Parish Toolbox

by Peter Frank

The Episcopal Diocese of Pittsburgh’s decision to realign to the Anglican Province of the Southern Cone brings to a close the mission of this website.  I don’t expect to post any new material here.  That said, I won’t be moving to take down what is here either. 

Since we launched http://www.parishtoolbox.org last August, the website has served 36,237 pages to 10,079 absolutely unique visitors.  My hope is that the resources we provided here helped people think through their position on realignment and prepare for the diocesan decisions in November of 2007 and of this October.  Now that decision is made, my prayer is that we can all begin the process of moving beyond this choice and into more fruitful ministry.

- Peter

by Peter Frank

Reporter Sean Hamill of the New York Times has written a story looking toward the diocese’s vote on realignment.

Representatives on both sides in Pittsburgh say there will be no outright winners, particularly because a lengthy legal battle over ownership of church property is almost certain if the diocese votes to secede.

But an opponent of secession, the Rev. Jay Geisler of St. Stephens Church in McKeesport, Pa., pointed out that those tenets are in the Book of Common Prayer, which guides the church. Mr. Geisler added, “I just can’t see Jesus Christ forcing us to go one way or the other and split apart.”

The full story is here.

Ann Rodgers, religion reporter for the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, wrote an insightful article on the experience of both realigners and non-realigners in the Diocese of San Joaquin.

The Rev. Gandenberger, the Anglican canon, said those who chose the Southern Cone accepted the risk to buildings.

“It’s freer and more open,” he said.

The full story is available here.

The Episcopal Diocese of Fort Worth has prepared a useful summery of the Constitution and Canons of the Southern Cone.  They summarize the standards governing ordination, liturgy, property, provincial polity, and primatial leadership in the province. 

“One fundamental principle underlying the Constitution and Canons of the PSC [Province of the Southern Cone] is that “the Dioceses are at liberty to provide necessary selection and training of clergy, liturgical use, finances and possessions, and other affairs related to the local situation, provided they are not in conflict with other Anglican norms and this Constitution.”

Download "Summary of the Constitution and Canons of The Southern Cone"

The Constitution and Canons of the Anglican Province of the Southern Cone are available as a pdf document that has been prepared by the Episcopal Diocese of Fort Worth.  Because of the emergency and temporary nature of their offer of oversight to Pittsburgh and other dioceses, not all descriptions and provisions will apply. 

Generally speaking, the constitution and canons provide a great deal more freedom to dioceses than those of The Episcopal Church.  The province makes no claim on the property of its dioceses and gives dioceses responsibility for ensuring “that the forms used in Public Worship and the Administration of the Sacraments be in accordance with Anglican Faith and Order and that nothing be established that is contrary to the Word of God as revealed in the Holy Scriptures.”

Download "Constitution and Canons of the Southern Cone"

From the Coalition For Realignment:

On Thursday, October 2nd St. Martin’s Church in Monroeville will host a pre-convention prayer vigil at 7:00p.m. You are invited and encouraged to join us as we worship God together and intercede for the diocese, our leaders, our delegates and the diocesan convention. The vigil will be an opportunity to pray in the space where convention will take place. We all realize that the events on October 4th will be a pivotal moment for our diocese and it is important to spend time together in prayer before we gather for this historic occasion. If you would like more information about the vigil, you may contact the Rev. Christopher Klukas at 412-372-2050 or cklukas@saintmartins.net. You may also want to make October 1st a day of fasting in preparation for both the vigil and the convention. “Hear, O Lord, when I cry aloud; be gracious to me and answer me! You have said, ‘Seek ye my face.’ My heart says to you, ‘Your face Lord, do I seek.’” (Psalm 27:7-8, ESV)

Wendy Scott Paff, an adjunct faculty member in the English departments of the University of Pittsburgh and La Roche College and a communicant member of the Church of the Ascension in Oakland, has written the following column, which was published in the Pittsburgh Post Gazette on September 24.

“The core of our differences does not lie in the high-profile issues of lifestyle, such as gay marriage or ordination, but in our understanding of who Jesus is. Their departure from all that is Christian is now so great that most members of our worldwide Anglican Church cannot in good conscience celebrate the Lord’s Supper with these progressive Episcopalians.

“These leaders claim they represent a majority. They do not. The majority of Anglicans still believe in the tenets of Christianity, as do the majority of Christians worldwide.”

The full text is available here.

Conroy D. Guyer, a communicant at Calvary Church in East Liberty, has written an editorial in the Pittsburgh Post Gazette advocating that the diocese reject the changes to the diocesan constitution that would allow realignment to move forward. 

An intelligent church needs clergy who display the same understanding of the human mind—its desires and its mechanisms—as a psychotherapist. Science has done more than religion to liberate moderns from the superstitions of the past. Science has given us understanding through description. Intelligent religion can give additional meaning to that description.

A third point that needs remembering is that the new diocese will not be a utopia—a place of absolute moral purity. It will be administered by people who, like Archbishop Becket, “follow too much the devices and the desires of their own hearts.” Dr. Reinhold Niebuhr wrote, “The tragedy of man is that he can conceive self-perfection, but he cannot achieve it.”

The full text of the article is available here.

"Across the Aisle” a grouping of clergy and laity dedicated to maintaining their connection to The Episcopal Church, is holding an event on September 13.  Their press statement says in part:

“A coalition of Episcopal clergy and laypeople today invited everyone in the Episcopal Diocese of Pittsburgh to an event promoting diocesan unity. “A Hopeful Future for the Episcopal Diocese of Pittsburgh: An Alternative Solution” will present the case for rejecting proposals that, purportedly, would remove the diocese from The Episcopal Church. Speakers will explain how continuity of the diocese as a judicatory of The Episcopal Church will be maintained irrespective of the outcome of the vote on “realignment” at the October 4 diocesan convention.

“A Hopeful Future” will be presented at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, 1066 Washington Rd., Mt. Lebanon, Pa., from 1 to 3 pm on Saturday, September 13, 2008. The program will be of special interest to vestry members, convention deputies, and Episcopal Church supporters feeling isolated in pro-realignment parishes. Those interested in attending may obtain additional information by calling St. Paul’s at (412) 531-7153 or by visiting its Web site at http://stpaulspgh.org.”

The group’s full statement is available here.

Deacon Tara Jernigan, deacon pastor of All Saints in Brighton Heights, responds to the Rev. Jim Simon’s “The Case for Staying in The Episcopal Church.”

“Fr. Simons mentioned that it is not the way of the Old Testament faith for the faithful to set themselves outside the body.  He is correct.  It was never appropriate, no matter how apostate Israel became, for the faithful to go off and found a new Israel.  At one time, my own argument ended here, as do the arguments in Fr. Simons’ document.  But there are two fallacies at play here.  The first is that the body of the faithful who are in favor of realigning are not going off and founding a new Christianity.  The Episcopal Church is not our Israel.  We belong first and foremost to a body of believers, world wide and across the millennia, who profess Christ crucified and raised from the dead.  The Episcopal Church is only a tiny faction within that larger new Israel.  Furthermore, we seek to found nothing new, as that would be an affront to the catholicity of our faith.  We seek only to be under the authority of another, already existing, segment of that one, holy, catholic, and apostolic faith.”

Download ""The Case for Leaving The Episcopal Church""

The Rev. Jim Simons, rector of St. Michaels in Ligionier and a leader among conservative Pittsburgh Episcopalians dedicated to maintaining their ties to The Episcopal Church, makes his case here:

“While there are many varied reasons for staying we are all in agreement about one thing: We love Jesus and do not want to leave The Episcopal Church without a faithful witness to the Savior of the world. We believe that, like the prophets sent to Israel and Judea, we have an obligation to exhort The Episcopal Church, where necessary, to return to its first love. That is what a prophetic witness always does: calls God’s people back. Prophets are not always successful in this, but they are not called to be successful, they are called to be faithful.”

The full text is available here.

Dear Friends in Christ:

As you know, on Saturday October 4 the Diocese of Pittsburgh’s annual Convention will meet in Monroeville.  There we will determine whether the Diocese will realign from the Episcopal Church to another more biblically orthodox province of the Anglican Communion.  Because of the immense significance of this meeting I’m writing to ask that we join in praying and fasting as we approach Convention.

God’s Word encourages disciples of Jesus to fast and pray in a number of circumstances. Three in particular seem significant at present.  First, fasting is commonly a Biblical sign of mourning (Ezra 9, Psalm 102).  For better or worse the Episcopal Church has been our home, and we are about to lose that home.  Even a desired relocation can still involve stress and loss.  Much of my recent prayer regarding the coming realignment has involved acknowledging my grief to God, giving it to him, and asking him to come dwell even in that dead place, and give it life. Fasting seems a proper expression of the genuine sense of loss we may feel just now.

Second, fasting is also an indication of hunger for God.  (Psalm 42:1-3) While on the one hand Scripture warns us against making an idol of the familiar, on the other it can be hard to connect with God when circumstances change or threaten to change.  Fasting is a way to break through that barrier, to reestablish passion for God as our primary priority.

Fasting can help remind us of ways we have surrendered to the idols of our own culture (sexual sin, consumerism, entertainment-ism) and thus spur our repentance.  It can also connect us with our own bankruptcy apart from God and need for him, as well as with the needs of others whose suffering dwarfs our own (Darfurian refugees, persecuted Christians in the Islamic world, to name two).  Fasting thus helps expose our own deepest needs, and this is crucial, for it is only as God comes and meets us at our deepest point of need that we will be cleansed ourselves, healed and empowered for mission.

Finally, fasting can also be a part of discerning new opportunity.  It was while Saul and the other believers in the new Church of Antioch were fasting and worshiping the Lord together that they heard the call that became the launching point of the expansion of the Christian movement throughout the entire Roman empire (Acts 13:1-5).  The rest of history is different as a result.

Even as we mourn the passing of the old, we must never forget that there is a new Gospel day at hand for those who have loved our Lord Jesus and his appearing.  Our church is in disarray.  Our nation is in confusion.  Many are fearful of what is coming in a declining economy, a polluted environment, and a shrinking and ever more violent and armed world.  But we are not of those who shrink back and will be destroyed, but of those who believe and will be saved.  God’s call to those who know and love his Son today is not to be downcast, but to lift up our heads because our redemption is drawing near.  God is about to do a new thing in mission.  People are going to come into his kingdom, and we are going to see it!  Fasting will help improve our appetite for God, his mercy, and his redeeming work.

I therefore invite Church of the Savior and our friends to join in a season of fasting and prayer from now through the Diocesan Convention on October 4. To help us in this season, I’ve attached a guide with some general tips about fasting (adapted from a helpful tract by Bishop Doug Weiss) and several specific prayer requests.

As always, I welcome your comments, questions and feedback.  Know that I am praying for you in this momentous season.  Please pray for me and for all our leaders, especially that we may rightly discern the times and the leading of God’s Spirit and not be found wanting on your behalf when we appear before the Judgment Seat of Christ.

In Christ alone,

Dennett

Download "Church of the Savior's Guide to Prayer and Fasting"

The Rev. Jim Simons, a leader among conservative clergy who have publicly announced their intention not to realign, explains his decision to his parish in a pastoral letter released in July.  He writes:

“Some in the congregation have asked me why I have changed my mind about my stance regarding the Episcopal Church. I have not changed my stance; the diocesan leadership has. For the twenty-three years of my ordained ministry I have worked diligently to bring a conservative witness to the Episcopal Church. I have been integral to the founding of several organizations that sought to do so and, as a deputy to six General Conventions, I have worked to retain orthodox values in the denomination. It is the diocesan leadership which has changed course and now seeks to leave the Church that nourished them in the faith.”

His entire letter is available here.

A ten minute video produced by Jim Forney, a parishioner at St. Stephen’s in Sewickley and narrated by Dr. Edith Humphrey of Church of the Ascension in Oakland, features laity from parishes of the diocese of Pittsburgh discussing their support for realigning the diocese to another province of the Anglican Communion.

The Rev. Christopher Klukas, the rector of St. Martin’s in Monroeville, has produced a paper outlining the beliefs of leaders in The Episcopal Church and providing a brief history on how such beliefs came first to be tolerated and then accepted by the church.

“But how did we get to this point? How did the Church become so corrupt? We can compare the Episcopal Church to a house that has gradually fallen into disrepair. When small issues aren’t fixed, they almost always turn into bigger ones. The roots of our present problems go as far back as 150 - 200 years. The situation didn’t become acute, however, until the 1960’s. It was at this time that Bishop James Pike published a book called “A Time for Christian Candor.” In this work he openly denied such basic doctrines as the Trinity, the Incarnation, and the Virgin birth.  Bishop Pike wasn’t the only one who believed these things, he just happened to be the one who published them in a book.”

Download ""The Problem of Heresy""

The Rev. Jonathan Millard addressed over 200 parish leaders who were invited to a meeting sponsored by the Coalition for Realignment on May 10 at Church of the Ascension in Oakland.  The text of his address is available here.

“Schism is here. And it’s not Bishop Duncan who is the cause of it. It is TEC that repeatedly by its actions is choosing to walk further and further apart from the rest of the Anglican Church and classical Christianity. Sadly dialogue is not going to help us. TEC has made its course ahead abundantly clear – the notion that we can win back TEC one parish at a time is, in my opinion, wishful thinking and flies in the face of all the evidence of the last 40 years.  The Presiding Bishop, Katharine Jefferts Schori, and the President of the House of Deputies, Bonnie Anderson, have made it very clear that there can be no negotiation over property. “People can leave, parishes cannot.” While others and I fundamentally disagree with that and believe it to be wrong in law, wrong morally, and to be a mean-spirited, bullyboy tactic, it doesn’t mean we won’t keep trying to broker a deal – but it takes two to tango. We need now to pursue a different road. We need to realign together.”

Download "The Rev. Millard's Address "

Progressive Episcopalians of Pittsburgh is challenging the accuracy and veracity of Episcopal Diocese of Pittsburgh’s set of Frequently Asked Questions on Realignment. 

“PEP’s “Realignment Reconsidered” provides a warning to Pittsburgh Episcopalians that the diocese’s answers are not to be taken at face value. According to PEP, realignment is both improper and puts parish property at risk. Not only has The Episcopal Church been vigorous in pursuit of property that dissidents have tried to remove from the church, but the Calvary lawsuit stipulation appears to give Episcopalians staying in the church the upper hand in claiming both diocesan property and the property of individual parishes.”

Download "PEP's "Realignment Reconsidered""

The Coalition for Realignment has issued a set of Frequently Asked Questions dealing with clergy and lay employee care in parishes and organizations considering realignment:

“This document is prepared to assist parishes and possibly other organizations that may be considering issues related to clergy and lay employee care during and leading up to the realignment
vote in the Diocese of Pittsburgh. Since much of the anxiety people feel is related to employment security there are many legal issues addressed here.”

Download "Clergy and Lay Employee Care FAQ"

The Episcopal Diocese of Pittsburgh has released a document answering 30 Frequently Asked Questions about realignment.  The document deals with theological issues and practical questions about the mechanics of realigning the diocese to another province of the Anglican Communion.

15) If the Diocese chooses to realign, who actually owns the church buildings and endowments?

The church buildings, endowments and other resources of the Diocese are entirely held in either the name of the parish, the Diocese or the diocesan Board of Trustees. It is our contention that, whether or not we realign, the ownership of those assets should not and will not change.

Download "Frequently Asked Questions on Realignment"

The Rev. John Heidengren, rector of Prince of Peace in Hopewell, is using this handout to explain realignment.

What will happen to the Diocese of Pittsburgh if the second vote passes?

It will remain The Episcopal Diocese of Pittsburgh but will be connected to the leadership of a different collection of Anglican Dioceses (called a “province” or “national church”) somewhere else in the world.  All parishes in the Episcopal Diocese of Pittsburgh will realign together.

Download "Realignment Questions Handout"

A new website, sponsored by ”A Pittsburgh Episcopal Voice,” is setting out to cover news and events in the Anglican world and the diocese.  According to Lionel Deimel, a parishioner at St. Paul’s in Mount Lebanon, “We are trying very hard to be non-partisan and to be a site to which all parish leaders can comfortably direct parishioners.”

Click here to visit Pittsburgh Update.

A group of Pittsburgh clergy and lay leaders have launched a website and published a letter announcing their intention to work for the realignment of the Episcopal Diocese of Pittsburgh.  The website address is www.re-align.org.  The group includes the rectors of three of Pittsburgh’s four largest parishes, members of the Diocesan Council, Standing Committee and Board of Trustees, the Diocesan Lay Leader of Pittsburgh Episcopal Cursillo and many others.

