Trouble in the land of Gafcon/ACNA

From Episcopal Cafe-

The Anglican Church in North America, not a part of the Anglican Communion, is comprised of dioceses, several that broke away from The Episcopal Church and remain in litigation with a diocese loyal to The Episcopal Church. That includes the breakaway Diocese of Fort Worth, one of the ACNA dioceses opposed to female bishops.

Recently GAFCON revealed that a female bishop was consecrated in South Sudan in December 2016.

The following is the reaction of the breakaway Diocese of Fort Worth under the leadership of Bishop Jack Iker:

“Behold, how good and pleasant it is when brothers dwell in unity.” Psalm 133. 1 

RE: Appointment of Elizabeth Awut as Bishop

To the GAFCON Primates:

Greetings in the strong name of our Lord, Jesus Christ. In advance of the GAFCON meeting in Jerusalem this summer, we renew our gratitude for the many sacrifices the international body of Anglican Christians has made to maintain a community where “the faith once delivered to the saints” may be practiced and preached to the glory of God, the edification of the Church, and the conversion of the world. Indeed, the GAFCON movement has come to the aid of many groups, such as the Diocese of Fort Worth, in our hour of need, for which we maintain an attitude of thanksgiving in prayer and fellowship.

At the same time, we write to express our deepest concerns over the actions taken by the Episcopal Church in South Sudan in consecrating Ms. Elizabeth Awut to the office of Bishop. 

More here-

https://www.episcopalcafe.com/trouble-in-the-land-of-gafcon-acna/

Fort Worth in impaired communion with some ACNA dioceses

From Anglican Ink-

The second event on the Provincial level is the completion of the five-year study of the Task Force on Holy Orders, concerning the ordination of women, and the meeting of the College of Bishops to discuss the report for the first time at a conclave in Victoria, British Columbia, in early September. At the end of the meeting, a Statement was released stating where we are in this continuing controversy that divides us. It was the first time that all the Bishops went on record by stating their position on this issue. It was evident that no Bishop had changed his mind as a result of the study and that a majority of the Bishops are opposed to the ordination of women priests on biblical and theological grounds.

It is interesting to note that when Archbishop Robert Duncan appointed the Task Force, he charged them with doing a study of the issue of women in holy orders, but instructed them not to come to a conclusion or to make any recommendation as to how to resolve the debate. The report simply summarizes the arguments for and against. This is in stark contrast to a similar study done by the Anglican Mission in America several years ago, known as the Rodgers Report, which concluded that women cannot be ordained bishops or priests, while leaving open the door to the possibility of women deacons. Those of us who agreed to the formation of the ACNA in 2009 did so with the clear understanding that a serious theological study would be done and that a decision would be made at that time.

More here-

http://anglican.ink/article/fort-worth-impaired-communion-some-acna-dioceses

Controversy over Seminary Speaker Invite Tempered by Student's Death

From Christianity Today-

A seminary student's request for the leader of The Episcopal Church (TEC) to come and witness unity between U.S. Anglican conservatives and progressives instead prompted a public wave of disunity—which has now been ironically (albeit tragically) tempered by the student's unexpected death.

Terry Star and two other students at Nashotah House, a theologically conservative Anglo-Catholic seminary in Wisconsin, had asked the seminary to invite Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori to "come and see ACNA (Anglican Church in North America) and [TEC] in harmony" because she had once advised them not to attend the seminary, Nashotah dean Edward Salmon told the Institute on Religion and Democracy (IRD).

The invitation to preach in Nashotah's historic chapel sparked a furious uproar among Anglican conservatives, including the resignations of a Nashotah trustee and an honorary board member as well as a call for Salmon's own resignation.

Bishop Jack Iker wrote in his resignation announcement that he "could not be associated with an institution that honors her," pointing to the lawsuits that Jefferts Schori has initiated against his diocese. Honorary board member Bishop William Wantland joined him, writing that he "will not take part in any functions at Nashotah" nor "give financial support to the House as long as the present administration remains."

