Two dioceses of The Episcopal Church that were jointly ruled by the current presiding bishop before he was made head of the mainline Protestant denomination have ended their partnership.
At a Joint Special Convention held on Saturday, the Episcopal Diocese of Northwestern Pennsylvania and the Episcopal Diocese of Western New York both voted not to continue the six-year partnership under the same head bishop.
Presiding Bishop Sean Rowe, elected last June, was consecrated bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Northwestern Pennsylvania in 2007 and made bishop provisional of the Episcopal Diocese of Western New York in 2019.
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According to a joint statement from the Rev. Luke Fodor and the Rev. Canon Stacey Fussell, who each serve as the presidents of the dioceses’ standing committees, both regional bodies voted down the proposal to elect a bishop diocesan in partnership.
Northwestern Pennsylvania clergy voted 3-25, and laity voted 11-43 against continuing the partnership, while Western New York clergy voted 14-36 and laity voted 45-68 against continuing the partnership.
“This decision was made carefully and faithfully, with a deep love for the Church and a commitment to what is best for the mission and ministry of each diocese,” stated Fodor and Fussell.
“The Partnership Evaluation, Lenten Study and multiple in-person and Zoom listening and information sessions about the Special Convention provided invaluable assistance to our individual and collective discernment.”
The standing committee presidents stressed that “this decision does not erase the many ways God has blessed our shared life.”
“Over the past 6 years, we have discovered the strength that comes from walking together, learning from each other, bearing witness together, and offering the world a witness of hope and collaboration,” Fodor and Fussell continued.
“We give thanks for every relationship formed, every ministry strengthened and every new possibility glimpsed through our partnership. We will remain one in the Spirit even as we move forward as two dioceses.”
With the partnership dissolved, each diocese will take the next steps to secure a new bishop and realign staff and other resources to properly serve each regional body distinctly by July 1.
For his part, Rowe released a joint statement with former Western New York Bishop William Franklin, whose retirement in 2019 led to Rowe taking over both regional bodies.
“As founding bishops of the partnership, we give thanks for the past six years of collaborative ministry and all that the people of Northwestern Pennsylvania and Western New York have learned in this experiment for the sake of the gospel,” they stated, as quoted by Episcopal News Service.
“The risks that the leaders of the partnership took have catalyzed collaboration and conversation across The Episcopal Church, and we will be forever grateful to have served together with them … May God bless both dioceses as they continue discerning where the Holy Spirit is guiding them next.”
Amid a considerable decline in membership and financial support of the denomination over the decades, some Episcopal dioceses have shared leaders in recent years or even voted to merge into singular entities.
Last year, the Wisconsin-based Episcopal dioceses of Eau Claire, Fond du Lac and Milwaukee were merged to create the Episcopal Diocese of Wisconsin.
