our first Rector.
Where are we up to in the process?
Since the last update, our Launch Committee has been hard at work and has:
– met monthly with subcommittees meeting in between these meetings
– completed a week-long assessment, by church consultant Jim Pace (Discerning Partners)
– received Jim Pace’s full report and it is helping to shape our future conversations and decisions
– prepared a draft 2024 budget for HCDI, and the initial numbers look like we can be financially viable as a stand-alone church, though we will need to grow in this area.
– received architectural bids for possible expansion.
– written a draft ‘Vision and Values’ document that will be finalized this summer and shared with the congregation this fall
– written draft by-laws that will also be finalized this summer
– put together an online survey for the HCDI Campus, focusing primarily on Sunday morning worship and our current ministries.
Please keep Holy Cross, Daniel Island, in your prayers as they move forward in this process.
By The Rev. Jonathan Bennett, Associate Rector and Daniel Island Campus Pastor, Holy Cross
