The Episcopal Diocese of Western Kansas

The Diocese of Western Kansas began as part of the Diocese of Kansas, and has come through several changes to reach its present status. The Diocese of Kansas was formed in 1864; Bishop Vail sent the first missionary to Salina in 1869.’ The first vestry of the new Salina congregation was elected in 1870. In May of the same year, the congregation of Christ Church, Salina was admitted to the Diocese of Kansas. The church, in a building consecrated in 1908, later became the cathedral.

In 1901 the Right Reverend Frank R. Millspaugh presented the idea of a missionary district in Western Kansas to General Convention. The request was approved by 7 of the 13 members of the Committee on Admission of New Dioceses. The minority of 6 "condemned the whole procedure." The Reverend Sheldon Griswold was elected first bishop of the Missionary Diocese of Salina in 1902. In his 1916 Convocation address, Bishop Griswold expressed a concern that continues in the Diocese to this day. He said, "Lay-people... must be our most active missionaries unless we are to remain a small religious body in Kansas regarded as peculiar in habit and narrow in thought and sympathy." The missionary and evangelism efforts of the laity have always been a strength in Western Kansas.

The name of the missionary district was changed in 1960 from "Salina" to "Western Kansas" to better reflect the regional nature of the Diocese. Some of the concerns Bishop Lewis spoke of in his 1960 Convention address remain important issues 34 years later. He referred to the "population changes in which our small communities are getting smaller... and only a few are experiencing some growth... the movement of population, the lack of young people, the limited number of new people coming to us, the increase in the size of our farms combined with increasing mechanization and the lessening of manpower." He expressed frustration with the "negligible impact" of the Episcopal Church on communities, the lack of attention to the ministry of the laity, the busyness of worldly lives which prevents people from paying greater attention to their spiritual lives, and lack of initiative by clergy and laity. He stressed the needs for education, evangelism, and stewardship. In 1970, when the Right Reverend William Davidson was Bishop, General Convention approved the Diocese of Western Kansas as a separate and official entity. Bishop Davidson used as his theme for the First Diocesan Convention (1971) the text used by Bishop Griswold, -" ... he that ploweth should plow in hope!" One of the hopes (and questions) was "can we embark on ’mission’ goals rather than on ’survival’ goals?"

Another issue was that of "taking care of" full-time ordained clergy, and training and ordaining part-time and self-supporting clergy. At that time a new Diocesan structure was put into place which included a Standing Committee, a Diocesan Council, and a Commission on the Ministry as primary bodies. When the Diocese was established, it also became a member of Coalition 14, in which it still continues. Congregational development in Western Kansas has been a story of tenacity and struggle.

At the end of 1900, Western Kansas had 7 parishes, 16 missions, 13 unorganized missions, and 838 communicants. Of the 7 parishes in existence at that time, 3 retain parish status, 1 has become a mission, and 3 have vanished. Of the 29 organized and unorganized missions of 1900, 4 are parishes, 10 remain missions, and 16 have vanished. Today, there are 3 parishes and 8 missions which had not been established in 1900.

In 1960 there existed 7 parishes, 22 missions, 4 unorganized missions, and just over 3,000 communicants. Since 1981, one new congregation has been opened and one has been reopened after being closed for several years. One church has been closed; but the interest on the proceeds from the sale of the building are used as an annual scholarship for a needy high school senior in that community. At the end of 1992 there were 11 parishes, 18 missions, and 2,287 "communicants in good standing." In demographic terms, (with 50,356 square miles in the diocese), there is one communicant Episcopalian per each 22 square mile block. In more graphic terms, if we were uniformly distributed throughout the diocese, each Episcopalian would be 5 miles from any other Episcopalian. The attached map gives an impression of the geographical nature of the parishes and missions of the diocese.

Since the late 1970’s several movements have taken place within the diocese which continue to affect congregations and people. First, regional cluster ministries have been developed and thrive in two areas of the region. The Panhandle/Southwest cluster was initiated in the mid-1980’s; and the Central Kansas Regional Ministry was initiated in 1992. Together they serve ten congregations with ordained ministry. It is hoped that other congregations in the diocese will be able to benefit by such cooperation. Since 1980 the Diocese has been involved with the Leadership Academy for New Directions (LAND). This program offers regional ministry support and involves laypersons in that ministry.

In 1992 the Diocese began a Spiritual Directors’ School. About 25 clergy and lay people attended the first "school;" and a series of workshops has continued on a regional basis. The purpose is to train people to be spiritual directors so that congregations can continue their ministry of Christian formation and development.

The churches of the Diocese have always supported youth. One of the first Boy Scout troops in the nation was started at Christ Cathedral in 1910. Youth programs continue to develop and grow in strength. There is an active summer camp program at PECUSA for youth from third grade through high school. Teens Encounter Christ (fEC) was started in 1987. This is a weekend in which high school students are helped to examine their lives in light of the teachings of Jesus. A similar program for junior high youth is currently being developed.

Other programs that have been active in the Diocese include: Cursillo (the Secretariat was formed in 1979); a strong layreader program, with training taking place at PECUSA and other regional sites; Venture in Mission; and "Ten Steps to a Vision" - a strategic planning program for congregations to develop evangelism campaigns. The Bishop provides clergy education in the form of Bible study in several regions of the Diocese.

Vast changes in culture and technology have occurred during the latter quarter of this century which will have a profound effect on shaping the area and the Church. The growth of Hispanic and Asian populations in parts of the Diocese have influenced the growth of social programs in Liberal, Garden City, and Dodge City.

Technologically, the growth of telecommunications and its potential for communication "in person" with more people over a greater area will affect the Church’s growth over the next decades. In 1991 a video entitled "Infinite Spirit: The Story of the Episcopal Church in Western Kansas" was made as part of the evangelism campaign. A fax network has been set up to make communication easier from the diocesan office to the congregations and among the congregations themselves. A Diocesan newspaper, The Prairie Spirit, has been published since 1981.

The Diocese has been active in securing grants for programs. Grants have been obtained for the Spiritual Directors’ School, Ashby House (a shelter for homeless families), the Episcopal Migration Ministry, continuing education, and a program to train lay leaders in small congregations.

Following this brief history is a list and explanation of the "arms" of the Episcopal Diocese of Western Kansas. These reflect not only the growth and change of the Diocese, but of Western Kansas and the nation as a whole. The oldest "arm" is St John’s Military School; the newest is "We Kare," a social program for AIDS victims.

In his Convention Address of 1992, Bishop John Ashby referred to issues of social concern and evangelism. He praised the involvement of the churches in social programs throughout the Diocese. He restated the theme of lay involvement in evangelism. Echoing Bishop Griswold, he said, "The bottom line is that the lay people of the Church are its prime evangelists. I challenge each of you to respond to this ministry" And so, the people of the Diocese of Western Kansas, formed by the challenges of this century, look to the next century with faith and hope.