Rectors’ Declaration of Support for the Bishops’ Statement on the Polity of the Episcopal Church

Tuesday, May 5th, 2009
Found here

A group of Bishops of the Episcopal Church and the Anglican Communion have issued a statement on the polity of the Episcopal Church with which we as Rectors of churches in the Episcopal Church are in full agreement. Our understanding of the seat of authority in the Episcopal Church, as elaborated by the Constitution and Canons of the Episcopal Church, is consistent with that elaborated in the Bishops’ statement. We also find the arguments supporting the statement to be compelling and worthy of intentional study by the sundry dioceses, bishops, deputies, clergy and laity of the Episcopal Church.

The authority of the Episcopal Church resides at the diocesan level. This is witnessed to by the structure of the church as “that of a voluntary association of equal dioceses.” Also, the Constitution and Canons of the Church make no provision for either a central hierarchy or a Presiding Bishop with metropolitan authority. Furthermore, our General Convention representation is as dioceses and not as communicants, with only an administrative role for the convention leadership, the voting members of the leadership themselves drawn from the diocesan deputations. In addition, the ordinal does not contain any language acknowledging or committing to submit to any metropolitan or central hierarchal authority.
We agree with the statement by the Bishops that the “traditional doctrine and worship and the historic polity of the Church are in grave peril.” In the matter of utmost importance to the catholic nature of the Church, we stand with the signing Bishops who “intend to exercise [their] episcopal authority to remain constituent members of the Anglican Communion.” For those of us who faithfully serve in dioceses that choose to reject or ignore the covenant, we ask our Diocesans not to impede the adoption of the Covenant by parishes in our dioceses. Such grace will allow these parishes and clergy to obey their consciences and calling to be members of the Anglican Communion and the One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church.

April 22nd, 2009

The Rev. Dr. Charles Alley
Rector, St. Matthew’s Episcopal Church
Richmond, Virginia

The Rev. John D. Badders, Jr.
Rector, St. John’s Episcopal Church
McAllen, Texas

The Rev. Phyllis Bartle
Rector, St. Jude’s Episcopal Church
Orange City, Florida

The Rev. Milton E. Black, Jr.
Rector, Church of the Good Shepherd
Corpus Christi, Texas

The Rev. Christopher Andrew Bowhay
Rector, St. Thomas’ Episcopal Church
Houston, Texas

The Rev. William J. Cavanaugh
Rector, Church of the Epiphany
Richardson, Texas

The Very Reverend Anthony Clark
Dean, St. Luke’s Cathedral
Orlando, Florida

The Rev. Joseph N. Davis
Rector, Church of the Resurrection
Franklin, Tennessee

The Very Rev. Canon Richard C. Doscher, Sr.
Rector, St. Alfred’s Episcopal Church
Palm Harbor, Florida

The Rev. Mifflin Dove, Jr.
Rector, St. Paul’s Episcopal Church
Katy, Texas

The Rev. Robert G. Eaton
Rector, St. John Episcopal Church
Tulare, California

The Rev. Theodore W. Edwards, Jr.
Rector, St. George’s Episcopal Church
Bradenton, Florida

The Rev. Richard H. Elwood
Rector, St. Barnabas Episcopal Church
Fredericksburg, Texas

The Rev. Frank E. Fuller
Rector, St. Mark’s Episcopal Church
Beaumont, Texas

The Rev. Ronald E. Greiser, Jr.
Rector, St. John’s Episcopal Church
Portsmouth, Virginia

The Rev. Laurens A. Hall
Rector, St. John the Divine
Houston, Texas

The Rev. John F. Hardie
Rector, St. Mark’s Episcopal Church
Corpus Christi, Texas

The Rev. Theodore E. Hervey, Jr.
Rector, Epiphany Episcopal Church
Bertram, Texas

The Rev. John M. Himes, OSF
Rector, Trinity Episcopal Church
Marshall, Texas

The Rev. Charles L. Holt
Rector, St. Peter’s Episcopal Church
Lake Mary, Florida

The Rev. Robert Horowitz
Rector, Church of the Redeemer
Greenville, South Carolina

