Election of a Bishop in the Episcopal Diocese of Fort Worth

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The clergy and people of the Episcopal Diocese of Fort Worth, gathered here in a special electing convention, have chosen the Very Rev. Ryan Reed, 51, to become the fourth Bishop of the Diocese, succeeding the Rt. Rev. Jack L. Iker.

The Bishop-elect has served as Dean of St. Vincent’s Cathedral, where the election was held, since 2002. A native of Omaha, Neb., Dean Reed was raised near Houston. He holds a B.A. in Political Science from Texas A&M University, where he was a member of the Corps of Cadets, and a Master of Divinity degree from Trinity School for Ministry in Ambridge, Pa. He and his wife, Kathy, have one daughter. Ordained to the priesthood in 1997, he has served churches in Fort Worth, Bridgeport, and Bedford, Texas; and held a variety of ministerial and administrative posts. He is a past President of the diocesan Standing Committee and presently serves on the Executive Committee of the Anglican Church in North America (ACNA). He is a member of the Society of the Holy Cross, an international devotional society for clergy.

The special convention opened with the report of the Nominating Committee, which officially placed four names in nomination. Balloting began after a worship service. The election was confirmed on the third ballot, when Dean Reed received a majority of votes from both the clergy and lay orders, as required.

“We are delighted with Dean Reed’s selection to serve as our next Bishop,” said Bishop Iker at the close of the convention. “His broad experience in the wider Church and his gifts as a pastor will serve the Diocese well in the years to come.”

The election requires the consent of the ACNA College of Bishops in a meeting scheduled later this month. A service of consecration for the Bishop-elect is expected in September 2019. Leadership of the Diocese will pass to Bishop-elect Reed upon Bishop Iker’s retirement on Dec. 31, 2019.

St. Vincent’s Cathedral Church is the seat of the Bishop of Fort Worth. It was the site of the formation, in June 2009, of the Anglican Church in North America, a province with congregations across the U.S. and Canada. The ACNA has a total membership of over 132,000. Fort Worth is the second-largest Diocese in the province.

The Episcopal Diocese of Fort Worth was founded in 1982 and has 56 congregations primarily in 24 North  Central Texas counties. It is a constituent member of the worldwide Anglican Communion and the one, holy, catholic, and apostolic Church and a founding Diocese of the Anglican Church in North America.

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13 COMMENTS

  1. Yes, I’m sure this is great, but I have one pressing question about this election. Will he heroically resist the urge to jig to the music at provincial gatherings as did Bp Iker? I haven’t always been able to resist a little jig from time to time, but I hope he’s able to remain strong like Bp Iker. May the Lord bless Bishop Elect Reed and the Diocese of Fort Worth.

  2. I pray that Bishop Iker would NOT fade into history, and the ACNA would grow ever-so-great-and-stronger. I pray that Bishop Reed might even shepherd Fort Worth into the ACNA.

    May be, this is the reason that Dean Reed was chosen to be the Bishop of Fort Worth far above a gay or a lesbian like did the doomed TEC diocese of Michigan.

    • Dr. Watson,
      It can be confusing for those who have not followed closely over the past 10 years. The “Episcopal Diocese of Fort Worth” (the corporate name) left “The Episcopal Church” (formerly the Episcopal Church of the USA, nee the Protestant Episcopal Church of the United States of America) in 2008 and shortly after became (as Dr. Professional notes) a founding diocese of ACNA. The Episcopal Church then formed a new diocese, and used the same name. In South Carolina, TEC tried to do the same thing, but was foiled by the courts, and so now uses “Episcopal Church in South Carolina.”

      Bishop Iker is a real Anglo Catholic. The few remaining active Anglo Catholic bishops (including the by then retired Bishop Ackerman) were deposed by TEC between 2007 and 2009. Those depositions were not recognized outside TEC except by (IIRC) Anglican Church of Canada, Scottish Episcopal Church and the Anglican Episcopal Church of Brazil (not to be confused with the Global South recognized Anglican Church of Brazil). Even the archbishops of the CoE recognized the orders of ACNA bishops and clergy- and hence do not recognize the depositions as legitimate.

      • alpha,

        I don’t think I could even begin to address your questions in a comment- it would take a book. I would recommend that you do some searches here on Anglican Ink and at the Anglican Curmudgeon blog for “South Carolina” and “Fort Worth” – the legal ins and outs are convoluted.

        TEC does not consider itself in communion with any ACNA diocese. As to the implied question ” I suppose it may be assumed that the Episcopal Diocese of Fort Worth does not consider itself part of TEC but of the ACNA.” It is not a matter of “consider”. The Episcopal Diocese of Ft Worth constitution was amended by its convention, first to remove any accession or reference to the canons and constitution of TEC, and then to include references to it being a constituent part of ACNA (in the case of ACNA, “accession” is probably not the correct term, because ACNA’s constitution does not demand such).

        Individuals move back and forth freely between ACNA and TEC parishes- I’ve known some who attend both on alternate Sundays. So there is no excommunication in the Catholic sense, since both TEC and ACNA have adopted the liberal Protestant practice of giving communion to all who have been baptized in the Trinitarian formula, without requiring confirmation or reception into the particular denomination.

    • Fort Worth is a diocese of ACNA, not TEC.

      In fact, it was a founding diocese of ACNA. ACNA’s first convention was held in its cathedral.

      • Thank you, Dr for the note. I’d thought Ryan had been chosen by TEC Fort Worth. Delighted to know it’s ACNA Fort Worth. ?

      • Thanks, Doc. I live outside of USA and misread the first lines of this news item: ”The clergy and people of the Episcopal Diocese of Fort Worth, gathered here in a special electing convention, have chosen the Very Rev. Ryan Reed, …”

  3. Dean Ryan, congratulations on your election to be a bishop in the church of God. Great four promises! I join the many faithful in the diocese and the whole church of God in praying that you will be a true Shepherd after God’s Heart.

    PLEASE make sure that no lesbians, gays and canonically invalid so-called bishopesses would lay hands on you and cancel out you receiving holy and valid orders when you are consecrated to this holy Office.

    Resolve to carry Bishop Iker’s mantle, if not greater worthy of our Lord’s.

    Personally, I’d rather have the godly Archbishop Foley consecrate you a Bishop.

    • Dr., I assume you meant your second paragraph in jest, but just in case…

      I think we can be confident that the consecrators of bishop-elect Ryan will be good and holy men, in keeping with the history of the diocese of Fort Worth. There are no women bishops in ACNA, and to date, as far as I know, no woman bishop of any province has participated in a consecration.

      • Thank you, tjmcmahon for the note. I’d thought Ryan had been chosen by TEC Fort Worth. Delighted to know it’s ACNA Fort Worth. ?

        I live outside of USA and misread the first lines of this news item: ”The clergy and people of the Episcopal Diocese of Fort Worth, gathered here in a special electing convention, have chosen the Very Rev. Ryan Reed, …”

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