They write: 

Many of us in the Diocese grieve the breakdown in The Episcopal Church, and the great pain that is felt locally. Nevertheless we also look forward with profound hope and expectation to the good things that God has in store for us and for the work and mission of our diocese as it realigns. Please be encouraged that in the days, weeks and months ahead we will stand by all those who will join us as we heed God’s call to follow our bishop and to reject the false teachings of The Episcopal Church. In the coming days we will also be seeking to address the many practical questions and issues before us.

We are convinced that we have a great future as faithful followers of Jesus, and that for the vast majority in our diocese, that future will best be served by realigning with part of that large majority of Anglican Christians around the world who are unashamed of the Gospel. “For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes…” Romans1:16.

The full text is available as a pdf file.

Download "Coalition for Realignment Letter"

We at the Episcopal Diocese of Pittsburgh have been asserting for many years now that the leadership of The Episcopal Church is out of step with mainstream Christian belief.  During those years, there have been those both here and elsewhere, who have responded to that claim with, shall we say, a healthy bit of skepticism. 

Why do we make that claim?  We make it on the evidence we have.  To help others wrestling through questions about what the leadership of The Episcopal Church really believes, I have gathered together a sampling of that evidence, primarily in the form of quoted statements by our current Presiding Bishop, Katharine Jefferts Schori, and many others.  These statements cover a very wide swath of subjects important to Christians such as the divinity of Jesus, how do we have a relationship with God, how do we know what is true, what happens when we die, and whether or not there is a biblical pattern of moral behavior. 

Read their statements for yourself and draw your own conclusions.

- Peter Frank
Director of Communications, Episcopal Diocese of Pittsburgh

Download "Statements on Theology from Episcopal Church Leaders"

Recently you may have heard about the twelve clergy in the Episcopal Diocese of Pittsburgh who wrote a letter to all of the parishes in the diocese.  These twelve clergy are some of the most respected and gifted people who serve our diocese, all of whom I personally respect.  Some I would most definitely call my friends and all my esteemed colleagues.  The content of their letter stated that they wished not to go the route of “realignment” that the diocese is heading towards this November at its annual convention.  Realignment means the diocese is seeking to realign its headship away from the Most Rev. Katherine Jefforts Schori, the current Presiding Bishop of the Episcopal Church in the US. 

Bishop Duncan and I would still say the majority of the clergy in the diocese of Pittsburgh are seeking to realign our diocese with another province in the Anglican Communion.  The diocese of San Joaquin in central California has already voted twice on this issue at two successive annual conventions and according to The Rt. Rev. John David Scofield, the Bishop of San Joaquin they have been under the leadership of the Arch bishop Gregory Venables, the Archbishop (also called Primate) of the Southern Cone Anglican Province since December 2007.

This is considered to be a temporary measure until the traditional wing of the Episcopal Church that is seeking realignment forms its own judicatory (governmental) structure.  At some point those seeking Anglican realignment in North America will have a structure of central authority that will reside more locally.  It must be said that the last few sentences are the conjecture, not mere fact, of the traditionalists; yet it is a scenario that is quite possible.  None of us knows for sure what will happen but these are the possibilities most often projected by the conservatives in more authoritative positions.

I regret the letter of these twelve clergy because it withdraws the support of some well-regarded clergy in the diocese.  Yet in the paraphrased words of Fr. C. Bradley Wilson, our Rector, this is a mistake in tactics.  We agree with these twelve on the theology and issues of the day.  However, we, the other traditionalist clergy in the diocese choose a different course and seek to realign with a province elsewhere in the Anglican Communion.  The Episcopal Church has chosen a course that has caused great division in the Anglican Communion.  I believe the right course is to go with the other 100 (approximate) locally and canonically resident clergy who will most likely vote for realignment this coming November.  There are also approximately eighty other clergy who could vote at this convention who are not locally resident with the diocese, but are canonically resident, meaning they are under the authority of our diocesan bishop.  They are missionaries, retired clergy and others who serve the outside the region while maintaining their canonical status with the diocese of Pittsburgh.

In order for the resolution to pass in November a simple majority (50%+1) of deputies in both houses (clergy and lay) will have to vote for the resolution to realign with another province of the Anglican Communion and to no longer accede to the constitution and canons of the Episcopal Church in the USA.  This past November 80% of the clergy voted for such a resolution while 67% of the laity did the same.  In order for a resolution that changes our diocesan canons to become permanent it must receive an affirmative vote at two successive annual diocesan conventions.  These 12 clergy who have changed their voting position will most likely not change the course of realignment that we are headed towards as a diocese this November. 

Our Goal here at St. Andrew’s is to remain focused on the ministry we are doing.  We will continue to face this issue as it becomes necessary.  In the mean time there is work and ministry to be done.  There are people that need our love and care.  The Gospel needs to be preached and lived and that is what we will do.  As we move towards Easter let us not forget that this is not too big an issue for Jesus to redeem.  It is within His power to work among us to carry forth His mission in the world.  Let us pray that the Holy Spirit continually guides us to speak His truth in love in the coming weeks and months.  May this be so for the sake of God’s kingdom, which has no end, but lasts forever and ever. Amen.

Written by the Rev. John Bailey, vicar of St. Andrew’s in New Kensington, for the latest edition of The Prophet (St. Andrew’s newsletter).

The Rev. Bradley Wilson, of Fox Chapel Episcopal Church, has prepared a very complete overview and discussion of the crisis in the Episcopal Church.  Clearly writing from a conserving perspective, Wilson argues that the theological issues at stake in this debate are foundational to the Christian Faith.  This document, which was initially released in the fall of 2007, has since been updated and reformated.

“Isn’t this controversy just about homosexuality?

No. The media knows that sex sells well in the public press, especially when mixed with the exotic catalysis of religion. But, no, it’s not about homosexuality; it’s about a new religion. We the reading public are as much to blame. Few among us would rally around these news flashes: East Coast Bishop Abandons Arianism for Panentheism or Nonreaffirmation of Foundational Documents by the House of Bishops Renders Hermenuetics Irrelevant. The sex headlines glitter while these fall flat. But the first headline announces, truly, that an Episcopal bishop has moved from the already heretical position that Jesus was like God but not God (Arianism) to the proposition that God doesn’t really exist as anything other than a sort of espirt de corp or team spirit of planet earth.”

Download "Updated Version of "Our Current Crisis""

The Rev. Dr. Harold Lewis, rector of Calvary, East Liberty, welcomed an open letter to the diocese from 12 conservative clergy that signaled the intent of those clergy maintain their relationship with The Episcopal Church, no matter what the diocese decides.

“Those who have taken this bold step should not to be understood as merely having been cut off from fellow conservatives, but as having allied (dare we say “aligned”?) with those who may not share all their theological views, but who do share their commitment to remain within The Episcopal Church. And for this we give thanks.”

Dr. Lewis’ complete comments, as well as his letter to the 12 clergy, are available here.

A group of lay people from across the diocese have signed an open letter commenting on the decision of 12 Pittsburgh clergy to stay within The Episcopal Church no matter what decision the diocese makes.

“We understand that faithful pastors who stand against the policies of the national church face hardship,including likely loss of position and full pension. As laity, we know that there are those who will attempt to take away the places where, in some cases, our families have worshipped for generations. Under the current threat, we understand the fear of those who do not want to move with the Diocese, though it grieves us that some of our brothers and sisters have given way to such fears. Even more, however, we applaud and honor our own bishop and those many other priests of this Diocese who are prepared, as our shepherds, to “put their life on the line.” They are acting as they are, not to be quarrelsome, but for the sake of truth and love for the worldwide Anglican communion-- especially for numerous courageous Anglicans in Africa, South America, Asia and elsewhere, who are also standing against innovative departures from Christian life and faith.

No, Pittsburgh Diocese is not arranging to “leave,” but to stay. We intend to stay and be the Church that we have always been, believing and practicing as we have always done, with other faithful Anglicans across the world, with those of the past who paid for the truth with their lives, and with the apostles and ancient theologians who transmitted the knowledge of Jesus and the Triune God.”

The letter is available here.

Download ""Be Steadfast" - Ascension Rector Writes Congregation"

TO THE PEOPLE AND CLERGY OF THE EPISCOPAL DIOCESE OF PITTSBURGH:

We are rectors and clergy in good standing of the Diocese of Pittsburgh who believe the best way forward for renewal and reformation of the Episcopal Church is support for the Windsor Report and its recommendations. While we understand the need of many of our brothers and sisters to leave the Episcopal Church, we have determined to remain within, and not re-align out of, the Episcopal Church. We intend to “keep alert and always persevere in supplication for all the saints” (Ephesians 6:6).

Dated this 29th day of January, 2008:

• The Rev. Nancy Chalfant-Walker, priest in charge of St. Stephen’s, Wilkinsburg
• The Rev. Jay Geisler, rector of St. Stephen’s, McKeesport
• The Rev. Daniel Hall, priest associate, assigned to First Lutheran Church
• The Rev. Norman Koehler, priest, chaplain at Presbyterian Senior Care, Oakmont
• The Rev. Jeffrey Murph, rector of St. Thomas’, Oakmont
• The Rev. Scott Quinn, rector of Church of the Nativity, Crafton
• The Rev. Bruce Robison, rector of St. Andrews’, Highland Park
• The Rev. James Shoucair, rector of Christ Church, North Hills
• The Rev. James Simons, St. Michael’s of the Valley, Ligonier
• The Rev. Stephen Smalley, rector of St. Barnabas’, Brackenridge
• The Rev. Philip Wainwright, rector of St. Peter’s, Brentwood
• The Rev. Don Youse, priest in charge, Emmanuel, North Side

An effort to bar the Rt. Rev. Robert Duncan, bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Pittsburgh, from active ministry (known as an “inhibition”) has not been supported by The Episcopal Church’s senior bishops.

The news, along with a copy of the allegations made by the chancellor to The Episcopal Church’s (TEC) Presiding Bishop against Bishop Duncan and the TEC Title IV Review Committee’s decision to certify that, in their opinion, Bishop Duncan “had abandoned the communion of this church,” came in a letter from Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori late in the day on January 15.

Bishop Jefferts Schori’s letter stated that under Canon IV.9, “the Title IV Review Committee certified to me that you have abandoned the Communion of this Church.” Bishop Jefferts Schori enclosed with her letter the 40 page “Certification.” Bishop Jefferts Schori then stated:

“Pursuant to that Canon, I submitted the matter to the three senior bishops of this Church having jurisdiction - Bishop Frade of Southeast Florida, Lee of Virginia, and Wimberly of Texas - and asked that they consent to your inhibition pending consideration of this matter by the House of Bishops.  On 11 January 2008, they informed me that such consents would not be given at this time by all three bishops.” In fact, both Bishop Peter Lee of Virginia and Bishop Donald Wimberly of Texas have since stated that they both rejected the move to inhibit Bishop Duncan.

Bishop Duncan offered a brief response to the news, saying, “Few bishops have been more loyal to the doctrine, discipline and worship of The Episcopal Church.  I have not abandoned the Communion of this Church. I will continue to serve and minister as the Bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Pittsburgh.”

by Peter Frank

Responders to my question about the continued utility of http://www.parishtoolbox.org were unanimous in desiring the website to remain in place throughout the coming year.  It was great to hear how useful the site has been to many in the diocese as we have discussed our path ahead.  Since August 1, http://www.parishtoolbox.org has been accssed just under 18,500 times.  It seems that for the most part http://www.parishtoolbox.org has done what it was designed to do.

That being the case, http://www.parishtoolbox.org won’t be going away.  However, it will be taking a break until sometime early in 2008.  See you then.

by Peter Frank

Is there a useful future for parishtoolbox.org?  When we created it this summer, my thought was that it would primarily be to aid discussion and distribute information related to the decisions before the diocese during our 142nd Annual Convention Nov. 2-3.

Convention is now past.  The diocese has chosen a direction (though of course nothing is final yet).  So, is it time to let http://www.parishtoolbox.org go inactive?

I would be happy to hear from users of the site about this question.  Send me an email at frank@pgh.anglican.org to let me know what you think.

- Peter

The Rev. Jonathan N. Millard, of Church of the Ascension in Oakland, outlined why he believed the diocese should support Resolution One during a pre-convention workshop on Nov. 2.  He has provided the text of his address.

“The crisis is that The Episcopal Church, and the 77 million member worldwide Anglican Church, of which we are a part, is on the verge of breaking up. We cannot put our heads in the sand and act as if this will all just go away or have no bearing on us. Circumstances are such that change is coming upon us, and is now here, whether we want it or not. The schism or rift within the church has already started.”

The full text is available as a pdf document.

Download ""Making the Case for Resolution One""

The Rev. Leslie Reimer, associate rector at Calvary Church in East Liberty and chaplain at Sheldon Calvary Camp, asks the clergy and people of the Episcopal Diocese of Pittsburgh to consider stepping back from the proposed Resolution One.

“I know that Bishop Appleyard, who ordained me, believed that the Episcopal Church was large enough to encompass all points of view, including those of the founders of Trinity School for Ministry, and could never have imagined the bitterness of our present time.  And so it seems tragic to me that the good, faithful people of Pittsburgh have been led to such an extreme theological position, and to the brink of making extreme decisions at this diocesan convention.  I am writing with the hope that some of you may be willing to take a step back from the edge.”

The full text follows:

October 31, 2007

Dear People of the Diocese of Pittsburgh,

This week marked the thirtieth anniversary of my ordination as a deacon here in Pittsburgh, and thirty years serving as a clergy person in this diocese.  From that perspective, I view the current situation as tragic and heartbreaking.  I know and respect the faithfulness of the people of Pittsburgh.  I remember that in the difficult early days of women’s ordination, those who disagreed deeply were able to stay together, never denying the faith or good will of those on the other side.  I know that Bishop Appleyard, who ordained me, believed that the Episcopal Church was large enough to encompass all points of view, including those of the founders of Trinity School for Ministry, and could never have imagined the bitterness of our present time.  And so it seems tragic to me that the good, faithful people of Pittsburgh have been led to such an extreme theological position, and to the brink of making extreme decisions at this diocesan convention.  I am writing with the hope that some of you may be willing to take a step back from the edge.

The extreme decision is represented by Resolution One, and by proposed constitutional and canonical changes.  At most four dioceses are pursuing similar paths.  This number does not reflect, as some would claim, a pioneering spirit.  Rather, it is the course chosen by a very small minority, even within those who disagree strongly with recent actions of the Episcopal Church.  Clearly there are those who no longer find their spiritual home within the Episcopal Church, whose strongly held and genuine beliefs impel them to leave this body.  In July of this year, Bishop Howe acknowledged this reality, and outlined what he called the “honorable way” of disagreeing with the Episcopal Church, which is to leave, as individuals or congregations, and without an effort to retain property or to take an entire diocese.  Unfortunately, Pittsburgh has been led to consider a different approach, one much less clear and much less honest.  The canonical arguments about why this action is impossible are accurate.  Unfortunately, it has been very difficult to penetrate the confusing rhetoric used to describe the diocesan position in order to raise these questions in a way that can be heard or understood.

Our conversation has been hampered by the tendency to dismiss or demonize certain individuals or groups.  The Archbishop of Canterbury, the Episcopal Church, the Presiding Bishop, PEP, the rector of Calvary Church, and even Archbishop Desmond Tutu are not above contempt.  Anyone who sincerely disagrees or asks a challenging question is suspect.  The positions and actions of the Episcopal Church have been exaggerated and misrepresented.  The faith of individuals, as well as their theological positions, has been judged and impugned.  The willingness of the Episcopal Church to provide space and support for conservatives has been rejected as if it never had been offered.

I was struck by this recent statement from a group of Episcopal clergy in the Diocese of Georgia.  Listen to their description of our church at this time:
Standing in the middle, whether it be in traffic or two conflicting views can be a risky business, but it is how Episcopalians and most of their Anglican brothers and sisters have chosen to live. In fact much of what is being said about the Episcopal Church, from whatever direction the traffic is flowing can be very misleading…

‘We accept Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior and we believe that fundamentalism, polarization and the secularizing of religion are dangerous for one’s spiritual health. We continue to stand for listening to one another, being inclusive, taking our history seriously, taking Scripture seriously, and engaging mystery and paradox.

All this being said, as in any denomination, there are many individuals, both leaders and parishioners, who hold a variety of beliefs, but in the Episcopal Church no one individual, no one vestry, no one leader, may dictate or pretend to represent the exclusive Faith of the Church. We recognize along with the apostle Paul that we all see through a glass darkly. But if we can make an effort to take one another seriously and listen to each other as fellow members of The Body of Christ, we might all see a bit more clearly and charitably. (from the Savannah Morning News, October 25, 2007)

What a clear and strong statement.  It could be affirmed by Episcopalians who hold widely divergent positions on many issues.  It expresses the reality of the Episcopal Church beyond the narrow confines of our local view, so dominated by controversy.  It offers the vision of mutual regard and conversation which are foundational for the Episcopal Church and for Anglican theology.  It articulates important truths in a voice which has sadly gone unheard in our diocese. 