More here-

http://www.christianitytoday.com/gleanings/2014/march/controversy-over-seminary-speaker-nashotah-jefferts-schori.html

Court rules against Episcopal Church of the Good Shepherd in property dispute

From Ft. Worth (the headline is a little misleading)

The Episcopal Church of the United States is the rightful owner of the Episcopal Church of the Good Shepherd property in San Angelo, a Texas appeals court has ruled, upholding a trial court's judgment. In an opinion issued this week, the 3rd Court of Appeals rejected arguments by breakaway parishioners that control of the property rested with the majority of parishioners.

The breakaway group had also said the trial court failed to apply the proper law to resolve the dispute.

A state district judge in Fort Worth ruled in January that a group of Episcopalians headed by Bishop Jack Iker had to surrender control of all diocese property to the national church.

Read more:

http://www.star-telegram.com/2011/03/18/2933121/religion-briefs-court-rules-against.html#ixzz1H2cgCp00

Bishop Iker to appeal order to turn over property to national Episcopal church

From Ft. Worth

Bishop Jack Iker said he and other area Episcopalians who left the national church will appeal a judge's decision ordering his group to give up all property of the 24-county Episcopal Diocese of Fort Worth.
On Friday, Judge John Chupp of the 141st District Court told Iker's group to "surrender all Diocesan property as well as control of the Diocese Corporation" to local Episcopalians who remained loyal to the U.S. Episcopal Church. It also told those in Iker's group "not to hold themselves out as leaders of the Diocese."

"We are obviously disappointed by Judge Chupp's ruling and see it as fundamentally flawed," Iker said in a statement issued Saturday. "We are confident that the Court of Appeals will carefully consider our appeal and will rule in accordance to neutral principles of law as practiced in the State of Texas.

"In the meantime, we will continue to focus on mission and outreach in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, while praying for the judges who will take our appeal. While we disagree with the judge's ruling, we offer our sincere appreciation for the time and study he has given the case."
Iker's group said Chupp's ruling will be immediately appealed to the 2nd Court of Appeals in Fort Worth. In a statement, the group said: "We believe that the final decision, whenever it is signed by Judge Chupp ...will not be sustained on appeal."

More here-

Read more: http://www.star-telegram.com/2011/01/22/2789476/bishop-iker-to-appeal-order-to.html#ixzz1BtM028KR

Judge: Breakaway Episcopalians must surrender property

From Houston-

A state district judge has ordered Fort Worth Bishop Jack Iker and a conservative, breakaway group of Episcopalians to surrender all diocesan property to the national church.

The Episcopal Church filed a lawsuit seeking to regain control of church property from the 24-county Diocese of Fort Worth in April 2009.
The Iker-led group, which split from the national church over issues including gay clergy and women in the priesthood, voted in 2008 to join a more conservative province of the worldwide Anglican Communion.
The Episcopal Church maintained in the suit that its rules prohibit dioceses from breaking away and that church properties are held in trust for the denomination, and the court ruled in its favor. Iker's group plans an appeal.

At stake are who has control over 55 parishes and missions, a camp, diocesan offices in Fort Worth and several Episcopal schools and other properties. Katie Sherrod, spokeswoman for the group loyal to the national church, said she did not have a monetary value for the properties "but obviously it will add up to a substantial amount."

After breaking away, Iker's group released property to a few churches where most members voted to stay with the national denomination. But his group held onto other property that had belonged to the diocese.

The ruling, issued Friday by state District Judge John Chupp, states that in the event of a property dispute involving members of a hierarchical church, the members who are loyal to the church remain entitled to use and control of the property. The court ordered the Iker-led group to surrender all property to members loyal to the national church within 60 days. The court also ordered the Iker-led to group "not to hold themselves out as leaders of the diocese."

More here-

http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/front/7392944.html

Breakaway Anglican Bishop Responds to Fourth Lawsuit

From Ft. Worth-

The Rt. Rev. Jack Iker on Friday filed a response to the latest suit, submitted by All Saints' Episcopal Church in Fort Worth, contending that it constitutes "malicious prosecution."

"There can no longer be any doubt that this litigation is intended to harass, intimidate, bankrupt, and divert the Episcopal Diocese of Fort Worth, its Corporation, and its leadership – particularly Bishop Iker – from carrying out the mission of the Church," the Episcopal Diocese of Fort Worth stated.

