Jack Leo Iker (born August 31, 1949) is a retired

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

bishop of the

Anglican Church in North America The Anglican Church in North America (ACNA) is a Christian denomination in the Anglican tradition in the United States and Canada. It also includes ten congregations in Mexico, two mission churches in Guatemala, and a missionary diocese in Cuba ...

. Iker is a native of

Cincinnati, Ohio Cincinnati ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Hamilton County. Settled in 1788, the city is located at the northern side of the confluence of the Licking and Ohio rivers, the latter of which marks the state line wit ...

. He studied at the

University of Cincinnati The University of Cincinnati (UC or Cincinnati) is a public research university in Cincinnati, Ohio. Founded in 1819 as Cincinnati College, it is the oldest institution of higher education in Cincinnati and has an annual enrollment of over 44,00 ...

and the

General Theological Seminary The General Theological Seminary of the Episcopal Church (GTS) is an Episcopal seminary in New York City. Founded in 1817, GTS is the oldest seminary of the Episcopal Church and the longest continuously operating Seminary in the Anglican Communi ...

. Prior to his election as bishop, he was rector of the Church of the Redeemer, the largest Episcopal parish in Sarasota, Florida. He served on the boards of

Forward in Faith North America Forward in Faith (FiF) is an organisation operating in the Church of England and the Scottish Episcopal Church. It represents a traditionalist strand of Anglo-Catholicism and is characterised by its opposition to the ordination of women to the pri ...

and the

American Anglican Council The American Anglican Council began as an organization of theologically conservative Anglicans from both the Anglican Church in North America (ACNA) and The Episcopal Church in the United States. According to its membership brochure, it was found ...

. Like many

Anglo-Catholic Anglo-Catholicism comprises beliefs and practices that emphasise the Catholic heritage and identity of the various Anglican churches. The term was coined in the early 19th century, although movements emphasising the Catholic nature of Anglican ...

clergy, he is a member of the

Society of the Holy Cross The Society of the Holy Cross (SSC; la, Societas Sanctae Crucis) is an international Anglo-Catholic society of male priests with members in the Anglican Communion and the Continuing Anglican movement, who live under a common rule of life that i ...

. Iker was the third bishop of the

Episcopal Diocese of Fort Worth The Episcopal Diocese of Fort Worth is a diocese of the Anglican Church in North America. The diocese comprises 62 congregations and its headquarters are in Fort Worth, Texas. The diocese is divided in six deaneries, each headed by a dean, which ...

, consecrated as co-adjutor in 1993 and as incumbent in 1995. He was one of the most theologically conservative bishops during his tenure and would be one of the last Episcopal bishops opposed to women's ordination. In 2008, most of the clergy and parishes in the diocese left the Episcopal Church and affiliated with the

. Iker left the Episcopal Church with them, becoming the first bishop of the new diocese. He was one of the founding bishops of the Anglican Church in North America in 2009. In 2017, Iker declared his diocese was in impaired communion with ACNA dioceses which

ordain women Ordain Women is a Mormon feminist organization that supports the ordination of women to the priesthood in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church). It was founded on March 17, 2013, by Kate Kelly, a human rights attorney fro ...

: Iker retired in December 2019.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Iker, Jack Leo 1949 births Living people 20th-century Anglican bishops in the United States 21st-century Anglican bishops in the United States Anglo-Catholic bishops American Anglo-Catholics Bishops of the Anglican Church in North America Religious leaders from Cincinnati University of Cincinnati alumni General Theological Seminary alumni Episcopal bishops of Fort Worth Anglican realignment people

See also

References