Instead, I fear that faithful people in Pittsburgh are being taken to a place they never intended to go.  Rather than being enriched and stretched by the wide theological and cultural sweep of global Anglicanism, we are asked to enter into alliances with those from other continents who happen to share our prejudices.  Rather than being a church unified by common prayer and faith, we are asked to enter into a schismatic realignment based on what we disagree with and what people we refuse to accept. 

Rather than being a church where individual reason is valued and questioning is welcome, we are asked to enter into a system guided by a hierarchy of Primates and Bishops and a more closely defined covenant or doctrine.  Rather than being offered a choice of remaining a minority voice within the Episcopal Church or leaving it in a clear, decisive way, we are asked to commit to a diocesan strategy which still leaves many questions unanswered.  We are being led into unnecessary uncertainty and conflict.

The Bishop of Pittsburgh urges us to follow this extreme, unclear path.  In describing the stand he feels called to take, he speaks of martyrs and characterizes this time as Good Friday.  Yet as he invokes these powerful images of suffering, it is difficult to see exactly what the risk is for Bishop Duncan. The uncertain path forward does not necessarily guarantee the same for all who are being asked to take it.  I do not for a moment disparage Bishop Duncan’s theological views, or his call to stand up for what he believes.  I also recognize that for some in this diocese, life in the Episcopal Church is no longer tenable, and with sadness I acknowledge that some may choose to leave.  I simply ask that people consider carefully the extreme decisions being put before us.  Is there a way to avoid becoming entangled in this complex, uncertain strategy?  Is there a path that offers more clarity and integrity?

In a perfect world, I might argue for a plan which would keep all of us in the Episcopal Church, able to hold divergent views with trust and respect for each other’s commitment to the Gospel.  A vote for Resolution Two at this diocesan convention would allow us to take a deep breath and maintain a connection to the Episcopal Church.  It would honor the faithfulness and commitment of so many people in this diocese whose relationship with God in Christ has been formed in the Episcopal Church, and who are in danger of being uprooted from this strong and credible faith tradition.  It would reflect the reality that the Episcopal Church can embrace people with many different views.

I believe in this vision of the Episcopal Church, a community united by common prayer and mutual respect.  For me, the open, inclusive, welcoming stance of the Episcopal Church is a reflection of the commandments to love God and to love our neighbor.  I appreciate the gift of a church that calls everyone, male and female, gay and straight, to faithfulness in their lives and in their relationships.  I am challenged by the call to work for justice and freedom for all people.  I am saddened by narrow, polarizing views which obscure this vision.  I am concerned for the people of this diocese in this contentious time. It is not too late to step back from the edge.  Listen again to our brothers and sisters in Georgia, who give voice to my hope for all of us:

We in the Episcopal Church are willing to risk, that at the end of the day, we might be convicted, of being too compassionate, rather than too judgmental; too inclusive rather than too exclusive; too moderate rather than too extremist.

Faithfully yours,
Leslie Reimer

The Rev. Joseph Martin, of Church of Our Saviour in Glenshaw, recently shared his thoughts on the upcoming diocesan convention.

“The bottom line, at least in the diocese of Pittsburgh, is that the time for processing and calculating is over and the time to make a clear stand for the gospel is here. It may be a time to lead, but, more importantly, it is a time to follow: Not to sound like Elijah or anything, but it’s time to stop wavering between two opinions, If Bishop Duncan and the leadership of the diocese represent the historic gospel of Jesus then it’s time to follow them; if Harold Lewis and Tec hold the truth then follow them. For clarity’s sake, there really is no other option.”

The full text follows:

As the Diocese of Pittsburgh Convention approaches I want to express some final thoughts before the vote, just in case anyone else can relate to my journey. Everyone processes information differently and my way has always been to air out my opinion publicly and grapple with the feedback and options until some sort of resolution can be found. If it means gaining new insight and changing course I hope I have the humility to admit that (Cranmer did); if it means digging in and holding to my convictions I hope I have the courage to do that. My ultimate hope is that in the end I can say with the apostle Paul, “I have run the race, I have kept the faith.” For what it’s worth, here’s where I am with the Episcopal scene as a priest in the diocese of Pittsburgh as the move toward realignment approaches.

From the beginning I have agreed with Bishop Duncan that we in the diocese of Pittsburgh and those around the country who have sought to preserve the historic faith of the church are in fact the legitimate Episcopal Church. My baptized children represent the third generation of Episcopal Martins who have believed and tried to carry on the faith that was handed down to us and I’m not ashamed to say that I have loved the Episcopal Church. In my first sermon after GC 2003 I expressed that I felt as though someone I loved had been kidnapped and we were in negotiations with the kidnappers. It was that heartbreaking. Add to that my own personal stubbornness that has refused to give up one brick that I believe belongs to the rightful owners and you have Davey Crockett and the Alamo.

None of that has changed. The difference now is that I have come to the painful realization that negotiations with the kidnappers have failed and it’s time to take more concrete (and risky) action in order to get on with life (check out the movie, “Ransom” with Mel Gibson and you’ll know how I really feel). The specific failed negotiations I’m referring to is the diocese’s request for alternative primatial oversight that has been denied repeatedly, and the concrete action is the necessary attainment of that oversight regardless of the response of the kidnappers. My understanding (and let me be diluted for now if I’m wrong) is that we are still the legitimate expression of Anglicanism in the Episcopal Diocese of Pittsburgh and we still do not intend to give up one brick. Of course, by aligning with a foreign primate we are de facto separating from TEC and, in the end, we may lose all our property, but that is the risk many of us have come to accept.

The bottom line, at least in the diocese of Pittsburgh, is that the time for processing and calculating is over and the time to make a clear stand for the gospel is here. It may be a time to lead, but, more importantly, it is a time to follow: Not to sound like Elijah or anything, but it’s time to stop wavering between two opinions, If Bishop Duncan and the leadership of the diocese represent the historic gospel of Jesus then it’s time to follow them; if Harold Lewis and Tec hold the truth then follow them. For clarity’s sake, there really is no other option.

May the diocese of Pittsburgh and ALL orthodox clergy stand together on Friday and send a resounding “Yes” in favor of the bishop and his stand for the gospel. God willing, that’s what I intend to do.

Thanks for listening and processing with me,

Joseph Martin

Progressive Episcopalians of Pittsburgh (PEP) has released an extensive set of Pittsburgh Diocesan Convention briefing papers.  In some 40 pages of well-organized text, PEP advances arguments against the proposed Resolution One, for Resolution Two, against a number of the other changes proposed by the Constitution and Canons Committee, and discusses the diocesan budget.

PEP’s convention page is available here.  A PDF of all of PEP’s convention briefings as a single file is below.

Download "PEP Convention Briefing Papers"

The Rev. Eric Taylor, rector of St. Philip’s in Moon Township, reflects on the calling of Christian leaders. 

“So let’s be honest.  This isn’t about politics or primates or legal strategy.  We can hide behind all of these things.  This is about faith in Christ and whether we will choose him and trust him.  And it’s about our responsibility to the sheep that God has called us to serve and lead.  Will we prove ourselves true shepherds or only hired hands?  ”

The full text follows:

To my brother and sister clergy of Pittsburgh

The Faith and Responsibility of the Leader

As I have been thinking about the issue of realignment as well as the angst and fear it has created in the hearts of many of our lay leaders and clergy, I am reminded of two things: our need to be faithful to Jesus and our responsibility as shepherds to our sheep. 

Jesus was clear when he called people to the upside-down economy of Kingdom living.  But seek first his Kingdom and his righteousness and then all these things will be given to you as well.  (Mt. 6:33) I believe that this is a time when our faith in Christ will and should be tested.  It is easy to talk about Jesus or exhort others to faith in our Lord, it is another thing altogether to exercise that faith personally.  The gospel is simple but hard. 

Yet the promises of scripture are plain.  If we put Jesus first, if we seek his Kingdom first, then all the other things that we worry about: pensions, buildings, parish conflict, endowments and jobs will sort themselves out just fine, thank you, because we have a loving heavenly Father who knows how to take good care of his children.  Do we really believe what we preach?

The issue then becomes very plain and clear…will we choose Jesus in this mess or will we lose courage, cave into our fears and acquiesce to the status quo?  What will we choose?  Who will we be?  Will we walk our talk or deny our Lord?  Sorry, but I cannot see this any other way. 

Second, there is the issue of the leaders’ responsibility.  Some would suggest that we need to look out for ourselves and our families first.  Watch out for that pension.  What about the job?  How will you make ends meet?  Yes these are very real costs, but they represent the most base of arguments.  I don’t think that this is leadership.  Instead this is the path of the hired hand that abandons the sheep and chooses to put their own self interest first when personally threatened.  We have a much greater and higher calling than that of the hired gun, professional staff person or vocational priest. 

I do not believe that leaders are called to institutions, but instead to people.  I am responsible as a shepherd for the sheep that God has given me.  My model is the life of Jesus who laid down his life for his sheep.  Many times the issue of leadership in the Kingdom boils down to our willingness or reticence to lay down our own self-interest in order to embrace the cross and pay the price. 

Ultimately what does a decision to stay in the Episcopal Church say about our love for the sheep that we have been called to lead?  I think it speaks of irresponsibility because over the long term it places them under the care not of Godly leadership but of something else and something much less.  Would you let a predator watch your children?  I don’t think so.  Yet this decision to remain given a lack of personal courage or an unwillingness to embrace self death ultimately means that the sheep are put at risk.  It is simply irresponsible. 

So let’s be honest.  This isn’t about politics or primates or legal strategy.  We can hide behind all of these things.  This is about faith in Christ and whether we will choose him and trust him.  And it’s about our responsibility to the sheep that God has called us to serve and lead.  Will we prove ourselves true shepherds or only hired hands? 

Wouldn’t it be great if five years from now we were able to look back and say that was our finest hour?  I believe that this is exactly what we will say…because God keeps his promises, every single one, every single time. 

Faithfully

Eric J Taylor

Rector, St Philip’s Church
Moon Township

The Rev. Prof. Stephen Noll, a priest of the diocese who serves as the Vice Chancellor of Uganda Christian University, has written to the deputies of the Episcopal Diocese of Pittsburgh in advance of the diocesan convention Nov. 2-3. 

“I serve in Uganda, but I am proud to be a priest of the Diocese of Pittsburgh. I am in awe of my bishop, who has exhibited sacrificial courage, biblical faithfulness, and practical wisdom in leading the Network and Common Cause movements. I cannot in good conscience remain a priest of The Episcopal Church much longer, but it is my hope that I may remain a priest of this diocese for years to come. Your decisions this week may enable that possibility.”

The full text follows

Letter to Delegates to the Diocese of Pittsburgh Convention

My brothers and sisters in Christ in the Diocese of Pittsburgh

Someone asked me recently if I was planning to vote at the Convention on November 2. “Not until they allow email ballots,” was my answer. But it occurred to me that I could send an electronic voice vote instead of a paper ballot.

I write to you from a distance but with a closeness of heart as you prepare for the Convention this weekend. I have been an Episcopalian since my conversion and baptism as a university student in 1966. I have been ordained since 1971 and a priest of the Diocese since 1979. I have been a theologian and educator at Trinity School for Ministry for 21 years and now in Uganda since 2000. I have been addressing the crisis in the Episcopal Church and Anglican Communion for the past 20 years.

I believe Bishop Jack Iker has spoken frankly and prophetically when he states there is no future in The Episcopal Church for those who hold to biblical Christianity in the Anglican tradition. In my courses on the prophets, I always taught that oracles of judgement precede oracles of hope. Such is the situation of Anglicanism today. We have incurred God’s judgement as a tradition and as a church. The responses of biblically-minded Anglicans to this crisis have been various, uncoordinated and often contradictory, which may itself be an outworking of judgement.

About ten years ago, I did some contingency planning for the American Anglican Council by projecting five scenarios for the future. Let me comment on them briefly with benefit of ten years of hindsight.

Scenario 1: Victory in turning the institution back to the biblical and historic faith. Despite strenuous efforts by the AAC and others, the Episcopal Church has set its course for the future, and we are not a part of it. Politically, we lost. There is no credible scenario now by which TEC can be reformed or revived from within.

Scenario 2: A negotiated settlement that would allow our group (call them confessors or dissidents) to live in peace or to separate with a fair distribution of property. The powers that be have ruled out this option, either out of fear that they might open the floodgates to departures or out of conviction that they don’t need to compromise, holding the legal cards in their hand.

Scenario 3: A league of confessing parishes. Parishes have been the main source of strength among confessing Episcopalians. Beginning with the First Promise movement, then with AMiA, and now with other networks aligned with overseas provinces, parishes have become the foundation of a new church. In most cases, joining these networks has cost churches and clergy their property, pensions, and some of their people. At the same time, breaking free has brought new energy for evangelism, church planting and mission.

Scenario 4: A league of confessing dioceses. The Anglican Communion Network emerged out of the AAC to unite bishops and like-minded dioceses against the powers that be. Unfortunately, this league has been whittled down to only a few. Help has come from another quarter: a network of bishops and dioceses has emerged, with connections reaching internationally into the Global South and historically back to the Reformed Episcopal Church and other groups who have been marginalized by the Episcopal Establishment over the years. This is the Common Cause Partnership.

Scenario 5: Piecemeal disintegration. Institutional death – comfortably financed but death nonetheless – is the future of The Episcopal Church. If the typical Anglican worldwide is a 30 year-old person of color, so the typical Episcopalian of the future will be a 70-year-old divorced priest. Those who stay in the institution to make a witness will be swallowed up and swept away like the exiles of Samaria after 722 BC.

None of the above scenarios is pleasant, humanly speaking; even the first (victory) would have been distressing in its way. As Scripture says: “For the moment all discipline seems painful rather than pleasant…. But some scenarios – call them ways of obedience – are hopeful; as the writer continues: “later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it” (Hebrews 12:11).

I think realignment through the Common Cause Partnership offers the best amalgamation of parish and diocesan scenarios that we can ask for at present. Yes, there is danger of splintering. Yes, there are thorny issues like women’s ordination to be faced. And certainly, there is no way we shall return to “business as usual.” On the other hand, I think this movement has garnered the best leadership in the church, and above all, it has the promise of our Lord Jesus Christ that those who are faithful over a little will be entrusted with more (Matthew 25:21).

Some of my friends and former students have concluded that Anglicanism has lost its saltiness and have departed to other churches. I believe Establishment Anglicanism is dying, both nationally and internationally, but the Anglican tradition, chastened and reformed, has an ongoing witness to make. Certainly, the Anglicans in the Church of Uganda see it that way. So I plan to continue an Anglican come what may.

I serve in Uganda, but I am proud to be a priest of the Diocese of Pittsburgh. I am in awe of my bishop, who has exhibited sacrificial courage, biblical faithfulness, and practical wisdom in leading the Network and Common Cause movements. I cannot in good conscience remain a priest of The Episcopal Church much longer, but it is my hope that I may remain a priest of this diocese for years to come. Your decisions this week may enable that possibility.

May God bless and guide you in your deliberations. We shall be praying with you as you meet.

Cordially in Christ,

Stephen

The Rev. Prof. Stephen Noll
Mukono, Uganda
28 October 2007

by Peter Frank

Dioceses, not the “abstract reality of the ‘national church’” are the building blocks of the Anglican Communion, Archbishop of Canterbury, the Most Rev. Rowan Williams, has recently asserted.

Responding to a request for clarification from Bishop John Howe of the Episcopal Diocese of Central Florida, Archbishop Williams commented that he believes that “any Diocese compliant with Windsor remains clearly in communion with Canterbury and the mainstream of the Communion, whatever may be the longer-term result for others in the Episcopal Church.  The organ of union with the wider Church is the Bishop and the Diocese rather than the Provincial structure as such.”

The Episcopal Diocese of Fort Worth has welcomed this articulation of the place of dioceses in the Anglican Communion here.

The full text of Archbishop Williams’ letter, and a subsequent clarification follow: 

14 October 2007

The primary point was that - theologically and sacramentally speaking - a priest is related in the first place to his/her bishop directly, not through the structure of the national church; that structure serves the dioceses. The diocese is more than a ‘local branch’ of a national organisation. Dr Williams is clear that, whatever the frustration with the national church, priests should think very carefully about leaving the fellowship of a diocese. The provincial structure is significant, not least for the administration of a uniform canon law and a range of practical functions; Dr Williams is not encouraging anyone to ignore this, simply to understand the theological priorities which have been articulated in a number of ecumenical agreements, and in the light of this not to increase the level of confusion and fragmentation in the church.”

by Peter Frank

Editor’s Note: Fr. C. Bradley Wilson of Fox Chapel recently wrote his congregation.  He speaks about a series of parish meetings dealing with the issues facing the church, releases results from a parish vote on preferences for the future and speaks about what that future may look like.