Iker is currently affiliated with the Anglican Province of the Southern Cone. A majority of the Diocese of Fort Worth voted in 2008 to withdraw from The Episcopal Church – the U.S. arm of Anglicanism – and realign with the overseas province. They left over what they believe is the U.S. body's departure from Christian orthodoxy and Anglican tradition. A minority remained.

Since then, he has been sued by The Episcopal Church, the Episcopal Diocese of Fort Worth (both the breakaway diocese and those that remained claim the same name), and now two parishes over church properties, assets and trademark and copyright name infractions.

He has referred to himself as "the most sued Anglican bishop in all of North America" and has been in conversation with his attorneys almost every day.

More here-

http://www.christianpost.com/article/20101101/breakaway-anglican-bishop-responds-to-fourth-lawsuit/

TEC Diocese Sues Bp. Iker

From The Living Church-

A new lawsuit [PDF] against the Rt. Rev. Jack L. Iker asks the federal court for the Northern District of Texas to determine who is entitled to use the Episcopal Diocese of Fort Worth’s seal and other service marks.

As the third bishop of Fort Worth, Iker led a majority of the diocese’s congregations and members in separating from the Episcopal Church in 2008. Of the four dioceses in which the annual convention voted to separate from the Episcopal Church, only Fort Worth retains Episcopal as part of its name.

Suzanne Gill, director of communications for Bishop Iker’s diocese, said the name recognizes what that diocese always has been.

“We are the Episcopal Diocese of Fort Worth, formed, founded and named in 1982,” she said. “Our name is not ‘out of date’ or ‘no longer applicable.’ The word ‘Episcopal’ is a good English word known around the world to mean ‘a Church of dioceses and bishops.’ It does not belong to any one province of the Anglican Communion — or any other Christian Church. We remain Episcopal.”

Katie Sherrod, communications director for the Episcopal Church’s diocese, said the new lawsuit was not prompted by any one incident, such as a dispute between a lesbian couple and the day school at St. Vincent’s Cathedral in Bedford, which declined to admit the couple’s child.

More here

http://www.livingchurch.org/news/news-updates/2010/9/29/tec-diocese-sues-bp-iker

Iker's response is here-

http://www.livingchurch.org/news/news-updates/2010/10/1/bp-iker-responds-to-lawsuit

Bishop Takes Castle

From Texas Monthly-

Jack Iker, the bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Fort Worth, was tired of fighting his church. As a conservative and traditionalist, he had long disagreed with its practice of ordaining women priests. He was deeply dismayed by its more recent consecration of a gay bishop, its policy of blessing same-sex unions, and its movement away from the Biblical teaching that salvation comes only through Jesus Christ. These changes, he felt, were all proof that his denomination had lost its way. And so, on November 15, 2008, after fifteen years as a bishop, Iker left the Episcopal Church.

But he did not leave alone. He took most of the Diocese of Fort Worth with him: 48 churches, 15,000 parishioners, and more than 58 clergy. The loyalist minority who did not follow him made up only 8 churches. And in a startling assertion of temporal power against a centuries-old establishment, Iker announced that he and his flock would be keeping their assets—hundreds of millions of dollars of real estate, buildings, and investments—the legacy of a century and a half of worship. He was leaving, in other words, but he wasn’t going anywhere.

On the Sunday following Iker’s departure, which was announced and approved at an annual diocesan convention at St. Vincent’s Cathedral in Bedford—roughly 80 percent of the gathered clergy and laity voted for the diocese to secede—the Fort Worth parishes separated into hostile camps. Though most churches had clear majorities, some found themselves deeply divided. At the Church of the Good Shepherd in Granbury, liberal members who were loyal to the Episcopal Church—40 souls, compared with the 110 who aligned with Iker—ended up meeting in a women’s club. St. Stephen’s in Hurst split right down the middle; loyalists rented a wedding chapel, used a portable altar, and hired a retired priest. There were liberal congregations in exile in Weatherford, Fort Worth, and Arlington. At All Saints in Fort Worth, a church with 1,800 members, it was the conservatives who were in the minority; 150 of them walked out and set up their own new congregation under the same name.

