St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church
St. Stephen’s: who are they?
St. Stephen’s was founded in 1822 as a racially integrated congregation that strives to be a “house of prayer for all people” by living into the commandment to love your neighbor as yourself.
In the mid-2000's it became a leader in the diocese as one of the few who welcomed LGBTQIA+ members in the midst of controversy over the ordination of the Bishop Gene Robinson in New Hampshire.
Mindful of their roots, they carry forward this mission of inclusivity and radical welcome in 21st century Charleston and beyond.
Phase I: listening
As St. Stephen's continues to live faithfully into the commandment to love their neighbors as themselves, they've begun to burst at the seams. To support them in understanding how best to accommodate their growth, we engaged in a listening phase in which we asked the congregation critical discernment questions.
After three months of congregational conversations, St. Stephen's successfully articulated how their building and plant allow them to live into their identity of being a house of prayer for all people, and just as importantly, how their building and plant limit them from living into this identity.
Phase II: feasibility
To test the level of support for projects named during the listening phase, we moved into working on a feasibility study with St. Stephen's. We conducted personal interviews as well as a congregation-wide survey, and our analysis of the results — both quantitatively and qualitatively — provided leadership with data to answer these tough questions:
what projects do you prioritize? what projects are less of a priority?
what is the level of support for a capital campaign, both financially and volunteer-wise?
what are your opinions about debt?
