[thor76]

Agree. In the Episcopal Church the set up which I described was indeed the case.......originally. However, both ECUSA and some local diocese have made legal moves - voted upon in their conventions - to place the vestry (parish board) under diocesan control, and to comtrol the appointment of and limit the terms of the Wardens (corporate trustees) of each parish.

Some parishes have found out to their dismay exactly what you have hinted at.....that thye were essentially hoodwinked out of control of their assets.

Some orthodox Episcopalians i have tlkaed to think this was done on purpose, to keep the assets under diocesan control, and to make it harder to whole congregations to cede from the local diocese.

[redgolum]

The scary thing is an amendment to the LCMS charter is being quietly floated that would give the synod much more control of local church property. It is meeting some resistance, but the state has already been made that it will pass no matter what the local districts say.

Some fear that the LCMS is about to be attacked the way the ELCA was.