The Reformed Episcopal Church’s Diocese of the West has been merged into the Anglican Church in North America’s Missionary Diocese of All Saints (MDAS) under the leadership of the Rt. Rev. William H. Ilgenfritz. On 5-6 April 2016 the Diocese of the West’s synod meet at St John’s Church in Boerne and voted to dissolve, and move into the MDAS as the “Convocation of the West”. The bishop of the diocese, the Rt. Rev. Winfield Mott, will serve as vicar-general of the convocation until his retirement later this year. The decision to amalgamate the diocese came at a meeting of the REC’s House of Bishops meeting, Bishop Mott explained. The REC bishops recommended the move as the Diocese of the West did not meet the minimum size standard for an ACNA diocese of at least 12 congregations with an average Sunday attendance of over 50 people and a total diocesan ASA of over 1000. Bishop Mott said: “The Convocation format will enable us to continue as a community, which is important to us, as we have been a strong support for each other and have our own style and customs. The Missionary Diocese of All Saints context allows us to be a missionary presence in the western U.S. in the Anglo-Catholic tradition in which the Diocese of the West was formed.” The Diocese was the only diocese in the Continuing Church movement to enter the ACNA and has existed since the 1980’s, Bishop Mott said, noting: “It is our hope, with the support of MDAS, to grow and again become a diocese.”
