Seventh Church this Year Splits in Diocese of Dallas
04/20/2007

The Rev. Canon Victoria Heard, canon missioner for church planting for the Diocese of Dallas, has been named priest-in-charge of Church of the Resurrection in Dallas after a majority of the congregation voted to follow the former rector and form a new congregation affiliated with the Anglican Mission in America. The majority of the congregation, which currently has an average Sunday attendance of about 160, will vacate the building by May 31.

“Any separation of brothers and sisters in Christ is painful in its own right,” Dallas Bishop James M. Stanton stated. “I am saddened that the leadership of Resurrection has chosen to walk apart from the diocese; however the ministry of Church of the Resurrection will continue."

The Church of the Resurrection has played an important role in the life of the diocese for the past 40 years, according to a diocesan news release. Resurrection was a leader in the charismatic renewal movement in The Episcopal Church in the 1970s and 80s. At one point average Sunday attendance (ASA) was more than 1,500, but the church has suffered substantial decline in attendance, membership and finances for at least a decade. the rest