A dispute over pew rentals in 1874 gave Raleigh the Church of the Good Shepherd, its second oldest Episcopal parish. The congregation here branched off from Christ Episcopal Church in 1874, making this the city's second oldest Episcopal parish. It belongs to the Episcopal Diocese of North Carolina and even served as the Pro-cathedral of the diocese in the mid-1890s.
The original church building was completed in 1875, but growth made a larger stone building necessary. The cornerstone of the current building was laid in 1899, and after years of work the first service in the new space was held on Easter Day of 1914. In recognition of its place in the city's fabric, this sanctuary was later listed in 1978 as a contributing property to the U.S. National Register's Capitol Area Historic District.
The parish itself began in the wake of a schism at Raleigh's first Episcopal church—a dispute over the ethics of pew rentals, the practice of families buying rights to sit in pews for years or for life. Your eye can trace a history of debate over pew rentals in this second-oldest Episcopal parish in the city.