Following the release of a 104-page evaluation, Lenten study, meetings, and a time dedicated for discernment, the dioceses of Northwestern Pennsylvania and Western New York voted to conclude their partnership after six years by voting against a resolution that called for electing one bishop for both dioceses.
The votes at the May 3 Joint Special Convention were decisive, losing in all four orders:
- NWPA: 3-25 in the clerical order and 11-43 in the lay order
- WNY: 14-36 in the clerical order and 45-68 in the lay order
“One of the clergy who spoke at the convention suggested that our two diocesan cultures are akin to the difference between the Windows and Mac operating systems,” the Rev. Luke Fodor, president of WNY’s Standing Committee, told TLC. “Both are really wonderful systems in their own right, but they are not necessarily designed to work together seamlessly.”
“I also think it’s important to remember that this Special Convention was not a referendum on the ‘success’ of the Partnership,” said the Rev. Canon Stacey Fussell, president of NWPA’s Standing Committee. “Our Partnership has [borne] good fruits, both in terms of relationships and collaborative ministries, and in learnings for us and the wider church.”
Presiding Bishop Sean Rowe, previously NWPA’s longtime bishop, and Bishop R. William Franklin, retired WNY bishop, offered a joint statement: “As founding bishops of the partnership, we give thanks for the past six years of collaborative ministry and all that the people of Northwestern Pennsylvania and Western New York have learned in this experiment for the sake of the gospel. The risks that the leaders of the partnership took have catalyzed collaboration and conversation across the Episcopal Church, and we will be forever grateful to have served together with them. May God bless both dioceses as they continue discerning where the Holy Spirit is guiding them next.”
“With Bishop Rowe’s departure from the Partnership, who had been the linchpin holding things together, there has been a slight instability in the Partnership,” Fodor said. “The results of the vote bear this out.”
The presidents of the two Standing Committees offered a statement, and neither was surprised by the results.
“I don’t think the voting results were surprising,” Fussell told TLC. “Over the past several months of discernment, it has become clear that our dioceses are in very different places with different needs when it comes to episcopal oversight going forward.”
Fodor agreed. “The results were not particularly surprising. They reflect both the different cultures of each Diocese and the unique place each finds itself in.”
Fodor added: “After five-plus years of a provisional bishop, Western New York is of a mind to call a new diocesan bishop rather quickly. The course of action in Northwestern Pennsylvania is probably different. After a successful 17-year relationship with their last diocesan bishop, it is likely that they might choose an interim and call a bishop with a provisional charge. The vote demonstrates the difference in timing and cultural priorities.”
The joint statement reflects those feelings: “We want to say clearly: this decision does not erase the many ways God has blessed our shared life. Over the past 6 years, we have discovered the strength that comes from walking together, learning from each other, bearing witness together, and offering the world a witness of hope and collaboration. We give thanks for every relationship formed, every ministry strengthened, and every new possibility glimpsed through our partnership. We will remain one in the Spirit even as we move forward as two dioceses.”
Western New York has 55 parishes/congregations and 6,014 members; Northwestern Pennsylvania has 36 parishes/congregations and 2,677 members.
Calling the partnership “a season of expanded vision and collaborative innovation,” Fodor said, “The Diocese of Western New York is very grateful for the time of its partnership with the diocese of Northwestern Pennsylvania. Both dioceses were pushed outside of their natural comfort zones and were able to discover more about themselves. Just like our personal relationships lead us to deeper self-discovery, this partnership has created much opportunity for learning. For instance, I have heard repeatedly from my Buffalo-based colleagues that they had failed to appreciate the full breadth and depth of the Diocese of Western New York, particularly in outlying counties and rural areas. Re-centering the status quo of relationships and expanding our networks will be a lasting benefit from this experiment.”
Both dioceses are ready for next steps, as reflected in the joint statement: “The Standing Committees of each diocese will now begin the work of discerning next steps in securing its own episcopal oversight. Working with our Diocesan Councils, we hope to realign staff and administrative resources to serve each diocese separately—effective on or before July 1. We are also making plans to celebrate what we have accomplished together in Partnership at a gathering on Thursday, June 19.”
The evaluation presented seven future options: Continue the Partnership; Become one new diocese through junction; End the Partnership and continue to cooperate in specific ministries; End the Partnership and go separate ways as two dioceses; Pursue a new partnership with another diocese; Seek reunion with a diocese with which it was once historically connected.
On the seventh option, the evaluation recommended different actions for the two dioceses: for Western New York: Enter a junction with another diocese or a reunification with Rochester, Central New York, or New York; for Northwestern Pennsylvania: Enter a junction with another diocese or a reunification with Pittsburgh.
Previously reported in TLC: Two-Diocese Partnership Releases Evaluation
Neva Rae Fox is a communications professional with extensive Episcopal experience, serving the boards of The Living Church Foundation, Bible and Common Prayer Book Society, Episcopal Community Services of New Jersey, and others.