Thank you

On Sunday, October 14, we concluded the last of our four Town Hall presentations addressing the national church Crisis. Let me begin on a very personal note. I am so very grateful for the many comments, letters, notes, and emails of assurances and support during this extraordinarily difficult time. The regular theme has been “Thank you for the excellent series” or “primer on national apostasy”. Another theme has been “Are you alright?” A blithe dismissal of “Yeah, I’m fine” doesn’t adequately acknowledge the oppressive spirit that I with all the clergy in the diocese am suffering under. These well-meant expressions of support mean so very much to me and Carol. Thank you.

Especially of note is my deep, deep gratitude (and pride, if that is permitted) for the spirit in which our people have comported themselves during the four evening Presentations. One hears horror stories from other churches and dioceses about their meetings erupting into bitter acrimony and angry misbehavior. Our meetings were all characterized by courtesy, respect, listening, and a deep concord of good-will. I am so proud of all of you.

Results

The poll/survey referendum is completed and (drum-roll, please) the results are in with a total of 58 votes by Fox Chapelites.

Circle the Wagons Option [stay within] 15 25.9%
Launch the Lifeboats Option [parishes leave individually] 7 12.1%
Prepare for the Exodus Option [the diocese realigns] 35 60.3%
Unconditional Surrender Option 0 0%
The A.M.I.A Option 1 1.7%
The Other Denomination Option 0 0%

A second poll/survey referendum has been suggested for people who chose not to attend or were unable to attend the meetings. The result of that poll/survey also will be communicated to our six deputies upon completion.

What happens next?

Immediately and for the next year nothing happens. For that year we will continue to worship and serve the God revealed by Jesus Christ without any real change. Lawyers and lawsuit will rumble and roar as will rumors and gossip. Jesus warned us about
“wars and rumors of war.” Remain firm, he said, and be steadfast.

One of the most beautiful virtues revealed in our Seven Letters series is central, even vital, to us here. “Patient endurance”, which translates the Greek word hupomene, is still inadequate as a translation to the constant and energetic persistence of this sterling virtue. For most of us patience is sitting bored in a waiting room doing nothing. Not so hupomene! It’s a farmer waking at 4:30 a.m. one more time to tend to his chores. It’s a single mom doing housework after the kids are asleep one more time. It’s a football team, down 17 points at half-time, with clenched teeth charging out to take the field one more time. “Keep on keepin’ on” is its heroic motto.

What will eventually happen?

It was the hope of many of us that the House of Bishops at its New Orleans meeting would “repent and return to the Lord” by submitting to the international Windsor Report. Instead, their September 30 response and the subsequence review by the Joint Standing Committee (JSC) of the Primates and the Anglican Consultative Council is best characterized: “The House of Bishops pretended to submit to the Windsor Report and the JSC pretended to believe them.” The Episcopal Church’s undigestible fudge is the obfuscating rhetoric of the Anglican Communion’s bad boy who, refusing to play by the rules, terrorizes everyone else in the house. My friend Geof Chapman, Rector of St. Stephen, Sewickley has written to his parish, “We believe there shall be no viable long term future for our parishes in this church unless we make unacceptable compromises on matters of first importance” (his emphasis). I fully agree with him that for orthodox Christians that is not an option.

The single option for orthodox, biblical Christians committed to a Prayer Book tradition is to realign with some other province of the Anglican Communion which will permit and even celebrate “the faith once delivered to the saints” (Jude 3b).

Again, please remember that these events are only slowly unfolding. And almost every week bring a new perspective or nuance to our future path. We must equally oppose the over-zealous partisans whose motto is “Ready. Fire. Aim.” Instead let us move calmly, wisely, and together. And this, indeed, is our Bishop’s strategy: stay together.

Lastly, there is still much time for continuing conversations. Many of the Anglican resources on the internet are very fair and very useful. And many gatherings will emerge from time to time. Let us in this and in all things be a people of grace; let us be infectious with the love of God. That is our calling; it is our identity.

Faithfully in Christ,
C. Bradley Wilson, Rector and Pastor

Editor’s Note:  A member of the diocese, who has asked that her name be withheld, has written the following reflection on her support for realignment.

I have been an Anglican, an Episcopalian, for fifteen years.  It was the liturgy that wooed me from my childhood church.  I was a young Christian looking for more.  A cultural Protestantism, a surface faith, could not hold me.  I would rather be an agnostic than a shallow, cultural Christian.  Finding liturgical worship was like finding my way home to something richer, more all-enfolding.  I had come home.

I thought long and hard, though, before taking the plunge.  My only hesitation about the Episcopal Church was this: at the ripe old age of eighteen it was clear to me that the Episcopal Church had done an abysmal job of keeping its children Christian.  None of my friends who were “cradle Episcopalians” were really practicing the faith.  They were just marking time, Sunday by Sunday, before they would go off to college and graduate from church.  Most of them would return for their wedding day, but none of them could really say they knew Jesus.  Their lives bore no fruit. 

Even at eighteen, I knew that the church I stepped into would be the church in which I raised my own children.  I thought long and hard about joining a church in which membership would be a parenting handicap.  I knew that I wanted my own children to know Christ.  It was heartbreaking to choose a church which I could not trust to assist in that venture, but at least I can say that I went in with my eyes open.

Even fifteen years ago, America was a nation in search of culture.  The Episcopal Church with our liturgy gives young people, Gen-X’ers a sense of belonging and ritual that so many of us desire.  With our sense of Tradition, the Episcopal Church (like the Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox churches) gives otherwise disconnected X’ers a sense of place in a long chain of believers stretching back to the dawn of time.  This is immensely valuable, a rare and precious gift.  It is a gift which can be a tool to attract people my age to the Christian faith.  It is a gift that can combat the surface Christianity which so repelled me, even at the age of eighteen.  It is a gift which so many in the world at large are seeking.  Yet it is a gift which we have utterly failed to pass on to at least two generations of our children.  The median age in the church is somewhere in the upper Baby-Boomer range; that shouldn’t surprise anyone.

Fifteen years later, I have three children of my own.  Having gone in with my eyes open, I work every day to make sure they are discipled in the Christian faith.  I realize that the church I have freely chosen has long ago abandoned any real Christian upbringing of children, relegating Christian mentoring to watered-down Sunday schools and pre-digested preaching.  In some ways, I am thankful.  I have no illusions that I can leave the discipleship of my children to the work of the church.  I take up my task as a parent with eyes open and heart willing.

At the same time, I see the children of my parish as they grow up and graduate from church.  I can count on one hand the number of kids who will likely come back, voluntarily, when it does not involve pleasing their parents or finding a decent backdrop for their wedding pictures.  Ministry in this environment is like swimming upstream; how can we disciple the kids when for over a generation we have left the parents as fallow fields? 

And when my own children grow and leave this nest, where am I to direct them in their search for a faithful church community, for I can no longer simply accept that a church that has a similar name on its sign will have a similar doctrine from its pulpit.  My children can no longer trust the guidance of the church on the simple basis that it is the church of their youth.  Within our own lands, our children are like lambs among wolves. 

It comes down to this, in the end.  When asked why I choose the road that I have chosen, the road to support the realignment of the church, though it will mean loss for me, personally, I have three reasons which are second in importance only to the truth of the Scriptures… three young children for whom the church will be an inheritance.  We must be good stewards of the faith for their sakes.  For at least two generations we have failed in that stewardship and the inheritance has not been, in its fullness, delivered.  Thus I find myself saying that this must stop here.  This young generation must not suffer for the sins of their forefathers.  We must ask ourselves: what do we leave them?

Name Withheld

The Vestry of St. Paul’s, Mount Lebanon, recently wrote their congregation, stating clearly and uniquivocally their intent to “work diligently to remain within the Episcopal Church” in the event that the Diocesan Convention choose at some future point to realign the diocese.

“It is our sincere and prayerful hope that our diocese will reconcile with and remain within The Episcopal Church. However, in response to any attempt by diocesan leaders or Diocesan Convention to remove the diocese from The Episcopal Church, the Vestry of St. Paul’s will work diligently to keep the parish in The Episcopal Church. To do so, we will work with remaining members of Episcopal Diocese of Pittsburgh, with the Presiding Bishop, and with other church leaders to restore our diocese to institutional and spiritual health.”

Download "St. Paul's, Mount Lebanon, Vestry Writes Congregation"

by Peter Frank

“The Committee on Constitution and Canons has proposed a large number of changes to the documents that govern the diocese. The report of the committee shows, for each change, the current wording followed by the proposed wording. Although this format is helpful in some cases, many people prefer to see more clearly what is being added or deleted. This briefing paper does exactly that, and only that.”

PEP’s document is available here as a PDF file.

At the request of a number of convention deputies, The Episcopal Diocese of Pittsburgh’s diocesan office has released a document outlining answers to frequently asked questions about Resolution One, a constitutional change that will be first voted on by the Diocesan Convention on November 2. 

As proposed, Resolution One would amend the Constitution of the Episcopal Diocese of Pittsburgh to secure for the diocese the right to define its provincial membership by canon.  This would provide the diocese with a constitional mechanism that would allow it to align with Anglican province other than The Episcopal Church if a future convention so chose.  If it passes its first reading in November, the diocese will consider it a second time at the diocesan convention in 2008.  If it passes on the second reading, it will become part of the diocesan constitution.

The pdf document provides answers to basic questions about what the resolution will accomplish, why it is necessary, whether or not the diocese has the authority to pass Resolution One, and what the way forward looks like for the diocese if Resolution One is approved.

Download "Answers to Questions about Resolution One"

by Peter Frank

The leadership of St. Stephen’s in Sewickley, the largest church in the diocese in both membership and Sunday attendance, has announced its intention to realign with a different Province of the Anglican Communion. 

“We have come to a moment of decision. After years of effort and much personal anguish, I now believe that the Episcopal Church has clarified and hardened its opposition to the historic and biblical Christian faith to such an extent that we cannot pursue our gospel mission fruitfully while remaining under its authority. Your Vestry concurs. For the sake of our health and future mission, we believe that we must now partner with our diocese to realign our congregation and affiliate with a different Province of the Anglican Communion.”

Download "St. Stephen's Announces Intention to Realign"

Fr. Tony Clavier addressed the Pittsburgh Clergy Association on October 11.  He suggested that one of Anglicanism’s historic virtues is patience and that all should be careful not to discard it, even in difficult times:

“I’ve lived in the United States for most of my adult life, so perhaps I can risk saying to you that Americans not only want a quick fix, they want a structure in which to make that quick fix. Even in the midst of trying to be spiritual we envision political/structural solutions. Just as political discourse is often about persons and not principles, seeks to argue back, catch someone out, force someone to say or act in a specific manner, so our religious discourse all too often follows this pattern. If we are not name-calling we are proposing structural solutions often of some novelty, in which we may contain our new alignments. No group in the contemporary Episcopal Church is immune from this temptation just as all of us, as much as we flinch from the thought are still very much formed by the Enlightenment and by political structures which emerged in the Age of Reason.”

Download "Fr. Tony Clavier's Address to the Pittsburgh Clergy Association"

Fr. William C. Miller, STM, PhD, an assisting priest at Church of the Nativity in Crafton, believes that the sixteenth and seventeenth century examples cited by Fr. Mark Clavier in “Of Schism and Temperance” in fact support calls for separation from churches, such as The Episcopal Church, who insist on introducing innovations into the Christian faith.

A Reflection on a Schism and Realignment

It has recently been suggested by the Rev. Bruce Robison that an article by Fr. Mark Clavier (“Of Schism and Temperance” a study of the 17th Century Anglican divines Hammond and Bramhall) supports conservative Episcopalians remaining within The Episcopal Church.  I believe there is another reading of the article which supports “realignment” within the Anglican Communion. 

In his study Clavier advances the argument that the Church of the England is founded upon a conservative foundation.  It rejected both Roman Catholicism and Geneva (later Puritanism) due to both departing from apostolic form by accepting innovations.  The innovations of Rome were additions to apostolic form, and Geneva innovated by subtraction.  The Church of England achieved its famous via media not by balancing between Rome and Geneva, but by rejecting innovations as normative.  He concludes that the formative impulse for Anglicanism was a conservative dependence upon custom (tradition) understood as habits of practicing Christian worship and living inherited from the early church.

In the current discussion with The Episcopal Church, I believe Clavier’s study suggests that faithful Anglicans should continue to reject innovations, especially when the innovations are presented as normative.  All sides in the discussions will admit that innovation has become a hallmark of the contemporary Episcopal Church.  The Church’s leadership has become increasingly insistent that its innovations be accepted as normative expression of Christian faith and practice.

Anglicans who wish to be consistent with their 16th and 17th century history should be skeptical of innovations and resist the imposition of innovations as normative.  If Church leadership insists upon innovations (as Rome did in the 15th and 16th centuries), then separation is not schism.  Actually, it is faithfulness.  With all catholic Christians, I believe that schism is a sin.  Yet, as Hammond and Bramhall argue the impairment of fellowship is not necessarily schism and therefore not a sin. 

Is the much discussed “realignment” schism?  It appears not.  It is a rejection of a distortion of the ancient “customs” of the Christian church through innovative bending of the “customs.” Actual early English reformers would fully understand the desires of those seeking “realignment.” The “realignment” would contribute to maintaining the early Anglican understanding of via media.

Conservatives who resist “realignment” or see it as schism would find more support for their position from the work of Rev. Dr. Ephraim Radner who sees staying as a manifestation of providential suffering (cf., his Hope Among the Fragments) or ABC Rowan Williams who understands God working through time as nudging Anglicanism toward a comprehensive wholeness (cf., his Anglican Identities).  They should not expect to find support from those who separated from Rome and resisted the advances of Geneva.

Fr. William C. Miller, STM, PhD

The Rev. Bruce Robison, of St. Andrews in Highland Park, has suggested that a recent article, by Mark Clavier provides a clear statement of the position of those who believe that orthodox Christians need to stay within The Episcopal Church.  The article, Of Schism and Temperance, argues that the traditional Anglican theology would offer “no support” to dioceses and parishes looking to alter their relationship with The Episcopal Church.

In suggesting this article, Bruce also offered a useful description of the discussions currently going on within the diocese.  I reprint it here in its entirety with his permission:

“To set this reference in context, I’d simply note that there are two sets of conversations in play right now.  One, between folks “progressive” and “conservative,” or “orthodox,” is quite broad and deep, as it relates to questions related to moral theology, Biblical interpretation and Biblical authority, and ecclesiology--that is to say, the nature of the faith community.  The other, between two groups of people within the conservative or “orthodox” frame, is related more specifically to the last of these broader topics: ecclesiology.  The question, is the Church a gathering of Christians who have made a free choice to determine their association, or is it a sacramental entity determined by divine action beyond limits of time and space, into which we are incorporated, not “associated.” Those who would lean toward the former view would find it, let’s say, somewhat easier to move into and out of relationship with the ecclesial body based on matters of choice, those who would lean toward the latter would be more powerfully inclined to remain within the body, even when to do so might be costly in terms of the sacrifice of personal concerns.”

Bishop Harold Miller, Bishop of Down and Dromore, Church of Ireland, discusses his experience touring The Episcopal Church during a sabbatical.  Writing from a conserving perspective, Bishop Miller, notes the foundational changes in faith he saw taking place across the American Church.  Those changes, which include the gradual disappearance of langauge refering to Jesus as “Lord” and God as “Father,” a significant change in what it means to be baptized, and a deep level of discomfort with repentance and confession, amount to something other than the classical Christian faith, he says.

“I write about these because it is important to note that there really is the beginning of a new kind of religion in parts of The Episcopal Church - a religion which not only re-interprets the traditional central tenets of the Christian faith, but which in fact has the potential to jettison many of them altogether ”

Bishop Miller’s complete text is available here.

by Peter Frank

A couple of stories in the press have referenced a development yesterday at the House of Bishops meeting in New Orleans.  It would be natural for people in Pittsburgh to wonder if this proposal of “episcopal visitors” offers a new way forward for the diocese.

My sense is that it does not. Unfortunately, there appears to be much less in this announcement than meets the eye.  It is worlds away from what the diocese asked for last year.  It is not what the leaders of the Anglican Communion asked for this February . 

Further, it seems that a number of the bishops named as possible “episcopal visitors” aren’t really sure what they signed up for. 

Things sometimes change, but at the moment at least, it seems that the only substantive plan on the table to provide real oversight for conserving dioceses is that put forward by the Primates at Dar Es Salaam. 

Joan R. Gunderson, president of Progressive Episcopalians of Pittsburgh and a parishioner at Church of the Redeemer in Squirrel Hill, has responded to the proposed constitutional changes that will be considered by Diocesan Convention November 2-3. 

