D050 Reunion of the Diocese of The Episcopal Church in North Texas with The Episcopal Diocese of Texas
Resolved, the House of Bishops concurring,
That the 80th General Convention approve the reunion of the Diocese of The Episcopal Church in North Texas with and into The Episcopal Diocese of Texas pursuant to Canon I.10.6.
Explanation
Canon I.10.6 allows a diocese and another diocese that was formed by division therefrom to be reunited, subject to the approval of their respective diocesan conventions and General Convention.
When The Episcopal Diocese of Texas (EDOT) was created in 1849, its territory included the entire state. Over time, as the population of the state grew, EDOT ceded parts of its territory to create new dioceses. For example, it ceded the north central part of the state to create the Diocese of Dallas. In 1982, the Diocese of Dallas in turn ceded its western 24 counties to create the Diocese of Fort Worth.
In 2008, the Diocese of Fort Worth was torn apart when, led by a former bishop, the Diocese and many of its congregations left the Episcopal Church and joined the Anglican Church in North America (ACNA). In response, Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori convened a convention at which the congregations who wished to remain in the Episcopal Church as the Episcopal Diocese of Fort Worth elected a Provisional Bishop and populated other diocesan bodies. Lengthy litigation between the two groups ensued over the issue of which group owned the name “Episcopal Diocese of Fort Worth” and the property of the diocese and its parishes. In 2020 the Texas Supreme Court ruled in favor of the ACNA group and awarded them the name and title to almost all the diocesan and parish properties. When the Supreme Court of the United States declined to hear the appeal of the Episcopalians, the decision of the Texas Supreme Court went into effect.
As a result, the diocese that remained in The Episcopal Church was renamed “The Episcopal Church in North Texas” (ECNTX). In its 24 North Texas counties are 13 congregations, many of which have found new places to worship. The diocese remains headquartered in Fort Worth, and its Provisional Bishop is now The Rt. Rev. J. Scott Mayer, Bishop of the Diocese of Northwest Texas.
After the conclusion of most of the litigation, Bishop Mayer convened a group of clergy and lay leaders to identify and evaluate options for the future of ECNTX. This discernment group eventually recommended to their Standing Committee that ECNTX reunite with and become a part of EDOT.
EDOT, headquartered in Houston, consists of 153 congregations in 57 counties in east, central, and south Texas, 15 college ministries, 58 Episcopal schools, Camp Allen, several social service agencies, and five foundations dedicated to the health and growth of the Church. It is also home to the Seminary of the Southwest. Its Bishop is The Rt. Rev. C. Andrew Doyle.
After extensive discussion, in May the two dioceses entered into an Agreement of Reunion, which was approved by both Bishops and their respective Standing Committees. In June the Agreement of Reunion was then approved by the conventions of both dioceses.