More here-

http://www.texasmonthly.com/2010-02-01/letterfromfortworth.php

Fort Worth's Episcopalian split tops 2009's religion news

From Ft. Worth-

When reviewing the major religion news stories in the Fort Worth area over the past year, one subject kept rising to the top — the Episcopalian split.

Two groups of Episcopalians — the breakaway group led by Bishop Jack Iker and the other that voted to stay in the national Episcopal Church — went separate ways, each claiming the title Episcopal Diocese of Fort Worth.

Members of Iker’s group voted to leave the Episcopal Church, saying it has strayed from biblical principles in many ways, including ordaining an openly gay man, Bishop Gene Robinson of New Hampshire.

Area Episcopalians who stayed in the national church reorganized the Fort Worth diocese, naming a provisional bishop, now the Right Rev. C. Wallis Ohl, to replace Iker. Also, they, along with the national church, filed suit in Tarrant County’s 141st District Court, seeking that Iker’s group give up all church property in the 24-county diocese.

Iker’s group voluntarily gave up church properties where a majority of members had voted to stay in the Episcopal Church. But it says that all other properties belong to the diocese, not the national denomination. Iker also holds that he is still bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Fort Worth and that the diocese has just shifted its allegiance to the Argentina-based Southern Cone province of the worldwide Anglican Communion. Courts will ultimately decide the issue.

Highlights of the dispute:

More here-

http://www.star-telegram.com/metro_news/story/1853824.html

FT. WORTH: Anglo-Catholic Diocese would withdraw from ACNA if Women are Ordained Bishops

From Virtue online an interview with Jack Iker-

VOL: Some argue that internal differences in the new Anglican Province over, for example, the ordination of women, mean that ACNA will fragment. Others are unwilling to enter into a relationship with evangelical Christians. How would you counsel them?

Iker: While it must be admitted that ACNA is divided over the ordination issue, our aim is to maintain the highest possible level of communion with one another. We can certainly agree with evangelicals on a number is things, and our relationship with them is an opportunity to witness to the catholic understanding of the sacraments, particularly Holy Orders. We do not compromise our positions by striving to make common cause with others for the sake of the mission of the Church.

VOL: Would the Diocese of Fort Worth be forced to leave ACNA if Archbishop Duncan ordained women?

Iker: Archbishop Duncan does ordain women to the priesthood (and always has), and this places us in an impaired relationship. From this time on, it would be immensely helpful if he were to delegate such ordinations to other ACNA bishops. If at some time in the future ACNA authorizes the ordination of women bishops, Fort Worth would withdraw.

More here-

http://www.virtueonline.org/portal/modules/news/article.php?storyid=11647

FORT WORTH: Breakaway bishop seeks challenge to authority of Episcopal bishop, others

From Episcopal Life Online-

Attorneys for Jack Iker have asked a Texas court for permission to challenge the authority of Provisional Bishop Ted Gulick Jr. and the standing committee of the Episcopal Diocese of Fort Worth.
Iker, who left The Episcopal Church in 2008 but refused to relinquish church property or assets, is responding to a pending lawsuit filed by The Episcopal Church and the continuing Diocese of Fort Worth in April to establish the authority of the new diocesan leadership and to recover diocesan assets, according to chancellor Kathleen Wells.

He and his attorneys are "still operating under this façade that they're the Diocese of Fort Worth which, of course, is easily refutable," added Wells in a telephone interview on August 31.

A September 9 hearing has been set to consider Iker's motion, filed in 141st District Court in Tarrant County, Texas. The motion seeks "the court's permission to bring in Bishop Gulick and members of our standing committee as third party defendants," Wells said.

Basically, Iker and his attorneys are asking the court to declare that Gulick and the current standing committee "are not the real bishop and standing committee of the Diocese of Fort Worth which, of course, they are," she added.

Another motion challenges the authority of Jon Nelson and Wells to serve as diocesan attorneys.

Iker disaffiliated from TEC in November 2008, citing longstanding theological differences over the ordination of women and gays, a fact omitted in the court filings, according to a statement released by the Episcopal Diocese of Fort Worth.

More here-

http://www.episcopalchurch.org/81803_114314_ENG_HTM.htm

Episcopal Studies program to adhere to views of national church

Brite Divinity School's new Episcopal Studies Program will be geared toward those who are seeking ordination from the national Episcopal Church, which leans toward ordination of women and acceptance of gays, said the Rev. Fred Barber, acting director of the Episcopal Studies Program.