“The problem with the proposed changes is that they usurp the authority of General Convention and unilaterally seek to alter provisions in the constitution and canons of The Episcopal Church. The accession clause is a precondition for membership in The Episcopal Church, and General Convention decides what dioceses belong to the church. Similarly, boundaries of dioceses are defined in the Episcopal Church constitution as geographical.”

The full text is available here.

The Rev. Bradley Wilson, of Fox Chapel Episcopal Church, has prepared a very complete overview and discussion of the crisis in the Episcopal Church.  Clearly writing from a conserving perspective, Wilson argues that the theological issues at stake in this debate are foundational to the Christian Faith:

“Isn’t this controversy just about homosexuality?

No. The media knows that sex sells well in the public press, especially when mixed with the exotic catalysis of religion. But, no, it’s not about homosexuality; it’s about a new religion. We the reading public are as much to blame. Few among us would rally around these news flashes: East Coast Bishop Abandons Arianism for Panentheism or Nonreaffirmation of Foundational Documents by the House of Bishops Renders Hermenuetics Irrelevant. The sex headlines glitter while these fall flat. But the first headline announces, truly, that an Episcopal bishop has moved from the already heretical position that Jesus was like God but not God (Arianism) to the proposition that God doesn’t really exist as anything other than a sort of espirt de corp or team spirit of planet earth.”

Download ""Our Current Crisis - A Primer on National Apostasy""

The Diocesan Council was presented with a second proposed amendment to the diocesan constitution during their meeting on September 11.  It is sponsored by Mary Roehrich of St. Andrew’s in Highland Park; the Rev. Moni McIntyre, PhD., Church of the Holy Cross in Homewood; Joan R. Gundersen, PhD., Church of the Redeemer, Squirrel Hill and The Rev. Diane Shepard, retired.  If passed, that amendment would undo 2004 changes to the accession clause and return the Episcopal Diocese of Pittsburgh to unqualified accession to the Constitution and canons of The Episcopal Church

Download "Second Proposed Constitutional Amendment"

11th September, A.D.2007

TO THE CLERGY AND LAY LEADERS OF THE DIOCESE OF PITTSBURGH:
Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

Grace and Peace to you from God our Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ.

Each year my pre-Convention report takes the form of a pastoral letter.  This year will be no different.

MOMENTOUS DAYS AND MOMENTOUS DECISIONS
It appears to many of us – bishops, clergy, laity – that a moment of decision has arrived in the Anglican Communion.  The Windsor Report and Primates Communiques from Dromantine and Dar es Salaam have asked The Episcopal Church and the Anglican Church of Canada to take clear actions committing these two Provinces of the Anglican Communion to “walking together” rather than “walking apart” from the Communion.  After four years the official, as well as general, response from The Episcopal Church seems to be “we’ll do it our way.” Moreover rejection (by both the House of Bishops and Executive Council) of proposals to allow sufficient integrity to dioceses like Pittsburgh, concerning traditional Faith and Order, now seem all but final.  A last minute reversal by the House of Bishops (prior to a September 30th deadline established by the Communion) seems most unlikely.  In light of these events, with heavy hearts, and for the sake of our mission it appears the time has come to begin the process of realignment within the Anglican Communion.

Constitutional changes proposed for consideration at the 142nd Annual Convention would begin the process to exercise our right to end the accession of the Episcopal Diocese of Pittsburgh to the constitution and canons of The Episcopal Church of the United States of America.  The accession clause first appeared in the Constitution of our Diocese in 1868.  The effect of the changes would make clear the right to end any claim of spiritual or canonical authority of the General Convention over the Episcopal Diocese of Pittsburgh and would allow the Episcopal Diocese of Pittsburgh to realign itself with another Province of the Anglican Communion.  The proposed changes are written in such a way, however, that continuing membership in The Episcopal Church remains a possibility if The Episcopal Church were to reverse its “walk apart” from the Anglican Communion. 

Where are we going?  Nowhere.  We stand where we have always stood.  We are who we have always been.  It is The Episcopal Church that has moved.  It is The Episcopal Church that has become something new.  If the Convention adopts the constitutional amendments proposed, it is re-alignment within the Anglican Communion that would be made possible.  The argument is that this re-alignment would free the Episcopal Diocese of Pittsburgh from any claim that it can be forced to be something different, from being carried somewhere outside the mainstream of Anglicanism, from being lured somewhere outside the mainstream of the One Holy Catholic and Apostolic Church. 

Because the accession clause is a feature of our local diocesan constitution, adoption of the changes requires the action of two successive annual conventions.  The proposed changes would therefore not take effect immediately, but would open a season of planning, discussion and decision-making in preparation for the second vote in 2008. 

ORDINARY CANONICAL CHANGES
Diocesan Convention will also be asked to vote on a report of the Committee on Constitution and Canons.  During the first eight months of 2007, this committee undertook a thorough examination of the present form of the canons of the Diocese.  A series of canonical changes are proposed to bring the canons into line with present practice in the Diocese, and to conform a number of passages in the canons to significant changes made in 1994, but not uniformly written into all the canons.  One change to convention Rules of Order is also proposed as a result of concerns raised in the last two conventions about roll-call voting.

250th ANNIVERSARY OF ANGLICAN PRESENCE
As you know, 2008 marks the 250th anniversary of the first act of worship according to the Book of Common Prayer at what is today the City of Pittsburgh.  “Anglican Witness and the Flowering of Christianity in Southwestern Pennsylvania” is the theme of our 250th Anniversary Celebration.  The Celebrate 250 Committee, co-chaired by Fred Thieman and Tom Moore, has done a splendid job of preparation for the year-long observance.  Both the City of Pittsburgh and the Episcopal Diocese had our beginnings on the same day and in the same place, making for an observance that goes far beyond us Anglicans in its significance.  A variety of events are planned.  A history of the Diocese has been written.  An exhibition will be mounted at the Heinz History Center as well as (hopefully) at several locations around the Diocese Trinity Cathedral’s exterior and grounds are being renewed.  Significant ministry initiatives to serve the homeless across the region are being undertaken.  Pittsburgh’s foundation community has responded marvelously to underwrite the capital expense involved in both the Cathedral and homeless ministry projects.  I know that all of the people of the Diocese will share in at least some aspect of the fruits of these labors.

At our 2006 Diocesan Convention, parishes were asked to contribute to funding the celebratory events by contributing 1% of their budget in both 2007 and 2008.  This fall, the Celebrate 250 Committee, will undertake fundraising among individuals.  A report and video will be brought to Convention. 

LAWSUIT AND BUDGET
The lawsuit brought by the Rector and Vestry of Calvary Church was reactivated by the plaintiffs on December 19th, 2006.  Since that time the Diocese has spent, on average, $27,000 dollars a month in defense.  After exhausting the Diocesan Council reserve (accumulated through surpluses in the operating budgets of the last several years), the Board of Trustees began committing unrestricted assets to the legal defense.  In the 2008 Diocesan (operating) budget proposed to the 142nd Convention, a reduction in assessment income of $110,000 (equal to the annual assessment of Calvary Church now being escrowed) is reflected in reductions in expenditure, including, but not limited to, salary freezes for diocesan staff.  Additionally the operating budget of the Trustees (not presented to Convention) will show a $500,000 flow-through, representing a potential draw-down from unrestricted assets for legal expenses associated with the legal action against the Diocese.

COMMON LIFE PROPERTY AT DONEGAL LAKE
One of the most gratifying accomplishments of 2007 has been completion of the Clergy Cottage at Donegal Lake.  This four bedroom facility, like the barn constructed in 2006, was made possible through assets derived from the sale of the diocesan property previously owned at Jennerstown.  I know you join me in gratitude that we have a place for our clergy and their families to find much needed rest and refreshment.

A Common Life Property Program and Events Commission was named in 2007.  This Program and Events Commission is chaired by the Rev. Jean DeVaty of Ascension Church and has members from each of the Districts of the Diocese.  The group functions to consider how best to bring this asset into widespread diocesan usage.

DIOCESAN HEALTH AND STRENGTH
Our parishes continue to carry forward their mission.  Despite the anxieties of the present season, parish statistics continue to show strength.  More important, however, visitations reveal a continuing commitment on behalf of our people to reach the world with the saving and loving gospel of Jesus Christ.  Pittsburgh is a remarkable diocese, driven by remarkable people.

The Episcopal Diocese of Pittsburgh continues to attract wonderfully able ordained leaders.  Clergy want to serve in Pittsburgh.  We thank God for this provision.  Trinity School and the various Mission societies continue to be part of the attraction.  Pittsburgh Clergy are also deployed all over the world as missionaries.  To God be the Glory!  At the same time, clergy leadership challenges have rarely been greater.  Constant prayer and random acts of kindness are recommended.

Our diocesan staff is among the best serving any diocese.  We continue to have other dioceses consult with us on matters from church-planting to finance.  Jack Downie’s health crisis has been a cause for much prayer.  He awaits a liver transplant.  Like the anxieties experienced by our clergy and people, diocesan staff has also been challenged by the crisis in the Episcopal Church.  Nevertheless, the deep Christian faith exhibited by the diocesan team is known to all.  The conviction expressed by St. Paul in Romans 8:28 is also our conviction: “God works all things together for good for those who love Him, who are called according to His purpose.”

CONVENTION FOCUS
Each year we take an aspect of our diocesan vision to focus on at Convention.  This year will be no different.  The Convention Committee has agreed to the theme “Missionary Grace: Taking Christ’s Love to Our Neighbors.” The focus is on local mission and the mission of each one of us as Christians. 

We will be meeting at Johnstown.  Convention facilities there are among the best in the region.  St. Mark’s will be our host parish.  This will be the first Convention in the eastern part of our Diocese in many years.  I look forward to being at Johnstown, as I hope you do.

CHARITY, PRAYER AND PREPARATION
St. Paul calls us to “speak the truth in love.” [Eph. 4:15] Heeding his exhortation will serve us well in these days of preparation for the 142nd Annual Convention.  We are a great fellowship of believers.  We have difficult questions before us.  Not all of us will agree about the best path forward.  Let us commend ourselves as Christian brothers and sisters. 

Prayer and fasting will also serve to get us and our Convention in the right place for this fall’s work.  Let seeking the Lord’s face be the first commitment for us all.  Everything else can flow from there.  As the apostle reminds us, “He who has called you is faithful, and He will do it.” [I Thess. 5:24]

Faithfully in Christ,

+Bob Pittsburgh

Download "Bishop Robert Duncan's Pre-Convention Report"

Today, the Diocesan Council of The Episcopal Diocese of Pittsburgh began the formal process that could lead to changes in its diocesan constitution by forwarding resolutions to Pittsburgh’s Diocesan Convention Nov. 2-3.  If ultimately passed by Diocesan Convention, those changes will open the door for the diocese to remain within mainstream Anglicanism even as the wider Episcopal Church continues to cut those ties.

“We are praying that the Episcopal Church’s House of Bishops makes these votes unnecessary by unequivocally accepting all the requests of the worldwide Anglican Communion when they meet in New Orleans Sept. 20-25,” said the Rev. David Rucker, president of Diocesan Council. “While we continue to pray for the House we must also prepare for the very real possibility they will not respond favorably.  Thus, we are beginning the process that will allow our convention to consider this action in the event the Episcopal Church does not turn back,” he added.  The release of convention resolutions conforms to Pittsburgh’s internal rules of order that require any proposed resolutions to be made public well in advance of the meeting itself.

To maintain the Episcopal Church’s standing in the worldwide communion, the House of Bishops has until September 30 to take a number of steps.  Among the actions requested of the House of Bishops by the leadership of the worldwide communion is an agreement to participate in a specific oversight plan for American Episcopalians who do not accept the liberal direction of the Episcopal Church.

Acting in March 2007, the House of Bishops rejected in advance the creation of this system of oversight for conservatives and hinted that they would not be able to act on the other requests.  Actions by The Episcopal Church’s Executive Council in June further signaled the church leadership’s decision to allow no internal solution.

The Episcopal Church has been steadily moving away from biblical Christianity for more than 30 years.  Church leaders are on record denying basic Christian truths, especially concerning the uniqueness of atonement and salvation by Jesus Christ and the primacy of Scripture in determining moral and theological teaching.  The Episcopal Diocese of Pittsburgh, as well as a number of other dioceses, has worked for years to reconcile its differences with The Episcopal Church, or, failing that, arrange for an orderly and charitable parting of ways.  Those efforts have been unsuccessful. 

The full text of the proposed resolution is available here as a pdf:

Bishop Robert Duncan’s Pre-Convention Report is here:

Download "Proposed Constitutional Amendment"

September 11, 2007
A Letter to the Church from Clergy of the Diocese of Pittsburgh

We are ordained leaders in the Diocese of Pittsburgh, and we write to our fellow Anglicans across this Church in this season of great importance concerning our future.  We are glad followers of Jesus Christ, working for the mission of his Gospel, and have for decades labored for the reform and renewal of the Episcopal Church under Holy Scripture and through the Holy Spirit. We are deeply thankful for this call upon our lives; we love the Gospel of Jesus Christ, and we love this Church.

We write in a season where it is evident that differences of faith and practice have torn our Church and our Communion, perhaps beyond mending.  We have all experienced this rending in painful and personal ways. 

The presenting issue is the question of human sexuality, but underlying issues go deeper, to the very heart of our faith, including our understanding of the Triune God, the devastating impact of the fall upon human nature, the unique work of Jesus as the only Savior of the world, our understanding of God’s Gospel mission to the world, the interdependence of our Communion, and – above it all – the final authority and full trustworthiness of Holy Scripture guiding us through these matters.  Though our faith is in concert with the majority of our Communion and the historical roots of our Church, we now find ourselves fundamentally divided from the majority of the leadership in the Episcopal Church over these issues of first importance. 

We have noticed a widespread and growing trend in The Episcopal Church:  in many places congregations and dioceses are no longer free to recruit, develop or choose leaders who share their faith and values; mandatory diocesan assessments are used to fund causes that many believe are in opposition to their own principles; and, if the trend continues, acceptance of behavior Scripture reveals to be immoral and destructive will be soon required.  Litigation and presentments are being widely used against congregations and their leaders who in conscience resist or who seek the freedom to realign with other parts of our Communion.  It is difficult to avoid the conclusion that opposition to classical, creedal, biblical theology and to our ministries is being orchestrated from the highest levels of the Episcopal Church.  We wonder if we really are welcome here.

Mindful of Jesus’ guidance we have worked to bring our concerns to the leadership of the Anglican Communion.  We have been heartened by the broad attention and support we have received.  We hoped that the Lambeth Conference, the Windsor Report, and the Tanzania Communiqué would provide a workable way forward for our ministries and the Anglican Communion itself.

We were stunned by the rapid, summary dismissal of the Tanzania Communiqué by our House of Bishops and Executive Council early this year.  We understood this to signal a decided rejection of Communion authority, of our most deeply held values, and of our future ministries. We believe there shall be no viable long term future for our ministries in this church unless we make unacceptable compromises on matters of first importance.  Many of us sense we are being compelled to realign.  All of us believe we must act to protect the churches and people we serve.  We now fear for the future of the Anglican Communion itself.

We do not want to act in haste or in a spirit of judgment.  We are concerned that the history of the Church is littered with the wreckage of strife and division, and we do not wish to add to the ruins.  We are mindful that our own hands are not clean in the development of this history, and are particularly brokenhearted over the pride that has too often accompanied our witness.  We beg God and others across our Church for the forgiveness we need and for the opportunity for a different future than the one we fear is rapidly coming upon us.  More than anything we wish to see God’s Gospel healing upon our Church. 

We have an urgent request for our leaders as they take counsel in the months to come. 

In all humility, with all prayer, and with great respect for the importance of your leadership in God’s Church, we beg you, implore you, to reconsider and comply with the unanimous requests of the Anglican Primates in the Tanzania Communiqué. 

We believe this plan to offer the greatest and perhaps last opportunity for a much needed halt in the rending of our Church and for the ‘grace space’ that might offer us a different, ordered, and hopeful way forward. 

We shall be much in prayer in the coming weeks, seeking the leading and help of Him whose grace upholds us all.

