Rector Gregg Riley of Grace Episcopal Church in Monroe said the beginnings of the separation surfaced in July of this year when conservative Episcopalians met in Jerusalem for the Global Anglican Future Conference.
Riley, who attended the conference, said archbishops, bishops and laity from 17 of the church’s provinces met to “determine the way forward for conservative Episcopalians in North America who felt like the Episcopal Church was going in a different theological direction ”” away from Scripture and away from the teachings of the Church.”
Riley, who described Grace Episcopal Church as a conservative congregation, said he would wait three to six months to consider affiliating his church with the breakaway group.
“Individual parishes will wait and see what the constitutions and canons are like,” Riley said. “We’ve got to wait to see as far as the particulars: who’s the leader, how an individual would affiliate with it.”