San Joaquin Departs

Today the Episcopal Diocese of San Joaquin officially changed its constitution, disaffiliated itself from the Episcopal Church, and moved itself into the Province of the Southern Cone under the ecclesiastical jurisdiction of the Most Rev. Gregory Venables. You can check out the news stories by visiting both TitusOneNine and EpiScope for collections of news stories and commentary.

This is not the first time Bishop Venables has extended his "protection" to a diocese outside of his province. In September of 2005 the Diocese of Recife in Brazil--or at least its bishop and the majority of its clergy--was "recognized" by Bishop Venables. Nor will it likely be the last, given Bishop Venables offer to disaffected dioceses in the Episcopal Church. The dioceses of Fort Worth and Quincy are also considering affiliating with the Southern Cone.

Nor are the Igreja Episcopal Anglicana do Brasil and the Episcopal Church the only places where the Southern Cone has cast its nets. Bishop Venables and the leadership of the province extended the same invitation to dissenting dioceses in the Anglican Church of Canada. Two retired bishops from the Anglican Church of Canada have already moved to the Southern Cone.

And so the sundering begins in earnest. It started in dribs and drabs, congregation by congregation and bishop by bishop, but now begins the surge. I have no doubt that lawsuits will abound and that the lines drawn in the sand will become cast in concrete. The issues confronting San Joaquin have a greater significance than many folks on both sides of the issue realize just now. How much longer before some of the liberal and moderate dioceses in more conservative provinces follow in the footsteps of their sisters and brothers in San Joaquin, Forth Worth, Quincy, and Pittsburgh and seek to affiliate with provinces more in line with their way of doing things?

San Joaquin will be a test case in more ways than one. How will congregations who wish to remain in the Episcopal Church be treated? We did get one hint from Bishop Schofield during a break in this mornings prodeedings at the Diocesan Convention. The cameras and mikes of Anglcian TV were still on while the bishop had a conversation with one of his clergy who clearly disagreed with what the diocesan convention had just done. The bishop was promising the priest whatever support he needed, including the option of oversight by a bishop from another diocese. Someone must have realized that conversations were being overheard, because the camera and the mikes were soon shut off. If Bishop Schofield keeps that promise, the resulting model may prove beneficial throughout the Anglican Communion.

If the trend of dioceses leaving their current provinces and affiliating with other provinces along ideological lines, then we need to work out ways to make that happen with as much grace as possible. Perhaps that includes ceasing lawsuits and allowing parishes to take their property with them--for a payment to the province they are leaving. Otherwise, there may be many empty church buildings on both sides of the aisle, so to speak. Better to create goodwill and face reality than to drain our resources in rancorous fighting where no one really wins.

Peace,
Jeffri