Signed
The Rev. John P. Bailey, Vicar, St. Andrew’s Church, New Kensington
The Rev. Ronald J. Baillie, Vicar, Church of the Good Samaritan, Liberty Boro
The Rev. Dr. James Bauer, Priest, Indiana
The Rev. Douglas R. Blakelock, Rector, St. Mark’s Church, Johnstown
The Rev. Dr. Dennett Buettner, Priest in Charge, Church of the Savior, Ambridge
The Rev. Stanley Burdock, Rector, Christ Church, Brownsville
The Rev. Donald W. Bushyager, Assistant Rector, St. David’s Church, Peters Twp
The Rev. Geoffrey W. Chapman, Rector, St Stephen’s Church, Sewickley
The Rev. James Chester, Deacon, Shepherd’s Heart Fellowship, Pittsburgh
The Rev. Dr. Ruth E. Correll, Assistant & Chaplain, St. Francis Church and Day School, Potomac, MD
The Rev. Dr. Daniel F. Crawford, Rector, St. Thomas-in-the-Fields Church, Gibsonia
The Rev. John T. Cruikshank, Rector, All Saints Church, Brighton Heights, Pittsburgh
The Rev. Dallam G. Ferneyhough, Priest-in-Charge, St. Luke’s Church, Georgetown
The Rev. John E. Fierro, Rector, St. Paul’s Church, Monongahela
The Rev. James Forrest, Associate Rector, St. David’s Church, Peters Twp
The Rev. Matthew Frey, Rector, Church of the Advent, Brookline
The Rev. Dr. Jack Gabig, Director of the Children &Youth Initiative, Anglican Communion Network, Pittsburgh
The Rev. Canon Mary M Hays, Canon Missioner, Diocese of Pittsburgh
The Rev. John Heidengren, Rector, Prince of Peace Church, Aliquippa
The Rev. Paul Henry, Chaplain, West Penn Hospital
The Rev. Marc Jacobson, Priest, Manila, Philippines
The Rev. Sam Jampetro, Church Planter, Coraopolis
The Rev. Paul Johnson, Assistant, Trinity Cathedral, Pittsburgh
The Rev. Carrie Klukas, Deacon in Residence, Trinity Cathedral, Pittsburgh
The Rev. Christopher M. Klukas, Rector, St. Martin’s Church, Monroeville
The Rev. Dr. Grant LeMarquand, Associate Professor of Biblical Studies & Mission, Trinity School for Ministry, Ambridge
The Rev. Canon John A. Macdonald, Director of the Stanway Institute for World Mission & Evangelism and Assistant Professor of Mission & Evangelism, Trinity School for Ministry, Ambridge
The Rev. Canon Dr. J. Douglas McGlynn, Associate Dean for Academic Affairs and Professor of Parish Ministry, Nashotah House Theological Seminary, Nashotah WI
The Rev. Christine McIlvain, Deacon, Christ Church, North Hills
The Rev. Peggy Means, Assistant Rector, Christ Church Greensburg and Associate Priest, Seeds of Hope Church, Bloomfield
The Rev. Jonathan N. Millard, Rector, Church of the Ascension, Pittsburgh
The Rev. Gary D. Miller, Rector, Church of the Holy Innocents, Leechburg
The Rev. James C. Morehead, Assistant Rector, Shepherd’s Heart Fellowship, Pittsburgh
The Very Rev. Dr. Peter C. Moore, Dean Emeritus, Trinity School for Ministry, Ambridge
The Rev. James C. Morehead, Assistant Rector, Shepherd’s Heart Fellowship, Pittsburgh
The Rev. Jeffrey Murph, Rector, St. Thomas Church, Oakmont
The Rev. Andrew Ray, Assistant Rector, Fox Chapel Church
The Rev. David B. Rucker, Rector, All Saints Church, Rosedale
The Rev. Rebecca C. Spanos, Deacon, Shepherd’s Heart Fellowship, Pittsburgh
The Rev. Elaine Storm, Assistant Rector, St. Philip’s Church Moon Twp
The Rev. Dr. Justyn Terry, Associate Professor of Systematic Theology, Trinity School for Ministry, Ambridge
The Rev. David D. Wilson, Rector, St. Paul’s Church, Kittanning
The Rev. Karen Woods, Deacon, Seeds of Hope Missionary Fellowship, Pittsburgh
The Rev. Michael D. Wurschmidt, Rector, Shepherd’s Heart Fellowship, Pittsburgh
The Rev. Dr. Mark Zimmerman, Rector, St. Francis-in-the-Field Church, Somerset

Church of the Redeemer in Squirrel Hill has prepared an extensive “question and answer” document that gives a progressive perspective on some of the basic issues confronting the diocese, the entire Episcopal Church and the worldwide Anglican Communion.

“The divisions over theology, sexuality, and the proper approach to scripture existed before Bishop Robinson was elected. Bishop Duncan has declared that the issue is not about sexuality. All sides of the discussion about sexuality have scriptural bases for their positions, but they interpret the scriptures differently.”

Download "Questions on the Current Controversy (Progressive)"

The Rev. Prof. Stephen Noll, a priest of the diocese who serves as the Vice Chancellor of Uganda Christian University, has recently responded to an article by the Rev. Philip Wainwright that presented a case for maintaining Christian fellowship with those who have departed from Christian faith and discipline.

Professor Noll, who, like Wainwright, has a conserving perspective, believes that the biblical witness supports breaking fellowship, pointing to passages such as Matthew 18:15-17 and I Corinthians 5:9-13.

“Jesus urges his disciples to be deliberate in approaching an erring brother, to avoid shaming him in public, if possible, and to make sure that any final judgement was shared by the wider community. So yes, the Christian is to be careful and patient in disciplining a brother, but there is a final word of exclusion: treat him as you would a pagan or a tax collector, which in the Jewish context means, shun him. Wainwright asserts without evidence that these words do not suggest separation from the church and its assembly and sacraments. I would argue, on the contrary, that given the specific reference of verse 17 to “tell it to the church,” it is precisely excommunication which Jesus has in mind.”

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by Peter Frank

A Pittsburgh Compact for a Way Forward in this Season

August 27th, 2007

For several months, orthodox clergy and lay leaders in the Diocese of Pittsburgh have been meeting in various formats to take counsel together, and to place matters of our Church before God in prayer.  We find ourselves in a season where fundamental differences of faith and practice have torn our Church and our Communion, perhaps beyond mending.  Decisions of great consequence are now upon us. 

As we finish this season of discernment, God has made us aware that ‘how we now walk’ is linked to ‘where we shall walk.’ Indeed, we believe that God is reshaping and repositioning us for a new season of ministry ahead.  Discernment of our future is still unfolding, and perhaps there is a fork in the road ahead that may divide our fellowship.  How we act in the next months is important to our ability to navigate even more difficult moments further down the road. 

In this light, we affirm the following principles to guide our actions: 

Believing: We will follow the leading and live in the faith of Jesus Christ.

Our primary concern has been to understand what the Lord has been doing in these events so that we can follow His lead and serve His purposes.  Hearing His voice is neither simple nor easy, especially when our passions, fears and opinions are deeply stirred and can cloud our discernment.  So we are spending extended time in prayer and fasting, study and council, listening above all for His voice.  We will continue to do so.

As we listen, we remain fully confident in the Holy Scriptures. We will repeatedly test all things in the light of ‘God’s Word written’. (Article XX – Articles of Religion) We happily live in ‘the faith once for all delivered to the saints’ (Jude 3) and affirmed in the historic Creeds of the church.  We will also listen carefully and receptively to the guidance of our own Bishops (and of our other Bishops and Primates) whose leadership has remained true to the historic faith of the church. 

Belonging: We will work for the health and unity of the Church. 

We have come to a deepened appreciation of our worldwide fellowship in Christ.  We see the Anglican Communion as a precious gift of the Gospel, a fruit of the Holy Spirit living within His Church.  We believe that the Church’s health and unity are linked by God in the life of His church, that His truth and love are essential partners in maintaining this unity, that ‘clarity and charity’ go together.  We will pursue them both.

Tragically, it appears to us that our Church is choosing to ‘walk apart’ from the fellowship and life of the Anglican Communion.  In response, God appears to be calling many of us to disassociate from the Episcopal Church while at the same time He is calling others to remain as missionaries within an increasingly hostile ecclesiastical culture.  We believe both actions to be prompted by the Holy Spirit for the healing of the Church and the future of the Gospel.  We will respect, honor, and support one another in these matters, acting together whenever possible, speaking well of each other always.  We trust God to bring us together, in His due time, in a biblically-rooted, mission-minded jurisdiction of the Anglican Communion.  We long and look for that day, and will work towards it.

Behaving: We will walk in humility and grace. 

We are concerned that the history of the church is littered with the wreckage of strife and division, and we do not wish to add to the ruins.  We are mindful that our own hands are not clean in the development of this history, and we are particularly brokenhearted over the pride that has too often accompanied our witness.  Even as we stand in the shadow of emerging divisions, we beg God for the forgiveness we need and the opportunity for a different future than the one we fear is rapidly coming upon us.

We are mindful of God’s weakness displayed in Christ’s Cross, and of the Apostle Paul’s consistent advocacy of the weakness of the Cross as the way of Christian life and ministry.  Because of this, we forsake the spirit of condemnation and the opportunity for litigation.  We look instead for clarity and charity towards all, and will work towards any prospect for just mediation.  We pray to God for the heart to bear any difficulties with joyful grace, peaceful spirits, and confidence in His provision.

Clergy:

The Rev. John P. Bailey, Vicar, St. Andrew’s Church, New Kensington
The Rev. Ronald J. Baillie, Vicar, Church of the Good Samaritan, Liberty Boro
The Rev. James Bauer, Retired Priest, Indiana PA
The Rev. Douglas R. Blakelock, Rector, St. Mark’s Church, Johnstown
The Rev. Donald Bowers, Deacon, Christ Church, Brownsville
The Rev Canon Catherine Brall, Provost, Trinity Cathedral, Pittsburgh
The Rev. Seth Brooker, Vicar, Christ the King Church, Beaver Falls
The Rev. Dr. Dennett Buettner, Priest in Charge, Church of the Savior, Ambridge
The Rev. Stanley Burdock, Rector, Christ Church, Brownsville
The Rev. Donald W. Bushyager, Assistant Rector, St. David’s Church, Peters Twp
The Rev. Deborah Carr, Assistant, St. David’s Church, Peters Twp
The Rev. John Paul Chaney, Church Planter and Pastor, Seed of Hope Fellowship, Pittsburgh
The Rev. Geoffrey W. Chapman, Rector, St Stephen’s Church, Sewickley
The Rev. James Chester, Deacon, Shepherd’s Heart Fellowship, Pittsburgh
The Rev. Paul A. Cooper, Rector, St. Christopher’s Church, Cranberry Twp
The Rev. Dr. Ruth E. Correll, Assistant & Chaplain, St. Francis Church and Day School, Potomac, MD
The Rev. Robert Coval, Priest, Elwood City
The Rev. Dr. Daniel F. Crawford, Rector, St. Thomas-in-the-Fields Church, Gibsonia
The Rev. John T. Cruikshank, Rector, All Saints Church, Brighton Heights, Pittsburgh
The Rev. Lawrence Deihle, Associate, St. Thomas Church, Oakmont
The Rev. Jean DeVaty, Associate, Church of the Ascension, Pittsburgh
The Rev. Arthur Dilg, Priest in Charge, St. Peter’s Church, Blairsville
The Rev. Dr. Leslie Fairfield, Professor of Church History (ret.), Trinity School for Ministry Ambridge
The Rev. Canon Daryl Fenton, Executive Assistant to the Moderator, Anglican Communion Network, Pittsburgh
The Rev. Dallam G. Ferneyhough, Priest-in-Charge, St. Luke’s Church, Georgetown
The Rev. John E. Fierro, Rector, St. Paul’s Church, Monongahela
The Rev. Huett Fleming, Rector, Church of the Good Shepherd, Hazelwood
The Rev. James Forrest, Associate Rector, St. David’s Church, Peters Twp
The Rev. Matthew Frey, Rector, Church of the Advent, Brookline
The Rev. Dr. Jack Gabig, Director of the Children &Youth Initiative, Anglican Communion Network, Pittsburgh
The Rev J. Bruce Geary, Rector, St. Peter’s Church, Butler
The Rev Karen J. Geary, Deacon, St. Peter’s Church, Butler
The Rev. William Geiger, Rector, Christ Church, Indiana
The Rev. Dr. Jay Geisler, Rector, St. Stephen’s Church, McKeesport
The Rev. Martha Giltinan, Assistant Professor of Pastoral Theology, Trinity School for Ministry, Ambridge
The Rev. Gordon Green, Associate Pastor, Christ Church at Grove Farm, Sewickley
The Rev. David Grissom, Rector, St. Alban’s Church, Murrysville
The Rev. John Guest, Senior Pastor & Rector, Christ Church at Grove Farm, Sewickley
The Rev. Joanne Hetrick, Deacon, St Thomas Church, Oakmont
The Rev. Dr. Leander Harding, Associate Professor of Pastoral Theology, Trinity School for Ministry, Ambridge
The Rev. Edmund Hay, Deacon, St. Mary’s Church, Charleroi
The Rev. L. P. Whistler Hays, Executive Director, Rock the Word Youth Ministry Alliance, Ambridge
The Rev. John Heidengren, Rector, Prince of Peace Church, Aliquippa
The Rev. Paul R. Henry, Chaplain at the Western Pennsylvania Hospital, Pittsburgh
The Rev. William Henry, Assistant Rector, St. Stephen’s Church, Sewickley
The Rev. Judy Howells, Deacon, St. James Church, Penn Hills
The Rev. William H. Ilgenfritz, Rector, St. Mary’s Church, Charleroi
The Rev. Marc Jacobson, Missionary, Associate Priest, Church of the Holy Trinity, Manila, Philippines
The Rev. Sam Jampetro, Church Planter, Coraopolis
The Rev. Tara Jernigan, Deacon, Church of the Nativity, Crafton
The Rev. Byron Johnson, Deacon, St. Martin’s Church, Monroeville
The Rev. Terrence Johnson, Associate, St. Christopher’s Church, Cranberry Twp
The Rev. Paul Johnson, Assistant, Trinity Cathedral, Pittsburgh
The Rev Colleen Klingensmith, Deacon, Church of the Holy Innocents, Leechburg
The Rev. Carrie Klukas, Curate, Trinity Cathedral, Pittsburgh
The Rev. Christopher M. Klukas, Rector, St. Martin’s Church, Monroeville
The Rev. Joseph Koch, Vicar, Church of the Transfiguration, Clairton
The Rev. Lawrence Knotts, Rector, Christ Church, Greensburg
The Rev. Marion Kush, Deacon, St. Mark’s Church, Johnsotown
The Rev. Dr. Grant LeMarquand, Associate Professor of Biblical Studies & Mission, Trinity School for Ministry, Ambridge
The Rev. Tina Lockett, Dean of Students and Director of Admissions, Trinity School for Ministry, Ambridge
The Rev. Michael J. Lonto, Rector, St. Mary’s Church, Salamanca NY
The Rev. Canon John A. Macdonald, Director of the Stanway Institute for World Mission &
Evangelism and Assistant Professor of Mission & Evangelism, Trinity School for Ministry, Ambridge
The Rev. David MacKenzie, Ministerial Associate, Christ Church at Grove Farm, Sewickley
The Rev. Ethan J. Magness, Vicar, Grace Anglican Fellowship, Slippery Rock
The Rev. Gregory Malley, Deacon, Christ Church, Savannah, GA
The Rev. Ruth Manson, Deacon, Christ Church, Greensburg
The Rev. Linda Manuel, Priest, Georgetown, SC
The Rev. Juan Bernardo Marentes, SAMS Missionary & Church Planter, Lima Peru
The Rev. Joseph R. Martin, Rector, Church of Our Saviour, Glenshaw
The Rev. Canon Dr. J. Douglas McGlynn, Associate Dean for Academic Affairs and
Professor of Parish Ministry, Nashotah House Theological Seminary, Nashotah WI
The Rev. Christine McIlvain, Deacon, Christ Church, North Hills
The Rev. Ronald McKeon, Associate Pastor, Church of the Savior, Ambridge
The Rev. Peggy Means, Assistant Rector, Christ Church Greensburg and Associate Priest, Seeds of Hope Church, Bloomfield
The Rev. Jonathan N. Millard, Rector, Church of the Ascension, Pittsburgh
The Rev. Gary D. Miller, Rector, Church of the Holy Innocents, Leechburg
The Very Rev. Dr. Peter C. Moore, Dean Emeritus, Trinity School for Ministry, Ambridge
The Rev. James C. Morehead, Assistant Rector, Shepherd’s Heart Fellowship, Pittsburgh
The Rev. Jeffrey Murph, Rector, St. Thomas Church, Oakmont
The Rev. Carl Neely, Retired Priest, Beaver
The Rev. Dr. Ann Paton, Liturgical Assistant, Church of the Ascension, Pittsburgh
The Rev. Elizabeth Rodewald, Deacon, Fox Chapel Church
The Rev. Dr. Peter E. Ostrander, Vicar, St. George’s Church, Waynesburg
The Very Rev. Canon John H. Park, Dean, Anglican Cathedral of the Good Shepherd, Lima, Peru
The Rev. John A. Porter, Rector, Grace Churches, Edgeworth and Pittsburgh
The Rev. Scott Quinn, Rector, Church of the Nativity, Crafton
The Rev. Andrew Ray, Assistant Rector, Fox Chapel Church
The Rev. David B. Rucker, Rector, All Saints Church, Rosedale
The Rev. Douglas R. Sherman, Interim Rector, St. James Church, Penn Hills
The Rev. Dr. James B. Simons, St. Michael’s Church, Ligonier
The Rev. Eddie Slayton, Assistant Rector, Trinity Church, Tariffville CT
The Rev. Jay Slocum, Assistant and Church Planter, Church of the Ascension, Pittsburgh
The Rev. Rebecca Spanos, Deacon, Shepherd’s Heart Fellowship, Pittsburgh
The Rev. Karen Stevenson, Rector, Trinity Church, Washington
The Venerable Dr. Mark Stevenson, Archdeacon, Diocese of Pittsburgh and Director, Center for Discipleship & Ministry Development, Adjunct Professor of Church History, Trinity School for Ministry
The Rev. Elaine Storm, Assistant Rector, St. Philip’s Church Moon Twp
The Rev. Paul A. Sutcliffe, Jr., Rector, Church of the Atonement, Carnegie
The Rev. Eric J. Taylor, Rector, St. Philip’s Church, Moon Twp
The Rev. Dr. Justyn Terry, Associate Professor of Systematic Theology, Trinity School for Ministry, Ambridge
The Rev. Laura Y. Theis, Deacon, Chaplain Mercy Hospital, Pittsburgh
The Rev. Gaea Thompson, Chaplain, Canterbury Place, Pittsburgh
The Rev. Dr. H. Lawrence Thompson, Dean of Doctoral Studies and Associate Professor of Liturgy, Trinity School for Ministry, Ambridge
The Rev. Joseph A. Vitunic, Jr., Priest, Ambridge
The Rev. James Vreeland, Associate, Church of the Atonement, Carnegie
The Rev. Philip Wainwright, Rector, St. Peter’s Church, Brentwood
The Rev. Gilbert Watt, Associate, St. Thomas Church, Oakmont
The Rev. Laura Wicker, Deacon, Church of the Savior, Ambridge
The Rev. C. Bradley Wilson, Rector, Fox Chapel Church
The Rev. David D. Wilson, Rector, St. Paul’s Church, Kittanning
The Rev. Dennis Wilson, Deacon, Prince of Peace Church, Hopewell Twp
The Rev. Karen Woods, Deacon, Seeds of Hope Missionary Fellowship, Pittsburgh
The Rev. Edward Wood, Associate, Christ Church at Grove Farm, Sewickley
The Rev. Mark Wright, Rector, St. David’s Church, Peters Twp
The Rev. Michael D. Wurschmidt, Rector, Shepherd’s Heart Fellowship, Pittsburgh
The Rev. Dr. Mark Zimmerman, Rector, St. Francis-in-the-Field Church, Somerset

