Issued August 10, 2003
Dear People of God,
I write to you as your Chief Pastor at the conclusion of the 74th General Convention of the Episcopal Church. No doubt you already have seen and heard in the public media about some alarming decisions made at the Convention that depart from the Church’s traditional teaching on sexual morality and marriage. It has been a troubling time for your Convention Deputies and for me as we have sought to uphold Biblical authority on two specific matters.
First, our entire Deputation voted against the approval given by the General Convention for the consecration of a practicing homosexual to become a Bishop of this Church in the Diocese of New Hampshire. Second, we also voted against the resolution that now allows the blessing of same-sex unions in the Episcopal Church.
We are deeply saddened that the Convention has endorsed these two schismatic acts, for they alienate us from the worldwide Anglican Communion and repudiate the clear teaching of Holy Scripture. These decisions have wounded the Body of Christ and left us more divided and broken than ever before. By these two decisions, the Episcopal Church, which we love and treasure, has violated its own Constitution which commits us as a Church to “upholding and propagating the historic Faith and Order” of the one holy catholic and apostolic Church.
As faithful Episcopalians, we grieve with other Christians who are shocked and offended by these decisions. Many members of this Diocese already have communicated to me that they feel their Church has betrayed them and abandoned the teaching of the Bible. As a Diocese, we must stand with mainstream Anglicans around the world in defense of the faith and unity of the Church. The Episcopal Church is the only Province of the 38 Provinces in the worldwide Anglican Communion to make such catastrophic innovations as we have done at this Convention.
Already a series of meetings has been called, both here and abroad, to consider the best way to respond to this crisis. In response to an appeal by orthodox Bishops here in the United States to intervene in the pastoral emergency that confronts us, the Archbishop of Canterbury has called for a special meeting of all the Primates of the Anglican Communion in London in early October. Along with many others, I believe that the actions of this General Convention have set in motion a process that will lead to a realignment of the Anglican Communion. At this time, it is impossible to say exactly what form that might take.
What does all of this mean for us in the Diocese of Fort Worth? I want to reassure all of you that we will remain faithful to the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ and the clear teaching of the Bible as the Word of God. This General Convention has abandoned the historic teaching of the Church on matters of human sexuality, but we have not and we will not. I repudiate and disassociate us from the decision to consecrate an openly gay man as a Bishop, and I forbid our priests to bless same-sex unions under any circumstances.
I have scheduled a meeting of our clergy to talk about this crisis on Saturday, August 16th. In early October, some of us will be meeting with hundreds of other Episcopal Church leaders in Plano, Texas, in order to network with several other Dioceses and to clarify how we are to go forward together. As these deliberations take place and the situation unfolds, I will be in communication with all of you. Our Diocesan Convention will be addressing these concerns when we meet on November 7 and 8, 2003. In the meantime, I ask every member of this Diocese to continue to do what you have been doing: Continue to be faithful in worship and in witness to the Lord Jesus Christ. Continue to work, pray, and give for the spread of God’s Kingdom in the world.
All of you are in my prayers, and I ask your prayers for the unity of the Church. Pray for the courage, love and peace we all need in order to face these troubled times. As your Bishop, I renew my commitment to be a faithful pastor of the flock entrusted to my care and to guard and defend the faith, unity, and discipline of the Church of God. May the Lord in His goodness continue to protect and guide us by the power of the Holy Spirit.
Faithfully in Christ,
The Rt. Rev. Jack Leo Iker
Bishop of Fort Worth