Barber said there was much talk about the formation of the Episcopal Studies Program and how it might be beneficial toward the church, especially since Brite already has several other denominational programs.

"We think it'll be beneficial for church and seminary by adding a group of students that will bring an Anglican Episcopalian understanding to the community," Barber said.

Barber said he hopes the program, which begins this fall, will expand and add more elements in the following years.

Stephanie Burke, a trustee at the Brite Divinity School and a member of All Saints Episcopal Church located in Fort Worth, said tension grew between the former Episcopalian Bishop of Fort Worth, Jack L. Iker, and the national Episcopal Church because of the national church's general acceptance of homosexuality and especially because of its ordainment of women.

"When he (Iker) was asked the question, 'Who would he take communion from?', he answered that if it was a gay priest, it was a valid communion but immoral," Burke said. "He told us if it was a female priest, it's completely invalid."

The Rest-

http://media.www.tcudailyskiff.com/media/storage/paper792/news/2009/04/22/News/Episcopal.Studies.Program.To.Adhere.To.Views.Of.National.Church-3720220.shtml

A little more from Bishop Iker on the Fort Worth lawsuit

From The Dallas Morning News-

The Episcopal Church filed suit Tuesday in Tarrant County District Court, seeking to regain control of properties held by the break away contingent led by Bishop Jack Iker. Suzanne Gill, who handles communications for Iker, sent the following a short while ago


Dear Friends,

Bishop Iker has sent the following brief message to the diocesan clergy and convention delegates. I think you will find it helpful, too.

As of the time of this message, we have not yet been served. The court filing indicates - and we expect - that the five lay officers of the Corporation will receive papers by certified mail, while Bishop Iker and the Diocese will be served here at our offices by a constable or other qualified person.

Suzanne Gill
Director of Communications
The Episcopal Diocese of Fort Worth

++++


To the clergy and convention delegates,

We are neither surprised nor alarmed by the lawsuit brought against the diocese on Tuesday. Our attorneys are reviewing the allegations and will be advising me on how to respond.

We are confident that we followed the proper legislative process in amending our Constitution and Canons and are prepared to make our case in court if necessary.

Your patience and prayers will be much appreciated as this process unfolds.

A blessed and joyous Eastertide to all of you.

Bishop Iker

http://religionblog.dallasnews.com/archives/2009/04/a-little-more-from-bishop-iker.html

Fort Worth Episcopalians engaged in struggle that’s not new in Christian history

From the Ft. Worth Star Telegram-

The good bishop has it wrong. Or so I think. Which bishop, you ask? That’s the point. Which bishop indeed?

As one who is not a part of the Episcopal side of the Christian family, I look on as a concerned outsider. But perhaps that is the best vantage point to hold in the midst of a family squabble (See: "Reorganized diocese elects new bishop," Feb. 8).

There is no doubt that the unity of the whole church includes both sides of this unhappy family, because our unity — not uniformity based on sameness — is based on God’s love manifested in our common life in Christ.

But after making this most basic of Christian affirmations, we must say that this dispute, as so many others, is not new to Christian history. In fact, it is not new to any other of the living religious traditions, either.

More than once in Christian history, disagreements and conflict have eventuated in schisms, some of which led to competitions for ecclesial authority.

Will the Holy See find its home in Italy or France? Is the center of authority lodged in Rome or Constantinople? And a favorite one for Anglicans: Is it Rome or Canterbury?

And now the runoff du jour: Will the real Episcopal Diocese of Fort Worth please stand up, and with it, its bishop?

http://www.star-telegram.com/245/story/1199311.html

Iker reflects on statement from Primates of Anglican Communion

The former Bishop of the Diocese of Ft. Worth in the Dallas Morning News-

So what are we to make of the latest Communiqué from the Primates of the Anglican Communion? By "we" I mean those of us who have separated from the General Convention of TEC, while remaining full members of the Communion by realignment with another Province. Is it good news, bad news, or no news at all, for those of us who are working towards the establishment of an orthodox province for Anglicans in North America?