Lay Leaders:

Mr. Dan Locheman, District IV
Mr. Wicks Stephens, Trinity Cathedral
Mr. Ken Herbst, St. Peter’s Church, Butler
Mr. Charles Gromigon, St. Peter’s Church, Butler
Mr. Pat Serafini, All Saints’ Church, Rosedale
Mr. Dave Schminlette,
Mr. William Hetrick, St. Thomas Church, Oakmont
Mr. Bill Guyker, Christ Church, Greensburg
Mr. Steve Swencki, Christ Church, Greensburg
Mrs. Cindy Swencki, Christ Church, Greensburg
Mrs. Robin Weiss, St. James Church, Penn Hills
Mrs. Gloria Clever, Church of the Holy Innocents, Leechburg
Mr. David Berklite, Fox Chapel Church
Mr. Patrick Lynch Church of the Savior, Ambridge
Mrs. Judy Lynch Church of the Savior, Ambridge
Mr. Dan Driscoll, St. Stephen’s Church, Sewickley
Mr. Paul Stirbis, Church of the Good Samaritan, Liberty Boro
Mr. Patrick Regan, St. Stephen’s Church, McKeesport
Mrs. Sharon Forrest, St. David’s Church, Peters Twp
Mrs. Tina Wurschmidt, Shepherd’s Heart Fellowship, Pittsburgh
Mrs. Elaine Morehead, Shepherd’s Heart Fellowship, Pittsburgh
Mr. Battle Brown, Seeds of Hope Church, Bloomfield
Ms Carolyn Nunnally, All Saints’ Church, Rosedale
Mrs. Jane Patterson, St. Thomas Church, Oakmont
Ms Allison Burgan
Mr. Robert Dickenson, St. Stephen’s Church, Sewickley
Mr. Steve Stagnitta, Fox Chapel Church
Mr. Stuart Simpson, Fox Chapel Church
Mr. Harold Hicks, St. Alban’s Church, Murrysville
Mr. John Snyder, Junior Warden, St. Paul’s Church, Monongahela
Mr. Chuck Rose, Senior Warden, St. Paul’s Church, Monongahela
Mrs. Brenda Benner, Pastoral Asst. St. Francis in the Fields, Somerset
Mr. Todd Brewer, St. Christopher’s Church, Cranberry Twp
Mr. Bart Vanderhegel, Trinity School for Ministry, Ambridge
Mr. Scott Means, Seeds of Hope Church, Bloomfield
Ms Carole Finney, Church of the Atonement, Carnegie
Mrs. Ann Castro, Grace Church, Mt. Washington
Mr. Dwight Castro, Grace Church, Mt. Washington

by Peter Frank

Editor’s Note: In a couple of discussions subsequent to the release quoted below, it has become clear that even though Progressive Episcopalians of Pittsburgh announced this new site, http://pittsburghepiscopal.org is not intended to be affiliated directly with that organization.  That said, individuals connected with PEP have certainly been involved in pittsburghepiscopal.org’s creation and operation.  However, the Rev. Diane Shepard (who retired as rector of St. Stephen’s in Wilkinsburg last year) is the site’s editor.  According to Shepard, this website is intended to give voice to a broader constituency of the diocese who are not members of PEP but are comfortable with the direction of the national Episcopal Church.

Original Post of August 28, 2007

Progressive Episcopalians of Pittsburgh (PEP) has announced a new website with a goal similar to that of http://www.parishtoolbox.org.  In their press release, the advocacy group believes the new site (http://pittsburghepiscopal.org) is necessary because, in their view, “submissions (to http://www.parishtoolbox.org) have not always been posted evenhandedly, and posting delays have been significant.”

Most materials and links on http://pittsburghepiscopal.org clearly represent the progressive perspective on the issues facing the diocese. 

Personally speaking, I believe their website is a good idea.  One of the great things about the web is that it lets everyone represent themselves as they wish to be represented.  Just as I wouldn’t feel comfortable letting PEP take responsibility for fairly representing the opinions and perspectives of the diocesan leadership and the majority of its people, it makes sense that people with a progressive perspective wouldn’t be entirely happy with allowing a diocesan website like this one to be the only distribution point for parish discussion materials.

That said, their announcement suggests that a little clarification about http://www.parishtoolbox.org might be helpful.

First off, it has been clear to me since the very beginning that http://www.parishtoolbox.org needed to make accessible to a wider parish audience the perspective of the elected diocesan leadership and voices representing the majority opinion here in Pittsburgh.  I also believed it had to be open to the voices of those who are outside of the majority if there was any hope of having an honest discussion.  I tried to capture that dual purpose in my initial release in the statement that, “while communicating the perspective of the elected leadership of the diocese is certainly a top priority for http://www.parishtoolbox.org, it is important that we also include resources outlining different points of view.”

I have organized http://www.parishtoolbox.org in a way that fits that goal.  Diocesan Resources have a certain priority.  I continue to give progressive, middle-of-the-road, and other conserving perspectives space on the site as Advocacy Resources.  Given that the diocesan leadership and the large majority of the diocese is conserving in outlook, most of the time there will be more posts that come from that point of view than from other points of view.  (Though, ironically enough, not right now.  As I look at http://www.parishtoolbox.org at the moment, three of the five posts on the front come from either a progressive or moderate perspective)

Secondly, I generally have time to update http://www.parishtoolbox.org a couple of times a week.  That has meant that there has been and will some delay between submission of articles and their possible appearance on the website. 

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My friend looked puzzled, then grinned and said, “You’re kidding.” He was referring to the story of an Episcopal priest who had found Allah in Islam and continued to function as a priest in her Episcopal parish. The newsletter of the Episcopal Diocese of Olympia (Seattle) published a feature story on the priest, describing the Bishop of the Diocese as excited by the “interfaith possibilities”. The article describes her worshipping on Friday evenings at the Al Islam Center and then putting on a clerical collar and going to worship at St. Clement’s in Seattle on Sunday morning.

Ordained twenty years ago and formerly the director of “faith formation” at the cathedral church in the Diocese of Olympia, she was “drawn to Islam” about fifteen months ago, She understands Islam and Christianity as “at the most basic level. . . to be compatible.” Compatibility means

The denial of the Christian doctrine of original sin.

Taking Jesus “out of the way of our relationship with God.”

The priest’s Bishop in Olympia accepts her ministry as a priest in the Episcopal Church and as a Muslim – he even finds the “interfaith possibilities exciting”. Her story, published in the Diocesan newsletter, hasn’t caused much controversy in the Diocese, he says. (As this article went to print, the bishop of Rhode Island, the diocese where the priest in question is canonically resident, did direct her to stop functioning as a priest for the next year).

Taking Jesus out of the way of our relationship with God – one might even say taking the revelation of God as found in the books of the Old and New Testaments – seems to the present thrust of the Episcopal Church, especially as seen in the words and actions of its bishops and the resolutions of its General Conventions.  The journey of the “Muslipalian” priest in Seattle evokes recent stories of Episcopalians who have indulged other “compatibilities”.

In May 2004, the Episcopal Diocese of Michigan cosponsored Together in Faith, a seminar featuring workshops led by a witch and a trans-gendered pagan.

A year ago, the Episcopal Church Center Bookstore in New York City was selling a book entitled Love Spells which contained “a host of tried and true spells, potions, and rituals that will help you find out just how to bring love into your life.”

In response to the on-going drift of the Episcopal Church away from “the faith, unity and discipline”, the “heritage it has received from the apostles and martyrs and those of every generation who have looked to God in hope”, the Dioceses of Pittsburgh, Fort Worth, San Joaquin and Quincy have modified their Constitutions and Canons to make it clear they will not follow the Episcopal Church into accepting doctrines and practices which are incompatible with Scripture and Tradition.  Over the past four years, the Diocese of Pittsburgh, in particular, has modified its Constitution and passed resolutions to make clear that it will not assent to any action by the Episcopal Church which takes Jesus out of the way of our relationship with God. Less than two weeks ago, the Executive Council of the Episcopal Church passed a resolution which pronounces that “the amendments passed to the constitutions of the dioceses of Pittsburgh, Fort Worth, Quincy and San Joaquin, which purport to limit or lessen the unqualified accession to the constitution of The Episcopal Church” [are] “null and void and the constitutions of those dioceses shall be as they were as if such amendments had not been passed.” The Executive Council claims the Dioceses of Pittsburgh, Fort Worth, San Joaquin and Quincy have no right to pass judgment on the apostasy of the Episcopal Church and its General Conventions. The Chancellors of the Dioceses have rejected the resolution as worth less than the paper it’s written on.

Over the next few months, the Diocese will be carrying on a discussion of the way forward for the diocese and its parishes in the present crisis. The recent emphatic repudiation by the House of Bishops of the conditions established by the Primates of the Anglican Communion for remaining in the Communion, and the increasing number of lawsuits against parishes which have established ties with other Provinces in the Communion make it clear that the Episcopal Church has no interest in or intention of addressing the concerns of Dioceses and churches which will not “accede” to the actions of the Episcopal Church and its agencies. The days ahead will require constant prayer – Fr. Bruce Geary, the convener of our District, has suggested that we set aside special times for fasting and prayer. And the Diocese and I will do all we can to keep you informed. Nothing less is at stake than the essentials of our Christian faith.

Written by the Rev. Daniel Crawford, Ph.D., rector of St. Thomas Church in the Fields, Gibsonia and first published in St. Thomas’ parish newsletter

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One of the actions contemplated as a way forward for the Episcopal Diocese of Pittsburgh involves the revision of the Article I, section 1, of diocesan Constitution to remove the clause that states that the diocese “accedes to, recognizes and adopts the Constitution and Canons” of the national Episcopal Church. 

The diocese last changed this clause of its Constitution in 2004.  At the time, there was some discussion about whether or not the diocese could even consider such a change.  Progressive Episcopalians of Pittsburgh argued that such a step would exceed the diocese’s authority. Robert Devlin, diocesan chancellor, produced a paper arguing that the diocese had the right to change this clause of its Constitution.

At this time, no proposed constitutional amendment has been put forward for the Nov. 2-3 diocesan convention.  However, if an amendment is offered, discussions about the legality of such a step are likely.  Taken together, both papers should give a clear picture of the different interpretations of the diocese’s authority to act in this case.

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In these summer months among conservative leaders in the Diocese of Pittsburgh, we have taken a season to listen to God, including fasting and prayer and scripture and listening carefully to one another.  The season upon us is challenging and confusing.  God is evidently pruning his vineyard.  But what are we to do?  How do we respond to the rejections of the Episcopal Church?  To the leadership of the Primates?  To our own Diocesan leadership?  How do we build ministries that will have a future?  Protect our parishes?  What is God pruning in us?  In all these matters, I have found myself less trusting of my own instincts, and more attentive to God.  I know many of us feel the same.

Large events are scheduled for the fall:  our House of Bishops meet with the Archbishop of Canterbury to respond to the Primates in September, Common Cause Bishops meet after that, the Primates will certainly weigh in, and our own Diocesan Convention will meet in November. 

A clear sight of what God is doing and what God is saying is essential in this time.  In order to help our prayers, I send to you the following questions developed by Mary Zahl, and used in a talk she gave this summer at the Mt Carmel Ministries center in Alexandria, Minn.  Listening to God and others has been a passion for Mary for some years, and a ‘grace gift’ in her own life and ministry.  She shared these with me this past week, and I immediately asked her if I could send them on to you.  For me they were clarifying, pushing my summer prayers deeper.

“These are my questions:

What is the prayer? (ask God to show me)

What scripture comes to mind?

My experience with this sort of questioning is that when God gives me the prayer, the faith that enables more effective prayer comes with it.  I have the sense of ‘asking according to His will’, rather than struggling with/against him, trying to ‘twist his arm’ to give me what I want.  The latter (struggling prayer) also reveals my own false picture of the Father, who in fact longs to give good gifts to his children.”

As I have spent time in prayer these past weeks, I have found myself digging more deeply into the scriptures.  Here are some of the passages (in no particular order) that have caught my attention and fueled my prayers:

Gen 12 & Heb 11: By faith he went… no knowing where he was going…

Heb 10:32-39: you cheerfully accepted the seizure of your possessions…

I also want to recommend a book to you, “The Jesus Way” by Eugene Peterson.  It is a provocative read, setting out the antecedents to Jesus’ statement “I am the way…” in the lives of Abraham, Moses, David, Elijah, Isaiah of Jerusalem and Isaiah of the Exile.  He then contrasts the way of Jesus with several contemporary alternatives (Herod, Caiaphas, and Josephus).  The parallels today are clear, challenging, and firmly linked to our present difficulties.  You can find a review of the book by Richard Kew here:

In confidence of his Kingdom…

Geoff Chapman

In June, the Episcopal Diocese of Pittsburgh published an interview with the Rev. Dr. Leslie Fairfield, professor emeritus of Church History at Trinity seminary in Ambridge.  In the interview, Dr. Fairfield, who clearly sees the situation from a conserving perspective, outlined his understanding of The Episcopal Church’s historic path to its current theological position. 

“In the 1870s a new religion began to work its way into Episcopal Church.  Its origins lay in Germany, in the universities of the early 19th century.  As it crossed the Atlantic to the United States, it went by different names.  Some called it “Liberalism,” (though, of course, it is quite possible to be a socially “liberal” Christian without being a part of this movement) some referred to it as “The New Theology,” others named it the “Broad Church,” and some referred to it as “Modernism.” Since the latter was the title that its advocates preferred in the 1920s, I’ll call it “Modernism."”

Dr. Fairfield’s entire article is available here.

A number of progressive voices rejected Dr. Fairfield’s understanding of their movement.  Progressive Episcopalians of Pittsburgh has published and distributed a response from the Rev. Tobias Haller.

“Fairfield, however, loses this long historical view of the Church’s theological richness, and instead focuses on what he calls “Modernism.” Unfortunately, he then proceeds to attribute to this movement a whole range of opinions (as “logical conclusions”) that few, if any, of those who consider themselves progressive would think either logical or defensible.”

