George Brian Fincke (November 21, 1953 – December 3, 2016) was an American

Anglican Anglicanism is a Western Christian tradition that has developed from the practices, liturgy, and identity of the Church of England following the English Reformation, in the context of the Protestant Reformation in Europe. It is one of th ...

bishop of the

Reformed Episcopal Church The Reformed Episcopal Church (REC) is an Anglican church of evangelical Episcopalian heritage. It was founded in 1873 in New York City by George David Cummins, a former bishop of the Protestant Episcopal Church. The REC is a founding member of ...

(REC).

Early life

Fincke was born to a

Presbyterian Presbyterianism is a part of the Reformed tradition within Protestantism that broke from the Roman Catholic Church in Scotland by John Knox, who was a priest at St. Giles Cathedral (Church of Scotland). Presbyterian churches derive their nam ...

minister, the Rev. George W. Fincke Jr., and Mary Louise Patterson Fincke in

Camden, New Jersey Camden is a city in and the county seat of Camden County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. Camden is part of the Delaware Valley metropolitan area and is located directly across the Delaware River from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. At the 2020 ...

, in 1953.

Ministry career

He was ordained as a presbyter in 1981 and was received into the Reformed Episcopal Church in 1986. He had an M.Div. from

Reformed Episcopal Seminary The Reformed Episcopal Seminary is a private seminary in Blue Bell, Pennsylvania. It was founded in 1887 as the first seminary of the Reformed Episcopal Church. History The Reformed Episcopal Seminary was founded in 1887 in West Philadelphia ...

and served in the

Diocese of the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic The Diocese of the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic, with the Convocation of Eastern Canada, formerly known as the New York and Philadelphia Synod, is a founding jurisdiction of the Reformed Episcopal Church in 1873 and, more recently, a founding dioces ...

before his election as bishop ordinary of the nascent Missionary Diocese of the West. In addition to serving as a bishop, Fincke also served as a parish pastor in California. In October 2000, Fincke suffered a

stroke A stroke is a medical condition in which poor blood flow to the brain causes cell death. There are two main types of stroke: ischemic, due to lack of blood flow, and hemorrhagic, due to bleeding. Both cause parts of the brain to stop functionin ...

and was substantially disabled. As a result, his office as bishop ordinary of the Missionary Diocese of the West was declared vacant. After his recovery, Fincke served as an assisting bishop in the Diocese of Mid-America and a rector in Fargo, North Dakota. In 2015, Fincke became rector of an

Anglican Province of America The Anglican Province of America (APA) is a Continuing Anglican church in the United States. The church was founded by former members of the Episcopal Church in the United States in order to follow what they consider to be a more truly Christian, ...

congregation in

Prescott, Arizona Prescott ( ) is a city in Yavapai County, Arizona, United States. According to the 2020 Census, the city's population was 45,827. The city is the county seat of Yavapai County. In 1864, Prescott was designated as the capital of the Arizona T ...

Personal life

Fincke was married for 37 years to Ann Caskey. They had three daughters and one son. Fincke died on December 3, 2016, in Prescott.

References

1953 births 2016 deaths Bishops of the Reformed Episcopal Church People from Camden, New Jersey Religious leaders from New Jersey {{anglican-bishop-stub