The Fort Worth-based Episcopal Synod of America, formed eight years ago to counter what it sees as liberals in the church, has taken its most radical step away from the national Episcopal Church.
During an early-August meeting in suburban Philadelphia, the 23,000-member synod, which objects to the ordination of women and gays, in effect, adopted a declaration of independence from the national church.

Its members, including Fort Worth Bishop Jack Iker, voted to move toward establishing a nongeographical "province" within the national church body, which would reject practices it considers too liberal.

"We have planned for a number of years for a new province, a structure which would shield us from the false doctrine being promulgated by the institution of the Episcopal Church," synod President Donald "Pete" Moriarty II said during the synod meeting.

"There is no requirement that the synod `leave' anything. We will just simply be an orthodox province of the Anglican Communion in North America," he said.

What that means isn't entirely clear. No real structure is being formed. But it is an effort by the synod conservatives to further separate from the national church.

Perhaps the most serious threat is that synod leaders are saying they will defy certain laws of the Episcopal Church. Bishops aren't allowed to cross over and minister in another diocese, for example, without permission of the local bishop.

But the "province" declaration said conservative bishops will go into other dioceses to minister to conservative congregations with, or without, the permission of the local bishop.

Conservative synod members took the action in response to the recent Episcopal General Convention in Philadelphia, where delegates approved new laws forcing all bishops and their dioceses to accept female priests.

Although 1,500 women now serve as priests in the United States, bishops in four dioceses -- in Fort Worth; Eau Claire, Wis.; Quincy, Ill.; and San Joaquin, Calif. -- still prohibit female clergy.

Now those four bishops -- members of the conservative synod -- have proposed plans that would allow women to minister in their dioceses under supervision of neighboring bishops.

Also, delegates at the general convention were one vote short of approving creation of a blessing for same-sex unions and approving health benefits for domestic partners of homosexuals.

"All of this [division] comes as a result of the Episcopal General Convention continuing on a leftward track," Moriarty, a lay Episcopalian from California, said this week in a phone interview. "The church's condoning of ordaining gays and lesbians is an example of veering off into non-Christian and non-orthodox behavior," he said.

Efforts to establish an official separate "province," or territorial unit of the worldwide Anglican Communion by conservative Episcopalians in America were solidly rejected several years ago.

Such a province must be approved by the Archbishop of Canterbury. At the time an international Eames Commission seriously studied the proposal, put forth by retired Fort Worth Bishop Clarence Pope and others, and said a separate province would create disunity in the U.S. church.

Moriarty told synod delegates that the spiritual environment of the Episcopal Church has been "poisoned" by false teaching.

The U.S. Episcopal Church has not issued an official response to the synod's action. But Jim Solheim, director of the church's news service, said many are concerned about what could result from it.

"If bishops start to cross lines and minister to people in other dioceses, it would create complete chaos," Solheim said.

Some of that chaos may be experienced in the Diocese of Fort Worth, and elsewhere, in the years ahead.

Jim Jones is the Star-Telegrams religion editor. His column appears Saturdays.

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