Dallas Diocese Delays Split from Episcopal Church
Despite a majority opposition to gays, the Dallas diocese of the Episcopal Church voted to stay in the denomination, at least for now.
Leaders of the diocese heeded to a plea from their bishop James Stanton at an annual convention Saturday to refrain from immediately leaving the Episcopal Church. The decision to stay, however, is seen as a delay to the diocese splitting from the U.S. body as soon as next year.
More than half of local church leaders said the denomination had gone seriously wrong by ordaining gay priests and blessing same-sex unions and 42 percent said they were ready to leave over the pressing issues, according to a survey commissioned by Stanton. Almost a third said they want to take the word "Episcopal" from the church signs, letterheads and literature.
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Still, there was a "loyal minority," according to the Dallas Morning News, with a quarter of the leaders saying the Episcopal Church had not gone seriously wrong.
More than 700 leaders were surveyed.
More than 300 delegates were at the convention, according to the local news, and many hope that the delay in splitting will allow the global Anglican Communion to create a new home for conservative Episcopalians in America. The Episcopal Church is the U.S. representative body of the Anglican Communion.
While there is no immediate split, the convention voted to amend its constitution to create a system to disengage with the U.S. body if it loses its status in the communion. The amendment must be approved at next year's convention to take effect.
"Separation is never a strategy," said Stanton. "Those who depart the church are not, I think, fulfilling Christ's call but are fulfilling the expectations the world has about the church, that we cannot really get along."
Just last month, one of the largest Episcopal churches in the nation – Christ Church of Plano, Texas – disassociated from the denomination. It was a "sad occasion" for the Dallas diocese, Stanton had concluded. He said that "irreconcilable differences ... would necessitate their separation."
The divide over homosexuality issues in the Episcopal Church began in 2003 with the consecration of openly gay bishop Gene Robinson of New Hampshire. More controversy arose when Katharine Jefferts Schori, who supports same-sex “marriage” and homosexual ordination, was elected to head the U.S. church body.
The survey, which reached three-quarters of local church leaders online, found that about 70 percent of them disagreed with the right granted by the Episcopal Church for the ordination of "people living in homosexual unions" or for local clergy to perform same-sex marriages.
While the majority showed opposition to the national body's recent actions, Stanton said the survey results did not necessarily indicate the diocese would split with the denomination, reported the Dallas Morning News. He noted that some of those who oppose do not want to leave.
Stanton further noted that the 76 leaders he met with requested more for time than separation.
The convention follows just weeks after Anglican leaders from the Global South confirmed their support for orthodox Anglicans and proposed the formation of a separate orthodox Anglican body in the U.S.
Conservative U.S. leaders have also expressed their desire to form a whole new Orthodox body as an alternative to the Episcopal Church.