The Rev. Thomas S. Hotchkiss
Rector, Church of The Advent
Nashville, Tennessee

The Rev. Robert T. Jennings
Rector, St. Francis in the Fields
Harrods Creek, South Carolina

The Rev. Bennett G. Jones, II
Rector, St. Paul Episcopal Church
Munster, Indiana

The Rev. Timothy Jones
Senior Associate Rector, St. George’s Episcopal Church
Nashville, Tennessee

The Rev. Jerome A. Kramer
Rector, Church of the Annunciation
New Orleans, Louisiana

The Rev. Gerald W. Krumenacker, Jr.
Rector, Christ Church
Dallas, Texas

The Rev. Ronald James LeBlanc
Priest-in-Charge, Church of the Incarnation
Lafayette, Louisiana

The Rev. Dr. Russell J. Levenson, Jr.
Rector, St. Martin’s Episcopal Church
Houston, Texas

The Rev. John S. Liebler
Rector, St. Andrew’s Church and Academy
Fort Pierce, Florida

The Rev. Ramiro E. Lopez, Jr.
Rector, St. George Episcopal Church
San Antonio, Texas

The Rev. Daniel H. Martins
Rector, St. Anne’s Episcopal Church
Warsaw, Indiana

The Very Rev. Dr. Jean McCurdy Meade
Rector, Mount Olivet Episcopal Church
New Orleans, Louisiana

The Rev. Mark A. Michael
Rector, Saint Paul’s Episcopal Church
Sharpsburg, Maryland

The Rev. Ian Montgomery
Retired Rector, St. Thomas Church
Menasha, Wisconsin

The Rev. Joel J. Morsch
Rector, Christ Church
Bradenton, Florida

The Rev. Elizabeth L. Myers
Rector, St. Francis of Assisi
Lake Placid, Florida

The Rev. David G. Newhart
Rector, St. Elizabeth’s Episcopal Church
Sebastian, Florida

The Rev. John Newton
Rector, Messiah Episcopal Church
Saint Paul, Minnesota

The Very Rev. Timothy C. Nunez
Rector, St. Mary’s Episcopal Church
Belleview, Florida

The Rev. Robert P. Price
Rector, St. Dunstan’s Episcopal Church
Houston, Texas

The Rev. Dr. Darrel D. Proffitt
Rector, Church of the Holy Apostles
Katy, Texas

The Rev. Fredrick Arthur Robinson
Rector, The Church of the Redeemer
Sarasota, Florida

The Rev. Mark Seitz
Rector, St. Matthew’s Episcopal Church
Wheeling, West Virginia

The Rev. John Thomas Sheehan
Rector, The Church of Our Redeemer
Aldie, Virginia

The Rev. Dr. Jerry Smith
Rector, St. Bartholomew’s Parish
Nashville, Tennessee

The Rev. Leigh Spruill
Rector, St. George’s Episcopal Church
Nashville, Tennessee

The Very Rev. Canon Harold L. Trott, SSC
Vicar, Church of Our Saviour
Albuquerque, New Mexico

The Rev. Eric W. Turner, Sr.
Rector, St. John’s Episcopal Church
Melbourne, Florida

The Rev. Guido Verbeck
Rector, St. Paul’s Episcopal Church
Shreveport, Louisiana

The Very Rev. Dr. Edward A. Weiss, OSB, APC
Rector, Church of Our Saviour
Okeechobee, Florida

The Rev. John T. Wells
Rector, Episcopal Church Of The Holy Spirit
Waco, Texas

The Rev. Ted Welty
Interim Rector, Christ Episcopal Church
Tyler, Texas

The Rev. Stockton Williams, Jr.
Rector, St. Peter’s Episcopal Church
Kerrville, Texas

The Rev. Dr. Kenneth A. Wolfe
Rector, The Parish of Christ Church
Fitchburg, Massachusetts

The Rev. Michael Wyckoff
Rector, St. Luke’s on the Lake
Austin, Texas