My first reading of the Communiqué left me rather disappointed. I wanted to ask, "Is that all there is?" After hearing some of the comments made about the Alexandria meeting by GAFCON Primates, I have come to the conclusion that reading the Communiqué is not sufficient for understanding what actually transpired during the course of the meeting itself. Evidently the document released by the Primates does not tell the whole story. If Archbishops Greg Venables and Henry Orombi are encouraged and hopeful about what will come of all this, then so am I. Time will tell.

http://religionblog.dallasnews.com/archives/2009/02/iker-reflects-on-statement-fro.html

Fort Worth Episcopal group to elect temporary bishop

From the Ft. Worth Star Telegram-

A convention to reorganize the Episcopal Diocese of Fort Worth — including election of a temporary bishop — is scheduled for Saturday, the latest move in a heated dispute between two factions in the diocese.

A majority of delegates in the Fort Worth Diocese voted in November — behind the urging of Bishop Jack Iker — to separate from the more liberal Episcopal Church, which has members in the United States, Canada and several other countries.

Delegates who will meet Saturday did not support the decision and say the convention will be to reform what they say is the true Fort Worth Diocese.

Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori of the Episcopal Church will come to Fort Worth for the convention to recommend the Rt. Rev. Edwin F. "Ted" Gulick Jr. as provisional bishop. If delegates elect him, he will be installed at the meeting. A permanent bishop is expected to be elected in one or two years, organizers said.

Iker and others who left the Episcopal Church oppose the convention. On Jan. 8, Iker sent Schori a letter saying he objected to her planned visit and urged her "not to bring further discord."

http://www.star-telegram.com/804/story/1180363.html

No Female Bishops for Proposed New Province

No women Bishops? As far as I know only one group in Common Cause Ordains women to the Priesthood. Peter Frank is quoted later in the article as saying "an all-male episcopacy was enshrined in the canons of the proposed province." Enshrined?

Some Anglo-Catholics might be uneasy with the predominance of evangelicals among those seeking a third North American province of the Anglican Communion. But the leadership of the Episcopal Diocese of Fort Worth has thrown its support behind the movement in part because of assurances that there will be no women bishops, according to the Rt. Rev. Jack L. Iker, Bishop of Fort Worth.

“Though we have our continuing differences over the issue of the ordination of women, Bishop Duncan and the [Common Cause Partnership] lead bishops have given assurances that there will be no women bishops in the new province and that the historic, traditional theological position on this matter will be protected, respected and welcomed,” Bishop Iker said.


http://www.livingchurch.org/news/news-updates/2009/1/20/no-female-bishops-for-proposed-new-province

Presiding Bishop declares inhibited Fort Worth bishop has renounced his orders

Interesting development in Ft. Worth, Bishop Katherine says Jack renounced his orders in writing and he says he didn't. From Episcopal Life Online-


Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori said December 5 that she had accepted Episcopal Diocese of Fort Worth Bishop Jack Iker's renunciation of his orders in the Episcopal Church.

The Presiding Bishop's office released a one-page notification on December 5 saying Jefferts Schori had accepted Iker's renunciation with the "advice and consent" of her advisory council. The document says that Iker made his renunciation in writing on November 24; however a spokesperson for Iker denies that such a renunciation has been made.

"I have chosen to follow this course rather than seeking consent of the House of Bishops to Bishop Iker's deposition for abandonment of the Communion of this Church because I believe it to be a more pastoral response to Bishop Iker's clear expression of his desire not to be a part of the Episcopal Church at this time," the Presiding Bishop wrote in a letter to the House of Bishops. "I believe this course best expresses my hope and prayer that reconciliation in the future can be achieved by God's love and grace."

http://www.episcopalchurch.org/79901_103480_ENG_HTM.htm

Dueling resposnes in Ft. Worth

The Diocese of Ft. Worth issues a response to the Presiding Bishop's inhibition on Jack Iker here-

http://www.fwepiscopal.org/downloads/reFortWorthBishopInhibition.pdf

Those staying in the Episcopal Church from Ft. Worth have their statement here-

http://steeringcommitteente.org/inhibition.htm

Living Church article on all of this is here-

http://www.livingchurch.org/news/news-updates/2008/11/24/bishop-iker-describes-action-by-pb-as-irrelevant