The Rev. Haller’s response is available here.

Several conserving writers have penned helpful responses to The Episcopal Church’s “To Set Our Hope in Christ.”

I would particularly point out three:

“Why Theology Should Precede Change” by Dr. Jacqueline Jenkins Keenan.  Dr. Keenan, writing for The Anglican Communion Institute, deals directly with the contention made in “To Set Our Hope in Christ” that science has spoken clearly about sexual orientation.  It points to recent studies and scientific work that challenges this contention and argues for theology, not prophetic action, to drive church decisions:

“All of this new information should have been considered before writing a theological paper based on a scientific understanding of how homosexuality functions in our society. By making a liturgical change before stating a theology, the opportunity for reasoned dialogue was lost. It is not irrelevant to note here that another principle of systems theory is that as the anxiety in a system increases, the ability to think decreases. When anxiety is very high, people just react without thinking. TEC is a very polarized and anxious body .”

“The Miserable Theology of TEC” by Peter Ould.  Mr. Ould both comments on Dr. Keenan’s thoughts and also notes that his own experience as an “post-gay” is not addressed in any way by “To Set Our Hope in Christ.”

“Commentary on ‘To Set Our Hope On Christ’” by the Rev. Leander S. Harding, Ph.D., who is a professor at Trinity Episcopal School For Ministry in Ambridge.  Dr. Harding goes through the document in some detail, commenting on the arguments made.  He believes that TEC is engaging in spurious reasoning by arguing that because those in active same sex relationships can “show evidence of holiness in their lives including the virtues of patience, peace and self-control,” the church should therefore assume that those engaging in this behavior would make appropriate ordained ministers.

“The problem with the argument can be shown if any other condition besides same sex attraction is inserted as a place holder. The rector is a gifted communicator of the Gospel. The rector is engaged in an illicit affair with a member of the congregation. Communicating the Gospel is a Holy Spirit gift. Therefore the Holy Spirit is blessing the rector and therefore the Holy Spirit is blessing the illicit relationship.”

Download "To Set Our Hope in Christ (TEC)"

by Peter Frank

I just took a look at the tracking results for http://www.parishtoolbox.org.  During our first three days, we have hosted visitors from every state in the Union except Montana and Wyoming and served 5,516 unique pages to 1,350 absolutely unique visitors. 

To say I’m blown away is a bit of an understatement.  http://www.parishtoolbox.org is intended to help those of us who are part of The Episcopal Diocese of Pittsburgh figure out how to move forward.  It never occurred to me that so many other people would want to stop by. 

But now that you’re here, welcome.  Things are just getting started, but I expect that I will generally posting new resources and interjecting a comment or two several times a week.

by Peter Frank

A community maintained website, http://walkingapart.us/, has a helpful timeline of the decisions by The Episcopal Church that have led it away from mainstream Anglicanism and Christianity.  Those that maintain this website are unquestionably conservative in their perspective.  However, people on both sides of the debate will find their rich links to primary documents and news articles helpful in understanding how we have come to the current moment. 

by Peter Frank

Several readers have noticed that while originally the diocesan leadership identified four options the diocese could pursue (submit to the direction of the national church, maintain its current position on the periphery of the national church, alter the diocese’s relationship with the national church, attempt to create space for conserving parishes to negotiate an exit from the diocese while the diocese itself remains in the national church), only three remain on the current edition of the “Where We Stand” handout. 

I updated the handout after the June joint meeting of the diocesan Board of Trustees, Standing Committee and Diocesan Council.  That meeting led to further clarity on the viable options for the diocese as well as heard reports from meetings of parishes and districts around the diocese.  It also suggested that for the large majority of leadership and laity in the diocese, simply submitting entirely to the direction of the national church is no longer being seriously considered.

It seemed best to update diocesan materials to reflect this fact.  Of course, diocesan convention will have the final say in November.

Parishes and people of the Episcopal Diocese of Pittsburgh face significant choices this year about our continued relationship to The Episcopal Church.

http://www.parishtoolbox.org is a diocesan resource developed to help parishes and people make those choices.  Users will find a growing collection of documents, articles and opinion pieces designed to be useful at parish meetings and for personal study.  Most documents will be available formatted as pdf files for easy download and printing. 

Information on http://www.parishtoolbox.org is divided into three categories.  “Diocesan Resources” includes documents and articles created by the diocesan office.  They are intended to be useful in parish-level discussions about the future direction of the diocese.  “Advocacy Resources,” includes documents and articles created by people and organizations who support a particular perspective or strategy for the future.  Sources in this category will include documents and articles from both the conserving and progressive perspectives in the church.  I will make an attempt to clearly identify the source and basic perspective of articles posted in this category.  Articles in this category do not necessarily represent the perspective of the diocesan leadership. Finally, miscellaneous information will be filed as “Blog Posts.”

I am always interested in resources and submissions that might be appropriate for http://www.parishtoolbox.org.  Ideally, submissions will come from inside The Episcopal Diocese of Pittsburgh.  In all cases, I will maintain the absolute right to accept or reject submissions.  To make a submission, or suggest a resource, .

May God guide and direct us in the months ahead.  May “we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose” (Romans 8.28).

Peter Frank,
Director of Communications

Parishes across the diocese are meeting to discuss the best way forward.  This suggested agenda is intended to help parish leaders plan and prepare for those meetings by outlining a basic structure that may be followed as well as laying out ground rules for a fair and fruitful discussion between parish members.  This agenda is intended to be used with the “Where We Stand” hand out that has been prepared by the Diocesan Office.  That handout is available here on http://www.parishtoolbox.org.

Download "Suggested Parish Meeting Agenda"

This handout is intended for use at parish meetings.  It outlines past actions of the diocese and national church.  It also lays out the three ways forward that are being discussed around the diocese.  It is formated to fit either on a single page of 8.5” by 11” paper or to be printed as a two-sided bulletin insert.

Download "Where We Stand Handout"

Download "The Diocese of Pittsburgh"

Download "The Crisis in the Church"

Download "The Episcopal Church"

Download "The Anglican Communion"

Download "Anglican Glossary"

by Peter Frank

Beginning July 27, Pittsburgh Episcopalians will have an online source for materials, opinions and news about the choices facing the diocese and each parish in light of the decision of The Episcopal Church not to place moratoria on same-sex blessings and the election of bishops in same-sex relationships and to unequivocally reject the request of Pittsburgh and six other dioceses for Alternative Primatial Oversight.

The website at http://www.parishtoolbox.org, will collect resources in from both inside and outside of the diocese that parishes and individuals have found helpful in deciding how to go forward.  Materials will be formatted for easy printing and distribution at parish and district meetings. While many of the initially available resources will reflect the mainstream Anglican views of most Pittsburgh Episcopalians, submissions from all perspectives will be published, said Peter Frank, director of communications for the diocese.

“The decisions we make in the next few months will have monumental implications, whichever road we choose.  While communicating the perspective of the elected leadership of the diocese is certainly a top priority for http://www.parishtoolbox.org, it is important that we also include resources outlining different points of view,” said Frank.

Submissions will be clearly labeled by origin.  The diocesan office reserves the absolute right to reject or to edit submissions.  To suggest a resource for posting, send an email .

“My hope is that http://www.parishtoolbox.org is a truly useful resource for all of our parishes and people in the months ahead,” said Frank.

Continuing work begun at their May retreat, members of the Board of Trustees, Diocesan Council and Standing Committee met on June 29 at St. Martin’s in Monroeville to talk again about the future direction of the diocese.

Bishop Robert Duncan thanked the diocesan leadership for the work they have done over the last month and a half to help the diocese begin to think through the choices it faces now that the national church has made it clear there will be no positive answer to the diocese’s request for Alternate Primatial Oversight or any return to mainstream Christianity.  “I couldn’t be prouder of the leadership of the diocese.  You have risen to help us figure this out,” he said.

Leaders shared information about events both inside and outside the diocese.  Within the diocese, four of eight districts have held open meetings to discuss how the diocese should respond to these events.  Those meetings were often very emotional, with comments ranging from clear calls to separate from the national Episcopal Church immediately, to expressions of deep anger and hurt at the leadership of the diocese for even considering such a move.

The full article is available here.

This article lays out the discussions about the path ahead for the Episcopal Diocese of Pittsburgh at the May 21-22 joint meeting of the Diocesan Council, the Board of Trustees and the Standing Committee.

Members of the Episcopal Diocese of Pittsburgh’s Standing Committee, Board of Trustees and Diocesan Council discussed the future path of the diocese at Antiochian Village May 20-21.  Speaking at the beginning of the retreat, Bishop Robert Duncan told diocesan leaders that “we’re here together…to discuss our way forward in light of our failure to obtain Alternative Primatial Oversight.”

Diocesan organizational consultant Cynthia Waisner helped the leadership identify a number of different choices in the light of the rejection of the 2006 appeals and, more recently, the House of Bishops’ rejection of the pastoral plan put forward by the Primates of the Anglican Communion.  The diocese could simply keep doing what it has been doing, remaining on the periphery of The Episcopal Church, but not attempting to reach a concluding moment in the conflict.  It could submit to the will of the Episcopal Church in its majority, reversing the diocesan convention’s actions over the last four years.  It could attempt to separate as a diocese from The Episcopal Church, an option a number of Anglican Communion Network dioceses are considering.  It could attempt to create space for conserving parishes to negotiate an exit from the diocese.

The full article is available here.

The Rev. John Yates, rector of The Falls Church in Virginia, gives his thoughts, from a conservative perspective, on a heartfelt question from members of his congregation.  This column was originally published here.

In the last year I have been approached from time to time by a few parishioners concerned that our vestry at The Falls Church might be giving serious thought to our disaffiliating from The Episcopal Church (TEC). “Can it be so bad, John, that this is necessary? The last thing the church needs is more division. Let’s stay in and con-tinue to work from within, for renewal and reform as you, John, have always taught us.”

The question deserves a thoughtful answer. Understand, we are not at this time taking action to disaffiliate from TEC; but is it a possibility one day? It is certainly possible. None of us knows what will happen in the future, and our vestry at The Falls Church has made no definite plans. We are, however, considering carefully all contingencies that we can imagine and attempting to be prepared with various strategies. We are in regular discussion both with our bishop, the Rt. Rev. Peter Lee, as well as with leaders of a coalition of 25 or so other Virginia congregations that share our deep concerns.

Our denomination has undergone a major, steady transformation over the last half century, a transformation that has become evident to all due to a series of major deci-sions over the last ten years or so regarding sexual ethics, though the changes that resulted in this revisionist thinking are rooted in deeper doctrinal shifts that have evolved more gradually.

There are many key issues over which Episcopalians are divided. They are extremely serious issues and all of these issues are rooted in doctrine, even though we now live in a day when the culture is quite suspicious of doctrinal matters. And this divi-sion is reflected in many ways, including the parting of many congregations from the denomination. The now-famous quote of our bishop about choosing heresy over schism is evidence of a widely held view in TEC. Our denominational leaders are less and less certain about the ancient truths. When you deprive the church of its ancient orthodox underpinnings, you eventually pull the whole church down. It is happening before our eyes.

TEC has come to practice grievous revisions to key doctrines. The doctrine of man (i.e., humanity) in TEC extols man, not God, as the measure of all things. The doctrine of revelation has become a “pick and choose” approach to the Bible whereby we accept what we think accords with modern wisdom, and reject what doesn’t. The doctrine of salvation now sees Jesus as a way to God-the reason evangelism is so rare within Episcopalianism is that most Episcopalians don’t really believe it’s necessary for people to commit their lives to Christ, as long as they do the best they can. The doctrine of the church (i.e., ecclesiology) has been replaced by a preoccupation with running the church by General Convention’s revisions of canon law.

Another area of concern is the doctrine of regeneration. While TEC has weakened doctrinally, it has at the same time elevated liturgy and rites. Listen to just about any current Episcopal leader speak about holy baptism and the Eucharist as the deci-sive actions of the church. Infant baptism is viewed as the key rite of entry into the church, while Eucharist is the sustaining rite, and these are the two essentials “in which we now find our unity.” While there is truth in this, the early church placed great emphasis on repentance, informed faith, and moral discipline in accordance with the Commandments and essential Christian doctrine. There is no doctrine of regeneration in the Episcopal Church now, other than a fuzzy notion that the “new birth” occurs in infant baptism. This places great emphasis on rite and very little on repen-tance, transformation, and discipleship. The New Testament teaches that regeneration occurs when the Holy Spirit enables a person to come to active, personal faith in Jesus Christ, along with genuine repentance for sin.

These and many other factors have been eating away at Episcopalianism for a long time and many church members have recognized that we are irreconcil-ably divided and have exited TEC. The current crisis over same-sex relationships has caught people’s attention, however, and brought about even greater division, not because this one ethical issue is so important, but rather because it has become the leading illustration of what happens when a church breaks loose from its biblical and orthodox foundations. It is interesting that the youngest members of the Anglican Church (the Global South Anglicans) have seen this fact the most clearly and spoken out the most boldly against the heresies of the North (us).

For years I have believed that renewal of the Episcopal Church was not only possible but worth working towards. That is the way we viewed our role within TEC. The Falls Church has hoped to be a lighthouse of renewal and a model of orthodox Anglican faith. Certainly renewal is always possible with God, but all the signs I see now lead me to believe that TEC is inevitably headed away from historic biblical faith. TEC is now basically a radically liberal, Unitarian-like church with tinges of ceremonial high-church flavor, and it is pathetically shrinking numerically week by week. Yes, there are still exceptions to this, but the exceptions are rarer and rarer.

The major question is: Can orthodox, biblically committed congregations continue to remain affiliated with TEC, or has the time come to seek alternative affiliation with some other branch of Anglicanism?

Our own bishop allows us to be who Christ has called us to be, and tells us that the rest of the diocese and denomination needs us. We are under no pressure to embrace or teach or give financial support to practices or people or programs that in good con-science we feel we cannot support. Still, many, many dioceses are not so generous and open as Virginia. Many of us simply do not feel at home in TEC anymore.

I dream of an Anglican Church in North America that is truly biblically centered, mission-focused, evangelistically on fire, doctrinally sound, and led by wise, passionate, godly leaders-a church that will offer confused 21st century postmoderns a real faith, a life-changing encounter with Jesus Christ, and community in which the healing, powerful, and sanctifying work of the Holy Spirit is being celebrated in worship and fellowship day by day.

This guidebook is offered as an aid for those who are seeking to discern how God is leading in response to these issues. It has been written by many different people from several Virginia congregations who intend to devote forty days to prayerful discern-ment. May God indeed enable us to discern what actions are most pleasing to him. May he guide and direct us all.

- the Rev. John Yates, Rector of The Falls Church, Falls Church, Virginia

Churches leaders in Northern Virginia used a well developed set of parish resources to help their congregations think through their continued relationship with The Episcopal Church.  All of the material they used, known as “40 Days of Discerment” is available online either as a pdf (available below) or as a website.

Describing 40 Days of Discernment, the group says:

The current crisis in The Episcopal Church (TEC, formerly referred to as the Episcopal Church USA or ECUSA) demands a response. Parishes and missions need a prayerful and reasoned way for choosing a way forward. The 40 Days of Discernment™ program and this guidebook are an attempt to help congregations do just that.

solemn assemblies at the beginning and end of 40 Days prayer meetings
fasting, perhaps weekly on designated days
individuals working through the guidebook
small group discussions
newsletter articles
possible vestry resolution on what course of action the parish ought to take
congregational meeting and any necessary vote on any vestry resolution

Download "40 Days of Discernment Guidebook"

In June, The Episcopal Church’s Theology Committee produced a 20-page booklet that clearly lays out the national church’s perception of events over the last several years.  The document does not in any way entertain the idea that The Episcopal Church should turn back from the choices that have taken it out of the Christian mainstream.  It suggests that The Episcopal Church’s gift to the world might be “the ability to embody Paul’s word to the Corinthians: that one part of the body cannot say to the other, “I have no need of you,” nor can one part say “I am not needed?”

Download "Communion Matters (TEC)"

The Rev. Geoff Chapman, rector of St. Stephen’s in Sewickley, prepared this document in the aftermath of General Convention in 2003.  It outlines what happened in 2003 and offers, from a conservative perspective, brief answers to questions such as: “The Church seems to be hung up about sex.  Aren’t their more important issues to focus on?” and “Isn’t Christianity supposed to be inclusive and welcoming?”

Download "Brief Answers: By the Rev. Geoff Chapman"

The American Anglican Council a conservative advocacy organization, has put together an educational booklet that outlines their take on the current situation in the Episcopal Church.  It lays out the theological issues at stake in the current debate and also provides facts and figures about The Episcopal Church and Anglican Communion.

Download "Equipping the Saints booklet (AAC)"

Download "Pittsburgh Resolutions: 2003-2006"

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