After prayerful discernment and reflection, I have decided the time has come for us to begin the search process that will lead next year to the election and consecration of a new Bishop as my successor.

As you know, I am now in my 26th year as your Bishop, and in a few days I will celebrate my 69th birthday. In order to make way for new leadership, it is my intention to retire on December 31, 2019.

The first step is the election of a Nominating Committee, under the provisions of Canon 40, on the “Election of a Bishop.” In September and October, 14 clergy and 14 lay members will be elected to serve on the committee, and the Standing Committee will elect a chairman. A profile of the Diocese will be compiled in October, and then nominations for Bishop will be received until the end of December.

The Nominating Committee will research the list of nominees and conduct interviews in the early months of 2019. The Committee will provide the names of at least three nominees to stand for election at a Special Convention on June 1 of next year. The Bishop Coadjutor-elect would be approved by the College of Bishops of the Anglican Church in North America at their regular  June meeting, and tentative plans have been made for his consecration on Sept. 21, 2019.

The new Bishop would serve with me until the end of December, and his formal installation as Diocesan Bishop would be held in early January 2020.

As we move forward together in the months ahead, we are confident of God’s grace and guidance as things unfold. Thank you for your prayerful support of this process, that it may be led by the Holy Spirit.

The Rt. Rev. Jack Leo Iker

Bishop of Fort Worth