Delegates to the Fort Worth Episcopal Diocese’s annual convention took the first step Saturday to cut ties to the Episcopal Church, a move driven in part by the diocese’s opposition to the ordination of women and gay men and the blessing of same-sex unions.
More than 200 clergy and lay delegates voted at the Will Rogers Memorial Center, with an overwhelming majority rejecting on first reading an amendment assenting to the authority of the Episcopal Church.
The church’s 2.1 million members constitute the U.S. body of the Anglican Communion, but the national church has taken more liberal stances than the worldwide communion in the past 30 years.
Delegates also adopted on first reading an amendment affirming membership with the Anglican Communion, which has 75 million members.
They rejected on first reading an amendment stating that church and mission property within the 24-county diocese are held in trust for the Episcopal Church. Fort Worth Bishop Jack Iker and his followers say property owned by parishes and missions is held in trust for the diocese through a corporation.