An Episcopal train still may be leaving an Anglican station, and members of the Quincy Diocese are waiting for it to pass by before deciding to disembark, according to a diocesan press officer.
Resolutions paving the way for a possible split from the embattled U.S. Episcopal Church body were approved during an annual synod meeting last weekend at Christ Church in Moline, said the Rev. John Spencer.
No final decisions about leaving were or could have been made during that synod meeting, he said.
Church constitution requires two readings of such resolutions before they can be made binding.
Passing the first resolution “took the first steps, constitutionally, to make it possible to realign when the time is appropriate to do so,” Rev. Spencer said. “You could say we’re waiting for the train to pass by before making a final crossing.”
Several sister dioceses are considering similar resolutions, and Quincy leaders want to wait to see what others decide.
“We’re trying to work as a unit with our sister dioceses, so it’s not just one synod acting on its own,” Rev. Spencer said. “It’s a timing issue.”