About 400 Episcopal clergy and lay delegates will come to Columbia on Saturday to elect a bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Upper South Carolina.
The election to find a successor to retiring Bishop Dorsey F. Henderson Jr. comes at a time when the U.S. church and the worldwide Anglican Communion are roiled in controversy over the role of gay and lesbian clergy.
Six candidates are on the ballot, including the dean of Trinity Episcopal Cathedral in downtown Columbia, the Very Rev. Philip C. Linder. He had removed his name from consideration, shortly before nine candidates were winnowed to five, but agreed to resubmit it after a petition drive.